	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN

February 15, 2011

Anna Chakvetadze

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

A. CHAKVETADZE/D. Hantuchova
6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Both players looked very tired and exhausted. Was it the weather?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: No, I don't think it was too warm today. Just I don't think -- I guess Daniela just came from Asia and she didn't have enough time to adapt for the -- for everything, like jet lag and everything.
I had and still have the stomach virus, and that's why I didn't feel well. But obviously she felt worse, so that's why I won, I guess.

Q. Are you happy to get into the second round after like two or three first-round defeats?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yeah, I was trying my best today. You know, I actually thought that I don't have a lot of chances to win. But it's a very big tournament, and I really wanted to win here and to pass something here, so I was trying really my best and it was working.

Q. You had a good second half of the season last year. How do you place your game now?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I was practicing now after Australian Open two, more than two weeks at home. I felt better. I was working a lot with my coach. Yeah, I felt better in the way I play.
I mean, today I didn't really have power to move. I think the way I played I was trying to place the ball in the right spot, and it seems fine for me.

Q. Did you feel you're gradually making progress back up again? It's slow, but you're going in the right direction?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yeah, definitely I think I'm going in the right direction. At least I feel that I'm playing tennis now, you know. A year ago it was something different.

Q. How is your confidence?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I'm pretty confident. As I said, I was practicing more than two weeks at home. I feel good.

Q. What do you expect from yourself? Do you give yourself little targets? Big targets? No targets?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I don't want to expect too much. All the time I expect it doesn't go, so I will take it step by step. I know it took already long time, but I don't want to put pressure on myself.
Just enjoy practicing first of all, and then enjoy the matches and try to win.

Q. Do you enjoy the life, the travel and the tournaments?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Um, yeah, I do. I mean, now I was for a while at home and it was kind of boring for me. I was thinking maybe I had to play Paris because it's too much of practice. Yeah, I do.

Q. You're not alone, but it must be difficult for a player who's been at the very top of the game to struggle for quite a long time.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I actually don't think about it anymore. You know, it's like beginning of a new career for me. I don't think what was three years ago. Of course it gave me some experience, but if I will think about that more, you know, maybe it will put some more pressure on me.
So I'll just -- as I said, I'm trying to improve and find my game.

Q. Why do you think you lost it for a while?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Maybe, like first of all, the wish to play maybe a little bit, and then I started to lose and lost my confidence. Just too much things happened together, like bad things in one time. Not one time, but in one year.
So I think broke me a little bit. But now I feel fine.

Q. You spoke about having issues with motivation some time ago. Has it changed? Do you feel more motivated?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yeah, definitely. You know, when you work, you think that you work hard, and then you come on court, you come to play matches, and you don't do what you was working on.
You don't have motivation anymore, because like nothing -- you feel that you are not improving. Right now I feel that I'm improving. I feel that I'm playing better. It's a great feeling.

Q. It's very competitive on the tour. Are there any colleagues or players or others who have supported or helped or encouraged you?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Oh, the tour, yeah, I'm not sure about the tour. But my family is always by my side and my coach. That's basically it.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297