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January 14, 2011

Kim Clijsters

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

N. LI/K. Clijsters
7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk us through from 5-nil to 5-All, execution.
KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, she was -- she obviously started serving much better. I think in her first couple of service games where I broke her I don't think she made a lot first serves. I kind of always felt that I was able to put more pressure on her, especially with my forehand.
You know, I hit some good shots, but then I think I just, yeah, softened the quality I think of my strokes. You know, I wasn't hitting quite as deep as before and not as aggressively, and she definitely took over very quickly.
Obviously she has a very good backhand, and I knew that beforehand. I was found it very hard today to change directions once I was going backhand crosscourt with her. Usually that is something I did very well against her in the past. I was able to really go into her forehand and just mix it up. I kind of think that today she was doing that to me a little bit.
Then, yeah, I wasn't serving great. Gradually just you try to fight, but then it becomes frustrating, too, you know, that you are not able to play your best when you're trying to.

Q. Does a match like tonight make you want to go back on the practice court? Melbourne starts on Monday.
KIM CLIJSTERS: No, I'm not worried about the way that I'm hitting. I feel that tomorrow is going to be our travel day, so I'll take a day off from tennis and go into the gym just make sure -- you know, after yesterday's match still some acid I think in the body that I want to get rid of.
Do probably a longer running session and some core exercises, shoulder exercises. Just keep it simple, but just be away from the tennis courts for one day.
Then on Sunday I'll go out and practice in the morning, yeah, and then we'll see. I don't know if I have to play Monday or Tuesday. It would be nice to play on Tuesday tell us obviously to have another day.
But if not, I will try and be ready on Monday.

Q. Those three double faults, that was very uncharacteristic.
KIM CLIJSTERS: You think? I think instead of donating $100 or how much it is for aces, they should do it with me for the double faults. Might bring some more money to the victims in Queensland. Yeah, wasn't feeling it today.

Q. Is she a genuine Australian Open chance?
KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, I think she's always a contender that is definitely probably not being focused on enough, I think. She's definitely a player who has every quality to win a Grand Slam.
I think, you know, what I've noticed when I've played big matches against her, I remember a quarterfinal at the US Open, I think she was never really the same player than she would be in the beginning of the tournament.
She would dominate a lot of the matches when it was really necessarily, I think. So maybe mentally she still gets a little bit nervous in those kind of situations. But, yeah, she's definitely a player that can beat any top player out there when she's playing her best.

Q. Such a marvelous end to the season last year with the US Open and the Championships. Is this sort of a reality check, make you feel like you're human?
KIM CLIJSTERS: No, I know that. Obviously maybe to show the rest of the world. But, no, yeah, I mean, obviously I'm disappointed. But I look forward to going back out on the practice courts and trying to improve again and to obviously, you know, play my first round in Melbourne.
But obviously I mean, I don't think back on the Championships or the US Open. I mean, that's probably an hour after the ceremony is done, we're already thinking ahead and packing and moving forward. I don't even want to think about it too much, so I don't focus on the past.

Q. Do you need these sorts of results to move to the future, make changes in the game?
KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, yeah. It's always -- I mean, the result to me is really, at the end ever day, really not what counts, I think. Obviously it counts to the whole system and to the tournament, of course.
But to me personally, I think more about the feeling that I had out on the court. That's what I talk about with me coach, so to me it's more about that.
Even yesterday, I mean, I won, but my feeling wasn't how I would have liked it to be. Today I lost, and the feeling still wasn't way I would have liked it to be. So the result, at the end of day, I mean, it really, to me, is not like the main thing that I'm focusing on.

Q. Does a result like this have an impact on you psychologically going into Melbourne?
KIM CLIJSTERS: No. Like I said before, the result really to me is not like, Oh, I lost the match. That's not, you know, what I want to go do maybe tomorrow or even on Sunday is go out and practice and get that good feeling back that I had back in the beginning of the week.
So that's what I'm going to focus on and not worry. The tournament is finished now. You know, go home, pack the bags, and make the switch and focus on Melbourne now.

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