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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2011

Na Li

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

N. LI/C. Wozniacki
3-6, 7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Last year you were in semifinals. Now you are in final. What are you going to do next year?
NA LI: If I win this year, maybe next year I will retire. (Smiling.) It's all I can do in next year.

Q. A lot of unforced errors early in the match. She served for the match. How did you turn it around?
NA LI: I mean, because beginning match I want to hit another winner because I know she didn't have a winner shot for me. So how you say I was feeling maybe she can follow my system, but it's not.
I make a lot of mistake in the first set and also the beginning second set. Yeah, after I save the match point, I was thinking like, Okay now a chance. Yeah, I mean, it's tough play against her. She's running -- I was feeling some shot I can hit winner but every time she just back on the ball, back to the ball.
This is tough for me and for all the players.

Q. They call her the great Danish wall, but you have the great Chinese wall. So it was easy, no?
NA LI: I think Chinese wall more famous.

Q. And in few days there will be the year of the rabbit in the Chinese calendar. You were running more than a rabbit today.
NA LI: I wish I can running same fast like a rabbit. I mean, I don't know. Just beginning year I was feeling my body is healthy and also I feeling more energy for whole team. So I think they're doing great job for me.

Q. Can you tell us about how you feel about making the final, what it means to you?
NA LI: I mean, good for my tennis career, of course. Good for me; good for my team. Maybe good for China tennis. I'm not sure. Maybe.
But I mean, of course this is good experience for my whole life, because many player, they play long time, but they never come to the final for a Grand Slam. Today I get it, so feeling I can do well in next two days.

Q. Why you're not sure that it's good for Chinese tennis? Seems to be very good.
NA LI: Yeah, I mean, you have to see what they are write down for me. Everything decide for the media.

Q. What do you expect?
NA LI: I mean, if they write down something good for me, of course, I mean, good for China tennis also.

Q. Getting back to the match, was your game plan just to be very aggressive? Did you think you could outpower her?
NA LI: No, I never think about what I should do on the court. If you are focus on the court, you don't need to think about too much. Just focus. I mean, of course like between the point, only 20 second. What you can think? It's so short the time.

Q. You said after the match you didn't get much sleep last night.
NA LI: Yeah. I mean, I was wake up every hour, so I say, Stop. I couldn't sleep. My husband just like say, Relax. I say, How? Tell me how can relax because I couldn't sleep. So he was like, Okay, he just totally forget me. This morning, he was asking, How you sleep? I was like, Stop.

Q. Is he going to go into another room now?
NA LI: I think today he can stay in the bathroom, you know. Yeah.

Q. Was it your wedding anniversary today, or is it Saturday?
NA LI: I will think about two days later, but he was think about today. (Smiling.) So I don't know if -- I was thinking about two days later. Yeah, maybe I should ask my mom. (Laughter.)

Q. You beat Kim in the Sydney final. You could play her in the final on Saturday. What do you think about her?
NA LI: She's nice person; good player. Tough player also. Yeah, another challenge. Of course it's tough match. Tennis never have the easy.
So I mean, I was in final already, so nothing to lose. Yeah, just like beginning of the year just like before. I don't need think about too much. Yeah, because if we play final, it's Saturday night so I still have two days. I can totally rest right now.

Q. Apart from playing well, do you think about what you can do for Chinese tennis back home? Do you think of things you can do to help build the sport in China?
NA LI: I think maybe because right now I was come to the final, maybe many young player or children will see and think, Maybe one day we can do the same or even better than her. So someday they will feel more confident because, how you say, not China Tennis Federation, over the Federation, maybe they are not so interested in tennis.
But right now, maybe they say, Oh, maybe we should be looking around tennis. So I think even we do more better and I feeling more, how you say, more people come watch, more people to pay attention.

Q. You've done a lot for Chinese tennis. Is that important to you?
NA LI: Not so important. We know China tennis didn't have long time. So just beginning to start. I wish after three or five years maybe China like Russia, and they have many player come through up.

Q. Only women or also men?
NA LI: Of course, both. China have men and women. Not only women.

Q. We never see any men play.
NA LI: Right now they playing in challenger because they didn't have high ranking.

Q. Not because they're small?
NA LI: Age? They have like step by step.

Q. Don't you think in men's tennis you have to be stronger, physically big?
NA LI: I think they're strong in the body, but not so strong in the mind. So I think they have to more believe themself or trust a lot. Right now they think about, Oh, ranking around 300. That's perfect. But it's not perfect.
I mean, 300 is nothing in whole world. So they need have, how you say, high goal.

Q. Does your husband have secrets to give you that strong fighting spirit?
NA LI: No, he always like say, Relax. Just enjoy the tennis. I was like, How? I was playing on the court. I mean, just before I come to the court, he always like say, Okay come on.
We try to win. Doesn't matter win or lose. Like if you win, you are the same. Like if you are lose nobody say, Oh, you're stupid or something. So don't think about too much.

Q. Is it true that you're not a typical Chinese in the sense that you're more extrovert? You like to have fun, make jokes? You're not shy? I mean, many Chinese don't talk this much.
NA LI: Oh, yeah, maybe they couldn't speak English so they didn't know how to talk. Yeah, if you guys can't speak Chinese, of course they can make a lot of joke.

Q. You went down 5-Love in the final in Sydney in the first set, and you've lost your first serve a few times here. Is there any way you can think of you hope to make yourself get a better start in the final on Saturday?
NA LI: I mean, because in Sydney, I mean, Kim, just beginning the match she gave me a lot pressure for me. She play ball like deep. I was feeling I didn't have any time to replay the ball back.
So, yeah, I mean, if I have experience in Sydney, I wish I can start better in Melbourne.

Q. Compared to other players, maybe it took you a long time to get where you are right now. Can you explain that little or let's say huge step for you?
NA LI: I mean, you know, I was come back 2004. So, I mean, 2004 until now some years. Also many people think I'm kind of old, I couldn't do anything better in the tennis. I was feeling I'm still young. I can play many more years.
But for me, I think - or for all the Asia people - they're strong mentally. And also, if they come to the tour many years, they have more experience can use on the court.
Yeah, this is what I think.

Q. Did you change something for the last step?
NA LI: For right now, I was just feeling more happy on the court. Right now I didn't take any pressure around with me. Yeah, because I think my team, they do great job. Every time my physio, my husband, just, how you say, before, like before the match, they didn't tell me anything. They just say, Relax.
So I think they do really what I want, what I need.

Q. As you probably know, Justine Henin is retiring for good. Do you think it's a big loss for women's tennis?
NA LI: Why?

Q. Because of her injury she can't play anymore. Do you think it's a big loss for women's tennis?
NA LI: Of course she's amazing player. I mean, but for the player, if you are injury, I mean, this is the worst. Player have to stay healthy.
Of course it was sad for the fans, because she's amazing player. After she tried to come back, I mean, last year only play half season, injury, and then this year I can see. I mean, of course she try a lot in the winter training, but still injury.
Yeah.

End of FastScripts

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