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AEGON INTERNATIONAL

June 13, 2011

Elena Baltacha

EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Welcome back to Eastbourne. You must be feeling in particularly good spirits after your win in Nottingham?
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, definitely. It's always nice to be back on the grass. It comes around very quickly every year. But no, I had a great week last week. I couldn't ask for better prep.
Even though the final was moved indoors, my first four matches were obviously played on the grass. I have had a great week and I'm playing very good tennis. It's been fantastic prep coming into this week.

Q. After a good clay court season, are you feeling fit and ready for the grass court season? You've not overexerted yourself too much?
ELENA BALTACHA: No, definitely. I think it was a smart move not playing the first week in Nottingham after Roland Garros, because we arrived on Friday and I said, Look, let's just take the week off and just train.
I think it was a smart move to do that. But I think kind of what I did over the clay, that kind of gave me a lot of confidence, and I felt that my game really improved. Taking all the stuff that I learned off the clay, I really felt like I used that well in Nottingham last week. My confidence is sky high.

Q. What in particular have you used from playing, transferring it to this surface?
ELENA BALTACHA: I think just like tactics. I'm beginning to find -- well, I'm beginning to realize that there is other ways that you can kind of dominate and take control rather than kind of hitting the ball a million miles an hour.
And my serve, my serve has improved a lot. The variety of the serve, what I do with it, placement is much more key than the power of it. So a couple of areas. But I think most of it was the tactics itself.

Q. We've seen Heather Watson who did very well here last year and she's rocketing up the rankings and breathing down your neck a bit. What does this mean to British tennis to have two of you in the top 100?
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, it's absolutely fantastic. I think rivalry is very good. You're right; she's breathing down my neck. It's perfect, though, because it's getting me to work much harder.
I don't want to lose my No. 1 spot. She's very talented, she's coming up the rankings, she deserves to be in the top 100. She's a good enough player to do that.
It's good, because we'll all -- hopefully we'll get other girls to think if they can do it, I can do it, as well. It will get everyone kind of raring and working really hard and moving up those rankings. That's the whole kind of aim of it.

Q. Do you have a practice match with her?
ELENA BALTACHA: No, no. We don't train together, obviously because I'm based in Ipswich and she's based in Florida, I think. So no. If we see each other at tournaments, sometimes we will hit.
We hit together at Fed Cup, so that was probably the only time that we've hit so far.

Q. Where does grass rank among your favorite surfaces? The green grass of Wimbledon has not always been kind to the Brits, has it?
ELENA BALTACHA: Do you know what? I'd say in the past that grass was definitely my favorite surface. But to be honest, I kind of don't see it as a favorite surface because there's not enough tournaments really. I mean, my favorite surface is hard.
I think when I play on a grass court, I try and play on it like I would on a hard court. So, yeah, I wouldn't really kind of classify grass as my favorite surface.
But every year I look forward to getting back on it. What especially makes it really special is that it's at home, so we're playing all these tournaments at home. It's just lovely when you get the home crowd there and they're supporting you. It's got such a special feeling to it.

Q. Is your game better equipped to make an impact now on grass than perhaps ever?
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, definitely. And I think the biggest thing that I'm beginning to do is I use my experience. I'm playing now with my experience. So I find I've kind of got that on my side, especially when I play kind of the young players.
And plus, it's going to be my tenth year at Wimbledon, so I have played a few years on the grass. I think I should be able to, you know, kind of draw back on all the experience that I've had, the good and the bad, and try and, you know, make it work for me like now, especially.

Q. Is there a bit of a change in women's tennis, backing up what you've said, really? Because we have seen at the slams, certainly the French, older players having success; whereas obviously a decade ago it was people in their late teens, early 20s. Why is that happening now, do you think?
ELENA BALTACHA: I think sometimes -- well, I think it depends on the person, because obviously some players develop later and some will, you know, develop much earlier. But I think now that the game has really improved.
You look at the top of the game. Okay, I know Justine is no longer playing, but if you actually look at all the top girls now, it's very much open because I think the game has really, really improved, and because of the level, I think that the girls are beginning to get better as they get older. I think really that's kind of the main reason why.

Q. How pleased are you to see the Williams sisters back?
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, really pleased, really pleased. I really look up to Serena. It's been quite strange not seeing her at tournaments, because every time she's at a tournament, I love to go and watch her play. I like to learn from her and see what she does. So it will be very interesting how she gets on this week.

Q. Have you played against them?
ELENA BALTACHA: No, I've never played them.

Q. Is that something that would be...
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, it would be -- I'd love to play them and hopefully not next week, hopefully not first round at Wimbledon. (Smiling .) No, I mean, I'd love to play the Williams sisters.

Q. Do you think they have an intimidating factor when players go up against them?
ELENA BALTACHA: They're unbelievable players and they've dominated for many years. It would just be an unbelievable opportunity for me if I ever get the chance to play them.

Q. At Wimbledon last year it wasn't a particularly good year for the Brits apart from Andy Murray. Why do you think that was? Do you think it's the sort of place that puts extra pressure on British players?
ELENA BALTACHA: The thing is I can't talk on behalf of the other girls, but for me it was a very hurtful kind of Wimbledon, especially having such a good year.
But do you know what? In a way I'm glad it happened for me. I'm glad it happened, because it made me learn a lot of things. It's made me improve. You know, I always say if it doesn't break you, it makes you. It was the best thing that could have happened to me last Wimbledon.

Q. Is that in terms of handling pressure? Because I think you admitted that maybe you didn't deal with it quite as...
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah. And I think I had such a good year. I think just the expectation that I felt for myself and obviously from others, it just got a little bit -- a little bit, you know, it kind of -- I didn't really deal with it that great. I think now when I look back, I think, God, I've completely changed and I'm so much more relaxed.
You know, mentally I'm much stronger and I can deal with things in a much better way. So I'm actually really grateful it happened.

Q. Have you had any kind of coaching on the psychologic aspect of it?
ELENA BALTACHA: Well, obviously Nino with his fighting, that's the biggest thing he's helped me with -- well, one of the biggest thing he's helped me with, with what he did. Obviously if he wasn't prepared, you know, properly, and he, you know, wasn't switched on all the time, then he would get hurt.
But that's the one thing we've worked very hard on is the discipline on the practice court and the match court and obviously the mental kind of side, how to keep yourself together and how sure you can be. That's the biggest thing he's really helped me with.

Q. Are you still boxing?
ELENA BALTACHA: Now and again. We don't do it as often as what we did in the past, but I still enjoy it when we do. We still spar sometimes, but yeah, not all the time.

Q. What do you think about the Eastbourne tournament? Seems to be attracting better players every year now.
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, you know, Eastbourne is my favorite tournament. I always look forward to coming back here every year. I think the courts are in such great shape, and it plays very similar to Wimbledon.
I think that's where it draws a lot of the top players, because it's just a perfect way to prepare going into a Grand Slam.

Q. Next year there are two events at Wimbledon with the Olympics there, as well. Is your mind at all turning -- presumably you'll be given entry to that?
ELENA BALTACHA: Hopefully -- I mean, I'd like to make the direct acceptance. That's my main goal.
But yeah. I mean, it's only a year away. It's very exciting. I mean, I've said that for me I want to play the Olympics, I want to get to the Olympics and maybe then retire after the Olympics.
It's only a year away, and it's something that I'm very like really looking forward to and thinking about.

Q. Have you played at the Olympics before?
ELENA BALTACHA: No, it will be my first time.

Q. You have had to work very hard to get where you are in the rankings. Are you pleased to be -- was it more virtuous to be in the main draw of Wimbledon, having worked hard to get there rather than the wildcard route?
ELENA BALTACHA: You know what? My main goal is to make all four Grand Slams, not just -- it's not just about Wimbledon. You know, that's been my goal for a lot of years, and I managed to do it. It's going to be my second year of making the main draw cuts.
Yeah, I was very delighted I made the cut on my own ranking.

Q. How good is your tennis right now in comparison with over the years?
ELENA BALTACHA: I think I'm playing the best tennis that I have. I still think that I have things to improve on, which I'm working very hard on. I still don't think I've peaked out, which is the most encouraging and the most positive thing about my tennis.
I'm in a really good place. I'm very happy. I'm working probably harder than I ever have. I think there's still more things to come.

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