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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2011

Jelena Dokic

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

B. ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA/J. Dokic
7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That tiebreaker was obviously very important. After that it all fell out pretty quickly.
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, it was tough. The first set was crucial. I think I had some chances. Yeah, couple errors in the tiebreak. I should have played the tiebreak a bit better.
Yeah, she got better from there on. Yeah, it was tough from there on to turn the match around.

Q. Did you feel like you had a good chance up until that point? She showed a few signs of getting angry as well. Looked like perhaps if you got just a little bit of a lead you might have been able to crack her.
JELENA DOKIC: For sure. If I won the first set would have been different. She always gets like that in her matches but I don't think it affects her play. Yeah, would have been different if I got the first set.
Yeah, I felt like I had some chances and just some key points. When I did get up, when I won my serves at 4-All and 5-All, the next two games I let her off too easy and just gave a couple points away here and there.
Yeah, could have been the other way around in that first set. Yeah, just to have make sure it doesn't happen in the next few matches that I play. Have to be tougher on those key points.

Q. Was the first set frustrating? Any time you hit a good shot she seemed to get a racquet on a lot of stuff out there?
JELENA DOKIC: No, it wasn't frustrating. I knew that's how she plays. Yeah, I knew that would be happening. But, yeah, just maybe if I had a couple more matches I would have put a few more shots away at certain times.

Q. So if you had match practice?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, I think so. Yeah, everything the last couple days happened quickly and I was trying to play a little bit differently that what I did in the first two tournaments. Maybe if I had a couple more matches like this it would have been easier.
I felt like when it was 4-All or 5-All or 6-5, I kind of felt like I wasn't sure what to do. I think that's just match play.

Q. Maybe some times you looked like you weren't as aggressive as the first match where you set up points well.
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, that's just match play. Yeah, I was just a little bit tentative. I didn't get hurt off those balls just because she's not a player that's going to hurt you.
Maybe if I played someone who hits the ball a little bit harder and more aggressive it would have been. I should have been more aggressive. Again, that's just picking the moments when you should and shouldn't be.
Yeah, just match play.

Q. So maybe felt a little bit lost until the second set as well. Still trying to get it to come together?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, I mean, I broke her at 2-Love so I was back on serve. That game I didn't stay tough enough. She hit two good shots. But, again, should have served a little better on that first serve percentage.
Yeah, just picking my shots on what I should do, be aggressive or not. Like I said, just a little bit uncertain at times on what I should do.

Q. Still a little bit up in the air with the coaching situation. Where do you feel you can take the rest of year?
JELENA DOKIC: Well, I thought it was good signs, you know. I don't leave Australia -- I don't leave the summer feeling bad with my tennis at all. I think winning couple matches was good. The first match here I have to take a lot positives from it. Even today at certain times I was playing good tennis.
I have to take some positives. I was doing eight to ten weeks of completely different kind of game to what I'm playing the last couple days. So I need to just focus on that and stay tough, you know, go straight into the next tournament, go straight into playing more matches.
I feel good, I feel good about the year. I think I'm not in the bad shape physically or mentally or with my tennis at all. Just certain things need work. Actually not even necessarily on the practice court, just more when I'm playing matches.
So I think that will really help. I think if I continue doing what I'm doing, I can have a pretty good year.

Q. On your schedule, do you have it mapped out, your immediate schedule?
JELENA DOKIC: No, as far as tournaments go, Paris Doha, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur. So that's what I've entered. A couple of them I have quallies; a couple of them I am in main draw.
Yeah, the positive thing is I have nothing to defend until July with my points. So getting the first round here I'm pretty much French Open main draw already. That's also a positive.
But I feel good and positive. Of course I'm disappointed at certain things. I had my chances in the first set too, but it's fine. I have doubles tomorrow; I'm really looking forward to that. It's another match. I can practice on certain things and go from there and continue working hard.

Q. You have a feeling about what you want to achieve in your career? Any rankings goals?
JELENA DOKIC: Um, no. I mean, I don't look at that that way. I was No. 4, so I know how hard it is to get there and stay there. But I think I've made a lot steps forward in the last couple months and in the last couple weeks.
I think I'm playing much better tennis. You know, even in losing today, I think I mixed it up well and tried to do some different things. You know, I still think -- I still actually think I can be top 30 this year.
Yeah, it's only the beginning of the year. Already won a couple matches against some pretty good players. Yeah, I think it's all positive and good. Yeah, hopefully. It will be very hard to go in top 20 and top 10, but I'm not thinking about that at this stage. I got to go a step at a time, which is top 100 and top 50 for me.

End of FastScripts

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