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QATAR LADIES OPEN

February 25, 2011

Marion Bartoli

DOHA, QATAR

C. WOZNIACKI/M. Bartoli
6-1, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was that like hitting against a wall sometimes?
MARION BARTOLI: Yeah. Well, but, you know, Caroline is No. 1 in the world, so you expect this kind of performance. So that's why she's also there. That's because she's not giving you a lot of things, so you have to work really hard for each point. And even when you work really hard, she can come up with some great passing shots.
Honestly I think she was just too good tonight, and I was doing much more mistakes than usual because she was putting so much pressure on the defense that it was forcing me to go for more and more and more, and I was missing more.
But it's great to have those kind of experience, and, you know, it's great to see what I need to work on in terms to improve, and I think it's going to help me a lot, honestly, before Indian Wells and Miami to have those kind of matches to work on my game in the court and also in the gym to see what I need to focus on.

Q. Do you have any ideas what those things are yet?
MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, I was trying to figure it out on the court, and already in the second set, making some few adjustments helped me to -- even if I lost with the same score, it was a bit tighter.
You know, I can see still what I need to improve on my fitness level, you know, to be able to compete against her and even try to beat her in the future, and also on the court to be able to do less mistakes, as she's doing, to be even more consistent like I was in my previous match to do it against her again.
So I need to work on the court to do that. I need to also work outside of the court.

Q. Do you think there is an argument against someone like her who gets into such a rhythm? She has such a rhythm from the back of the court, that maybe throwing in a bit more slice or a few shorter balls to make her think -- a couple of times when you came into the net, you caught her by surprise and it worked. Do you think maybe you got caught into a little bit of a trap trying to play her own game?
MARION BARTOLI: Well, definitely if I had to replay the match on some few of occasion I had when I was inside the court, I will throw more dropshots, for example, to make her run forward. But also, you know, sometimes I was doing some very good approach shots, going to the net, and still she was coming up with some amazing passing shots.
So it's very difficult honestly to go to the net against her, because she just loves the target, so she pass you very, very well unless you just put almost a winner what you attack it.
So I think, for me, if I had to replay the match, I will try to really, first of all, cut out some mistakes that I did; even if I need to stay a 20-shot rally, really do it. So I need to work on this. And then try to serve better.
I mean, the second set I was starting to serve a little bit better, and I had a lot more opportunities to win my game. That's some few things I need to work on, but again, it was a good experience. It's going to definitely help me.

Q. Mentally, as well, having watched you a few times this week, it seemed to me today all the routine things you do between points, when you were struggling a bit, you almost stop doing them as much.
MARION BARTOLI: The thing is when you play 15-, 20-shot rallies, I decide during the points. When you have 20 seconds off, you're really taking them. When I was doing that is because I was winning the point in two shots, so, I mean, I was really fresh to do it.
So there is two solutions: Either I win in two shots against her, which I believe is almost impossible to do, or I just stay patient and try to cut out some mistake even if I'm not doing my routines between points because I don't have to because I just played 20 shots before and focus on the next point. I believe it's just the second solution.
So you can't really blame me for not doing it, because it's just not the same opponent. I was doing it -- there is a new story for that. You're doing, when you have a five-second point, I have all the time in the world to do. When you play a one-minute point it's just not the same.

Q. From here, where are you going next? Home and then Indian Wells or Kuala Lumpur?
MARION BARTOLI: No, I am flying tonight, so I have to leave you early.

Q. Do you think you made too many mistakes but still you had your chances to prolong the match, no? What do you think?
MARION BARTOLI: Well, yes. First of all, you know, she forces you to make some mistakes and she plays so good from the back of the court. Her ball is really heavy and she barely give you anything during the whole match.
So you really, really have to work so hard to win one point. And of course I was forcing my game to go for a bit more, a bit more, a bit more, and I was doing a lot more mistakes than I used to, but she was forcing me to do so.
So I really need to look at this match and to see what I need to improve on my own game, and I think I have some few things to improve, which is great because I'm already top 20 in the world and I can still improve. For that, I need to go to the practice court and practice. It's not going to come just speaking about it. It's going to come if I go on court and work.

Q. Maybe your first service game helped you?
MARION BARTOLI: First serve? You know, she's returning very, very well so it's very hard to ace her. Even if I serve much better, I don't think it's going to help me a lot.
I really need to be more consistent from the back of the court when I play against an opponent like this who don't give me anything, and I think that's the key.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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