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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 20, 2011

Caroline Wozniacki

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

C. WOZNIACKI/M. Bartoli
6-1, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for your champion.

Q. You're one of the first players in a long time to crack 10,000 points in the WTA world rankings. How do you see yourself in comparison to some of the people that have been there before you?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know who have been there before me, so I can't really compare myself. You know, I don't think about these things. I am so happy that I won this tournament.
It's a huge tournament, so I'm very pleased about the way I have been playing this week and my result today.

Q. I'm sure you're very excited and happy, as you said, about this. What does a title like this mean to you?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, it means a lot. It's pretty much a two-week event, and you have days in between like in the Grand Slams. It's a big tournament, and I'm very, very happy.
Once again, you know, I showed that I can play great tennis, and I've beaten some really good players this week.

Q. Any thoughts on this trophy?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It's so heavy. But, you know, it's beautiful. I think it's very beautiful. I just hope that they will ship it home to me, because to have it in my luggage will be just extra kilos and extra overweight. I already have too much.

Q. Can you kind of describe the flow of the match? You seemed like you really had it there at the beginning. She fought back in that second set.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I played very, very well, I thought, actually in the whole match, but first set I felt like I had the most control. I had her running; I had her moving.
Second set, she just went for her shots. She started to hit even harder. I didn't feel I played badly. I thought actually I played pretty good, but she was very steady, keeping the pressure.
In the third set, I just kept my head cool. We had a lot of long rallies, but I came up with the wins, so it was nice.

Q. Did you expect her level to drop in the third set? Did you say, at the changeover, Okay, she played great in that second set, but she's not going to be able to keep that level up?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, actually, I wasn't thinking too much about that. I was thinking more about just me not being too hard on myself, just to keep staying positive, because I felt like I was playing good tennis.
I was like, If she keeps playing like this, well then it's just too good. But I'm not going to give her anything.

Q. It seemed like maybe I'm wrong that you were actually a little nervous closing the match out, you were kind of moving your feet a lot. Is that true? Just talk about the feelings.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I wasn't actually too nervous, but, um, from one side it started to be very windy, and on the other side you had to really hit through the wind.
It was very important for me to keep my legs moving, because I could feel that we have been out there for a long time. You know, if you stand too still you start making too many unforced errors, so it was important for me just to keep moving and give the signal to my brain that I actually still need to work my feet here.

Q. What did your dad say to you when you were talking to him on court?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, he said, You're playing great. Just keep it up. It's just one break in the second set. Just hang in there. You're doing fine.

Q. She said at the end she got exhausted and tired. Once again, you did not. You know, it's pretty amazing week after week as much as you play you don't even get tired within matches. Can you just talk about your conditioning and how much that helps you.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes. I mean, I am paying so much attention to my conditioning, and to be in great shape in my fitness is a very big part of my training.
I think I've won a lot of matches that way. And also, I can keep going. I can keep playing out there for hours and hours. Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a good sign for me when I can see the opponent getting a little bit more tired.
We had a lot of long rallies, but I felt like I recovered maybe a little bit faster than she did. That's like a good feeling to have on my side.

Q. How do you rank this victory? You won the Wimbledon juniors when you were 16. How does this feel to you?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, well, I don't think you can compare these two things, because -- of course Wimbledon juniors was a big thing for me at that time, and, you know, of course it's great and was a step for me to reach the senior high level.
But now I'm playing on the women's tour, I'm playing the biggest tournaments, and I'm winning them, a lot of tournaments. I mean, this is my 14th title, so I'm very happy. You know, it's completely different.
But again, I'm just enjoying myself out there, and I think that it shows in my game.

Q. When you can see her visibly tired, leaning up against the wall, breathing heavy, does that give you a lift at all?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, of course, it does a little bit, because I know that I still have more energy in myself. Yeah, I'm just thinking, Okay, keep the long rallies and keep definitely in the game.

Q. Do you ever get mentally tired? The fact that you've played a lot of the last couple years, didn't have that much time coming into this year, and, again consistently deep in every single tournament, seems like you're fresh. How do you do that?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I just love playing matches. I like winning. I like holding the trophy in my hands. It gives me that energy. It's great. You know, I don't feel tired, to be honest. I feel great. I feel in good shape.
I have my family and my friends around me. I think that helps me a lot, too, because I'm not thinking tennis all the time. Off the court I can relax. I can think about other things. I can do other things. That just keeps me fresh.
I think actually when I have a longer training period, like in the offseason, I get more mentally tired because I know every morning I have to wake up and I have three or four hours of tennis in front of me and maybe three hours of fitness. So, you know, that first hour in that practice, I'm like, Okay, this is gonna be a long day.
But when you have matches, you know, you go out there, you play for one-and-a-half, two hours, and then you're off, and hopefully with a win.

Q. Do you get easily distracted by the crowd, or can you just block that out?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I can block that out. But especially in the back when they start moving and walking, because the ball is like right there, then, you know, it's just nice if they sit down.
But the noise, I don't mind. I think it's actually great that you can hear an atmosphere and they are pumping us up. So it was great.

Q. How are you going to celebrate?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I'm leaving tonight. (Smiling.)

Q. Lots of fun. You liked Hingis growing up a bit, right?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I liked Hingis? Yes.

Q. Do you remember watching her play when she was winning her slams and how she played? Because there are some similarities I think between your two games. Just talk about her a little bit.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes, I definitely remember watching her play. I mean, I watched so many of her matches, and, I mean, she was such a big role model for me.
The things that I liked about her game was that she was thinking so well on the court. She could play aggressively, but she was not a power player in particular. She didn't have as much power as some of the other girls, but still she knew how to take advantage of the others' power.
She knew how to do angle dropshots, she could play high if she needed to. She was a very intelligent player on the court. That's what I liked. I liked that she wasn't only relying on her, you know, power, like some other players, but that she could always find -- not always, but she found a way to win even though she was not maybe as strong.

Q. So it's rare that players go back to back at Indian Wells and Miami, but since you're always fresh, I guess you're giving yourself a chance at that.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I'm going in there, and I'll do my best. We will have to see what my best is in Miami.

Q. Are you going straight to Miami or are you going to Monaco?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I go back to Monaco for a week, and then I just go straight to Miami on the court. No, I'm kidding. I'm going to Miami, straight over. Doesn't make sense to leave back to Europe.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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