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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 25, 2010

Samantha Stosur

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

S. WILLIAMS/S. Stosur
6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Have you played Serena in better form than that? She was incredible.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, she played very well today. Actually thought I played well and I felt good out there. But, yeah, when someone's playing that aggressively and not giving you anything at all, it's -- she's pretty hard to beat.

Q. Is there anything you liked about your game tonight?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, yeah. I thought I served well. I thought I stood my ground pretty well during the few rallies that we were able to get into. Everything that I had set out and wanted to try and play like today, I thought I did that pretty well.
But like I said, she played better. You know, if -- maybe if I was able to play against any other player, then maybe I would have won today. I'm still pleased with the way I went out there and fought hard and did what I could do.

Q. What do you take out of the match for the rest of the year?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: You know, just that she had to play -- I thought she played, like I said before, very, very well. For someone to go out there and play against you like that, you can't do much about it.
I'm gonna take this week as being very positive and know that she had to play that well to beat me today.

Q. She had two bandages on. Was there any sense that something was wrong with her?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. She's gotta tell you that. But I felt she moved pretty well out there today. I don't think anything was hampering her too much out there.
Q. Does it just give you a sense of where you need to get to if you want to take that next step? Is that what you learn from a game like that?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, absolutely. You know, if the No. 1 player in the world played like that to try to win a Grand Slam, then that's where you have to try and get to as well.
You know it sucks that you have to come up against someone playing like that out of the tournament, but it does show you what you have to try get to if you want to be up there with them.
Today was, you know, disappointing that I lost, definitely. But I know that that's maybe where I need to try and keep aspiring to get to.

Q. Can you specify the areas you need to step it up? You said you played well.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I'm not gonna start thinking that my game -- I need to remodel my game on today's match or anything like that. It's gonna be the same kind of plan going into next week and the rest of year as what I had going into the Australian Open.
That is to keep working on my serve and keep the percentages high and make that as a big of a weapon as I can get. Same with my forehand. Nothing's really gonna change. Just have to keep trying to get better at what I do.
Q. Did you get a sense that this time around she was far more wary of you since you beat her last time?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Sure. I think definitely she had maybe Stanford in mind. I think having said that, playing Serena at a Grand Slam compared to a tour event is also a different story.
I'd like to think that she respected my game enough to know that, okay I got her last time and she's gonna have to improve that effort to try and get past me.

Q. Do you think she can go all the way now?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think she definitely can go all the way. If she plays like that, I can't see too many players being able to stop her.

Q. Can you sort of explain what seeing that at close range sort of does for your hunger to get there now?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, it's the same. Win or lose today, I'm still as motivated and hungry to try and keep getting results and stuff like I did this week.
I hadn't made the fourth round here for a few years again. Going into the rest of the year, I'm really pleased with the way this tournament went. Definitely trying to build on it for the rest of the year.

Q. Her highest serve was 198k's straight at the body. What's that like coming at you?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Pretty hard and fast. (Smiling.) I think the three breakpoints I got, she hit two aces and were a complete unreturnable and they were all over 190.
So, yeah, you can't do much about it. Couple times I actually guessed where she was going and she still got me. Just shows how close to the line she was able to hit and how on her serve she was today.

Q. Winning that point, does it stay with you throughout the match, like when she's able to come up with that kind of power in those situations?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, yeah. I mean, you know it's possible. You just have to keep going out there, and each time you step up to the line, if she does miss that first serve, then try and take an opportunity on the second.
She didn't give me too many of those today. You can't really do that much about it. Like I said, you step up there and try and give it everything for each point. But when they're going past you, they're going past you.

Q. Out of the girls in singles and doubles, is that the best serve? Is that the best serve in the women's circuit at the moment?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think more so than even the power, the variety. When she's on, she's able to hit it within ten centimeters of whatever line she wants. When she's got that trajectory and is so close to the lines, it's not easy to return.
She doesn't hit every serve over 190. She goes 160, 170, and you think it's not that fast. But when they're on or very close to the line, they're still very hard to get.

Q. I imagine with your form you are ready to lead Australia in a good Fed Cup tie.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think I'll take a couple of days off now, but start practicing again and really get to Adelaide and be ready to go. I'm sure all the other girls are gonna be the same way.
I think we've got a really good shot against Spain. They're gonna have a really good team and we're gonna have to play well, but I think we've got a good chance.

Q. After having a really good first week here, what are your sort of ranking goals for this season?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Ranking goals? I want to get to the top 10. I think that is the first ranking goal that I've got in mind. Then once I'm there, I'll reassess.
But I don't know. You can't -- the rankings are gonna be what they are. I'd love to get as high as whatever that is. I've still got to go out there and win matches to do that.

Q. There were a lot of the expectations on your shoulders here. We talked about that a fair bit. But what about when you go to Roland Garros, next Grand Slam, you made the semifinal there? How will it be in your mind? Probably different kind of pressure for you.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it'll probably be a little bit different. Yeah, I've never gone to a Grand Slam the next year having made the semis the year before, so it'll be something different again.
But, you know, I don't want to go into it thinking, oh, my God, I've got so many points to defend. I've never been a player to look at the ranking list every week and calculate every point that drops off or comes on.
I'm just gonna try and approach it like any other Grand Slam and go out there and try and do my best. Hopefully that will mean getting back to the semifinals and having another chance.

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