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FEDCUP SEMIFINALS: RUSSIA v USA

April 25, 2010

Melanie Oudin

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

E. DEMENTIEVA/M. Oudin
7-6, 0-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Melanie, I'll ask the Barbara Walters question. What is your primary emotion right now?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, I came off the court and I was really disappointed. But talked to my coach and everything. I really fought as hard as I could. I did the best I could. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough today.
I thought that she stepped it up at the very end. That's why she's No. 6 in the world. That's another reason, I mean, she's like 10 years older than me. That experience definitely helped her in the end of the match.

Q. How much of that match result was based on Fed Cup experience?
MELANIE OUDIN: Uhm, I don't know if it was based on Fed Cup experience. Like Fed Cup's definitely different. I mean, the crowd was for me and everything. But sometimes the crowd, I mean, it's definitely helpful, but sometimes then again, they like put pressure on you because they yell in the middle of my first and second serves. I double-faulted one time. They did that.
I mean, sometimes it wasn't, like, that good. But they definitely were cheering for me today. I played an unbelievable second set. I know it's there. I know my tennis is there. She just ended up being the better player in the end.

Q. Talk about the first set. 10 consecutive breaks of serve. Elena credited you. She said she didn't think that she was serving that badly but your returns were aggressive. Has that ever happened to you?
MELANIE OUDIN: I don't think that's ever happened that many times, at least. But, I mean, she's got one of the best -- some of the best returns in the game, I think. I mean, she put so much pressure on my serve. Then I was returning really well on her serve. So it felt like almost we were holding, but we were breaking consistently the whole first set.
Honestly, I don't think either of us played a good first set. I thought we both were making a lot of errors, missing a lot that we normally don't. I think the second and the third was good tennis.

Q. Melanie, a lot of players find when they win a set 6-Love, they find it hard to keep that momentum going. Can you talk about what your feelings were in that situation.
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, I started off the second really well. I think she let down just a little bit after winning that first set. Being able to play that whole second set like that was really good. Everything I did worked. Everything I wanted to do was going in. I was executing really well. Everything just went for me in that second set.
I think she made some more errors. At the end there, I think she was starting to gear up for the third. When she came out for the third set, it was like the second set never happened. She was ready to go again.

Q. There's always a lot of cheering in Fed Cup. We heard some chants of, We believe. Did you hear that, that your motto was being chanted to you?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, it's been chanted actually in other tournaments, as well, not just here. People just say that a lot because that's what I always have on my shoes. Then from the Open, you know, everyone knew about 'belief'. So, yeah, it's nice. It's pretty cool to hear people chanting that when I guess it's kind of like my motto now, like you said.

Q. Speed is certainly one of your assets. You hit some monster two-handed offensive backhands. Sometimes you got there in time to hit a two-hander, but you went with a one-handed slice. What was your thought on that?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, I thought through the first and second set my slice was pretty effective to her. Changing up the pace, especially to her backhand, her backhand is really strong, one of the best parts of her game, so that was my plan going in, hitting a lot of slices, mixing it up towards her.
I think I definitely could have, especially in the third, hit more two-handers than slices.

Q. There were instances in the third set where you got into the net, you had done really the heavy lifting in terms of setting up your point, then you messed up some volleys. Talk about those a little bit, if you would.
MELANIE OUDIN: Missing the shots?

Q. A couple times you came in.
MELANIE OUDIN: I know what you're talking about.

Q. Seemed like you had some fairly easy shots. Did you lose concentration there?
MELANIE OUDIN: No, I mean, I didn't lose concentration. It was the fact that I got a little bit excited. I set up the point beautifully, then at the end there I wasn't able to execute.
But she got a lot of balls back. I mean, it made me feel like I had to hit an amazing shot to win the point.

Q. There were so many breaks in the first set. Does that make you think differently about the way you're going to serve?
MELANIE OUDIN: No, I don't think so, 'cause she's such a good returner, like I said. My percentages were really good. I mean, if you asked her the same question, if she was worried about her serve, because she got broken the same amount of times I did. No, she's such a good returner, she put so much pressure on me, that's why I think I lost my service games.

Q. If things go your way, it's going to go to the doubles. If you pull this out after some of the terrific wins you've had in the last couple years, do you think the players who are here today are the players that deserve to play in the final?
MELANIE OUDIN: I do think that. I don't know if that will happen. But I do think that if we do end up winning, Bethanie in the singles and we win the doubles, people in the final I think are the people that have gotten us there. Last year as well. Last year we got to the final with the same team that played every single tie.
I think that is the fairest thing to do, is to bring the team that's gotten you there. You should have enough faith in that team to be able to bring them to the finals.

Q. Talk a little bit about your experience here with the tournament, what you felt about being in Birmingham.
MELANIE OUDIN: It's been really nice. I like Birmingham. I've been here quite a bit for southern tournaments and stuff when I was little. But, yeah, the people are really nice. We had a really good turnout, I thought. They're still cheering right now. So I'm going to go back out there.

End of FastScripts

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