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U.S. OPEN

August 30, 2010

Francesca Schiavone

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

F. SCHIAVONE/A. Morita
6-1, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Nice way to start off here. Very quick match. Do you feel like your form is really very strong right now?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: It was good match, because I was really fast when I hit the ball. I can't find the ball. I prepare good. I was ready really. I was really excited to start the new Grand Slam in U.S., US Open.
It was good match for me.

Q. You struggled a bit since Roland Garros, but knowing you have been able to prevail in a Grand Slam tournament, does that give you an added sense of confidence when you come into a tournament such as this?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I prepare a lot big tournament, but I was ready to play Montreal and Cincinnati. I had all the chance. Physically I felt good. Maybe here something you put more in your head or you have big motivation. It's just one step. It's long way.

Q. Do you like playing in New York, the people, the stadium? Is this a vibe that you enjoy?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah, I surprise in part of me; and another one, no, that I was playing a big stadium like that one.
I like to do it, because adrenaline is coming up and I enjoy much more than play in far away court. (Smiling.) Maybe because I am 30 years old and now I want to enjoy with people.
I felt that the people like me, and that's -- for me, it's...

Q. There's no shortage of Italians in New York City. Do you feel you get a lot of support when you're out there?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yes.

Q. How do you feel about a potential matchup with Melanie Oudin in the third round, should you both get that far?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Ah, you are flying too much. (Laughter.) I want to think about my next match. Oudin has a different way. To arrive there is long. Don't think that it's easy for the top seed to win a match.

Q. You were on top of the world in Paris, and then you sort of came down. Are you back to normal now?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: You know, I think when you try to reach, to arrive in the top of the mountain, then you can't go more, more up. So you have to go down and come back up.
I think I'm doing this one. And when it's time to come back again up, I will do it. I'm working to do it.

Q. I want to ask you a big question about our sport, about tennis. In tennis, we're just hitting the yellow ball back and forth, forehand, backhand. Yet you said people came up to you and said that you gave them such beautiful emotions. What is it about the sport that can bring this beauty, these emotions?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I think who you are. That's the key of the emotion that you can give. I can give you an example. If you see -- if you watch Rafa, I think you can enjoy. You can say, Oh, I'm here. I'm gonna to scream like this. If you see Roger, you can feel a different style.
So depends who you are and what you do in the court, and the people now start to understand who I am and what I do for the Roland Garros final, for semifinal, for maybe years and years that they see me.

Q. Do you think people were attracted to you, to your game, because you took such risks, in the final, especially?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I think they attract -- I attract them because I'm beautiful. (Laughter.)
No, you have to ask to them why they come to watch me, but I'm really happy. And today when I see the stadium not full but with many people, I was really, really happy.

Q. And finally, which player attracts you the most? If you could watch one player these days, who would that be?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Looks like or like a man or what? Like a player?

Q. Man, woman.
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Of course, of course I think Roger and Rafa are example for everybody. Example like person because they respect each other, they respect the opponent, they fight every points, they win big matches, and they can show who they are. For me, it's great.

Q. Did you prepare any specific strategy coming into the match? I mean, prepare some strategy against your opponent?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah, yeah, because she like to play I think here, and I try to play my play. So up and down, keep going to change the speed and the rotation of the ball. She couldn't hit so easy the ball, but she is good. She can serve good. She has good timing.
So I had to work hard. Maybe the score you say 6-1, 6-Love, but is nothing easy. I played very good point. Sometimes we went to deuce, and I had to play really high level to take the game.

Q. You are kind of player who can mix up different kind of shots. You can hit the forehand and you can do anything. So as that kind of a player, can you give Morita any advice?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: To someone that play like this?

Q. Like, as you said, Morita, she has very good groundstroke.
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah.

Q. Maybe her problem can be change the rhythm or...
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: No, no, no. Everybody have different quality. If she has this quality, has to work on this. If Pat Rafter was playing serve and volley and he couldn't play behind every point you score, you push your player to play how the quality that he has. So everybody are different.

End of FastScripts

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