	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

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 18, 2011

Caroline Wozniacki

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

C. WOZNIACKI/M. Sharapova
6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was that a lot easier than you expected tonight?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, definitely didn't expect such a score, but I'm very pleased about the way I played and the way I got my tactics to work.
I'm pleased about being in the finals.

Q. Can you talk about those tactics? Because it seemed like everything went right for you tonight, particularly on defense.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, it was very important for me to play good defense today, because Maria is hitting the ball hard. But still, at the same time, you are not allowed to give her too many short balls and to let her dictate too much, because then she's very dangerous.
So it was important to keep depth to my shots and make her move.

Q. She only held serve once, and generally she holds a lot more than that. Just talk about your return games.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think I had a very good return today. I got a lot of returns in, so I was pleased about that. I think that was important today, both my serve and my returns, because I got a lot of first serves in, as well, which was important.

Q. Could you tell us in a year's time how you improved as a tennis player?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I don't know. Hopefully I can just keep improving. I love playing matches. I think it's great, especially when you're winning. It's a fantastic feeling.
But to go out there in the practice court still feel like there are things you can improve. Sometimes it's very frustrating, but at the same time, just, you know, I want me to practice even more.
I'm a perfectionist, and tennis you cannot be perfect, so that's why I keep going out there on the practice court and just want to improve every part of my game.

Q. So how would Caroline of today beat Caroline from a year ago?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. It's difficult to say (Smiling.)
You always think you play great at the moment. But, again, I think I got more experience, and I think I put a few things into my game. I think I can play more aggressively this year, as well, than I could the last years, and I think that -- I don't know.
I just think I am I improved small things and small parts of my game.

Q. Do you have to make many adjustments going into the match against Marion compared to where you played tonight?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, Marion is a player who is also trying to play very aggressively, taking the ball early. She's not going to give me a lot of free points.
To be honest, I haven't thought about the match yet. Right now I'm just pleased about today. I'm gonna enjoy tomorrow, and we're gonna see what's gonna happen on Sunday.

Q. On the men's side we have seen Novak Djokovic have a really good US Open, win over Roger, and then that incredible Davis Cup, the win in Melbourne. Now it's as if he's kind of a different player. He's really a confident player in a different space. I mean, we all know you still haven't gotten a slam. We know that. Do you see yourself putting some things together where you get that confidence, that sense of dominance in your own game?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, I'm not sure what your question is exactly, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job just playing my game and just enjoying myself out there. For me, that's all I can do, and that's always good enough.
If a player beats me, it's just too good, but right now I'm just enjoying myself, playing well, being confident, and just, yeah, winning a lot of matches.
Novak is a really good friend of mine. We live next door to each other in Monaco, and I'm so happy that he's doing so well.
Also, his girlfriend is a very good friend of mine; they're so sweet together. You know, it's just great when everything is working out. (Laughter.)

Q. Are you friends with everyone in tennis? It seems like.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. I think I'm friends with quite a lot of people. I think I'm a pretty open person. If I have to say myself, I'm pretty likeable, I think. (Laughter.)

Q. Rafa said that it's more important to win when playing badly than when you're playing well. Would you agree with that?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think you can -- you always see a champion when the person is not playing well but is still able to win, find a way to win. Everyone can win when they play their best and when they feel like everything is going in.
But not everyone knows how to win when you're not playing up to your best.

Q. You have had three pretty good wins over three substantial veteran players the last few weeks, Kuznetsova, Jankovic, and then Maria again. Are those matches just a little more important because you know they have the experience and the titles and all of that?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I know that they can always be a little bit more tricky because they have the experience. They always know how they can change some tactics in their games. They have been in big finals before. So you just go in there and are even more concentrated and even more -- yeah, you fight even more.
But again, at the same time, it's just another opponent. You just want to go out there and play your best.

Q. The other day you said for someone to beat you, they either have to stay out there for hours and hours or overpower you. Bottom line: Who can overpower you, do you think, in the game?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. I just think that the opponent really has to play well to beat me. I'm not gonna say all the names, because I think that I can lose to a lot of players. But I can also win against them. I think it's small things that does the difference.
But right now I'm winning quite a few matches, and hopefully that can continue.

Q. Have you been able to have fun here at all the last couple weeks?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah. I mean, I have quite a bit of family here. Unfortunately they're leaving tomorrow.

Q. This is cousins, aunts, uncles?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes, and godfathers and so on and so on.

Q. Why did they all decide to come here?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think it's break for them from school or something, so they were able to go with their parents. Or the parents were able to take their kids here.
I just always told them that this is such a nice tournament. It's very relaxed, very quiet. I thought it was a good idea to come here.
At the same time, they got to see Los Angeles a little bit before they came here, and I think they're gonna leave early tomorrow and just go and see a little bit more.

Q. They aren't going to stay and watch your final?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: They can't, because the young kids -- there's one who's 12 and one who is 14; they have to go back to school.

Q. How many people are leaving then tomorrow?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: One two three... I think seven or eight.

Q. How many people are staying to watch your final?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: One, two, three... Seven or eight.
So we're still quite a big team.

Q. Incredible gesture yesterday with the flag. Have you heard, has there been anything special in response to that that would be of interest?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, first of all, I play with Yonex, which is a Japanese brand, and a lot of the people from Yonex, they wrote me and called me and just said it was such a nice gesture and said it really meant a lot to them.
It's so sad what's going on there. So, you know, I'm not doing it to get any kind of response. I just want to just put a little bit -- just do something just to show that we think about everyone affected in Japan.

Q. Did you speak to Mr. Yoneyama, or did they say anything about their factory, which is out in the countryside? Did they say anything? Are they okay?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, they didn't say too much. They just said, Thank you so much for the support, and we hope that everything will be getting better soon.
But, you know, it's pretty tough. It's pretty sad what's going on at the moment.

Q. Do your younger cousins realize you're a famous tennis player, or do they just treat you like Caroline that they know forever?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: They just treat me like Caroline, and sometimes they can be pretty cocky, too. (Laughter.)

Q. Do you plan on staying with the same outfit long term that you've been wearing at this tournament?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, I'll change it up a little bit. I'll have two pieces. I'll have this one. I'll have a little bit different colors. Yeah.

Q. Polish, Danish, English, I don't know what else, what do you think in and dream in and all that stuff?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It really depends. Depends where I am. Depends where -- which language I speak the most at a certain time. So sometimes I wake up, I have been dreaming in English. Sometimes I wake up, I have been dreaming in Polish or Danish.
Sometimes I even get confused myself, which country, which language, and I just need a moment to realize.

Q. What language do you like to swear in?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I'm a good girl. (Laughter.)

Q. With all those people here with you, how do you keep calm? Because I know family vacation can be very stressful, especially with so many people. What was that like?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes. But they don't -- I stay with my parents at a house, and they stay at another house. So every time I just needed to get away, I just stayed at the house and just relaxed.
They understand, as well, because the parents know that I need to focus on my game. But at the same time, it's very calming and very nice to have the family and some friends here and just be able to relax and just have a barbecue, just do normal things.
And of course when I'm on the court, I give 100% for these two hours that I am on, or this one hour of practice that I have, but afterwards, it's important to have a life, as well, off the court.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297