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WIMBLEDON

June 20, 2011

Katie O'Brien

LONDON, ENGLAND

K. DATE-KRUMM/K. O'Brien
6-0, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Sort of got away, didn't it, that first set? By the time you started fighting in the second, time was running out, wasn't it?
KATIE O'BRIEN: It was a little bit late. I mean, the first set went by in a flash quite literally. In the second set I started to work my way back into it. There were a few games I lost, but I knew I had chances.
And then I sensed towards the end the second set she wasn't quite as sure of herself as she had been in the first. In the first she played pretty much flawlessly.
So I just fought my hardest. I did really well to get back to 5-All. Just a little bit disappointed that I wasn't able to get that second set, because I really think I started to have the home crowd behind me and I was getting more confident.
Had it gone to a third, I would've had chances.

Q. Was it the fact that she was just so good in the first set, or you had a slow start?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Um, I think it was a combination of both. I knew she played really aggressively. I struggled on my serve, and she was -- even on my first serve she was just making mincemeat of it, so I was just constantly on the back foot.
She doesn't play like any other player. Her trajectory over the net is so low ans so flat, and I think I was struggling a little bit with that early on. It was a brand new court, so it was bouncing very low.
And then the second set, yeah, I think I did pick up my game a little bit. She started to make a few mistakes. But she was just - especially after the return of serve - it was really difficult for me to kind of get the first hit in, which is what I was trying to do.
I just felt like I was counter punching at the time.

Q. Katie, are you quite low on confidence at the moment?
KATIE O'BRIEN: I've struggled this year, but I always like to play Wimbledon. The grass is my favorite surface, so I actually enjoy this time year. And, yeah, this year hasn't been my best year by any means. I think I had my best year a couple years ago.
But to be honest, confidence had nothing to do with today. I mean, just went out there and just -- you're at Wimbledon. You just try your hardest.

Q. Did you get to a point where Anne got where she just said, Whoa, I'm struggling to the point where I might need to take a break from all this?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Um, yeah, we work so hard, and I literally sacrificed so many things to get to where I was. I won a lot of the matches to get to the top 100, and then suddenly you step up a few levels and you're losing more matches than you're winning, and that really does hurt your confidence.
Um, yeah, sometimes -- yeah, it's a tough sport. Like a year or so ago I was seriously considering stepping away from the game. But at the end -- I mean, tennis is my passion, so that would be really hard for me to do.

Q. So over the next few months, what do you think you'll do? Anything you need to change?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Yeah, I mean, there were so many things I could use some work on. It's tough for me because I'm a small player, so I never get any free points. I have to work hard for everything. A lot of people get free points with the serve, and I don't get that many. I have to run around a lot. I think I need to be physically in the best shape possible to stand a chance against these girls.
After Wimbledon I'm playing in World Team Tennis in the States, which is something new, so I think that will be quite good fun. That's probably what I need to get away from the serious grind, week in and week out playing tournaments.

Q. What do you do now? Go home and kick the cat? Analyze what you should do? How do you get over this disappointment?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Obviously it is disappointing. In the first set I was completely outplayed. But I know that second set was within my grasp. Any tennis match you lose you're disappointed, so I'll probably be a little bit miserable for the next couple of hours.
But I've got a lot of friends and family down with me, so hopefully they'll help me snap out of it. But if I want to get better as a player, obviously I have to analyze what went wrong, what I could have done better in the match.

Q. Was it a surprise to be put on that first-ever match on that new court?
KATIE O'BRIEN: I was a bit surprised actually. I was just commenting to some of my friends. I was like, Oh, that new Court 3 looks really nice, and then I got put on the there to play. Yesterday I think the forecast was bad, so I wasn't sure I would actually get on.
But, no, it was lovely. I just got told this morning that the Duke of Kent would be doing the coin toss and officially opening the court, so that's something I won't forget.

Q. How did it feel as a court? It did look pretty high. Is there anything else different about it at all?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Not really. It was a really nice atmosphere. It was quite intimate. Um, no, it was perfect condition. I mean, it was a little bit slippy early on. I think both of us slipped a couple of times, but that was because the grass hadn't been played on.
No, it was lovely. You could see the people up on the balcony watching in the players' lounge as well. It's probably one of the nicest courts to play on.

Q. You talk about the sort of mental toughness of being on the tour, but how is it financially as well for someone that perhaps bounces around between 100 and 200 in the world?
KATIE O'BRIEN: It's very tough. And unless you're top 100, it's very difficult to make a living. But having said that, I've been really lucky with the LTA. The LTA have given me a lot of funding, especially as I was starting out. Without their help, it would have been tough. I'm not sure if my parents would have been able or willing to fork out, so I'm very grateful for the LTA for giving me this opportunity to pursue my career.

Q. Are you sponsored?
KATIE O'BRIEN: My clothing and racquets I get sponsored, but I don't receive much financial support outside of the LTA.

Q. The problem is with Wimbledon people look at what you may get for a first-round defeat forgetting how much your travel every year must cost, hotels, and everything else. It's actually a fortune, isn't it?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Yeah, it's ridiculous. I haven't worked it out exactly, but I imagine it's 30,000 pounds, and that's just for one of us traveling.
For an individual coach or to hire someone to travel with you, that's double the cost.

Q. With that in mind, obviously Wimbledon I presume is one of the big ones or "the" big one in your mind or in your. How agonizing is it to have your hopes up and then to be a couple hours into the tournament and as you say you're having to deal with this disappointment?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Yeah, I mean, obviously for the last couple weeks this has been my main aim. It is a little bit tough of being out within on hour of play starting on the first Monday.
But you've got to accept it. I didn't get in on my own ranking. I got a wildcard. It was a great opportunity to play here.
And obviously given the draw, I mean, it was an opportunity because she wasn't seeded, but she's a fantastic player on grass as well. I think she's -- people say she's 40, but she's a force to be reckoned with even now.

Q. You're a very nice person. Do you think sometimes you don't deserve these kind of knock backs?
KATIE O'BRIEN: No, not at all. I think things happen for a reason. (Smiling.) I'm the one that chose to pursue this career, so I got to accept the lows with the highs. But, I mean, there is also some fantastic moments being a tennis player as well, so you just accept them. (Smiling.)

Q. Like you said, with the Royal coming down and opening the court and all the people watching, do you think that affected you at all, all the ceremony of it?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Not at all. Just this morning I got told that we had to be ready for 11:45, which is a little earlier than I planned. So I was rushing a little bit when I got back to the locker room.
But I think this is my eighth Wimbledon now, so I wasn't nervous at all. I was actually looking forward to it. In previous years I got quite stressed out by the whole situation.
But I knew that I was in a privileged position to be the first player on Court 3, so I was happy with it.

Q. Can we expect to see you back for a ninth Wimbledon if you're invited?
KATIE O'BRIEN: I hope so. It's no fun at the moment, no, so I would have to make some big -- be prepared to make some big improvements if I'm going to continue what I'm doing. Because I'm also academically quite able as well, so there are actually other things I could do.

Q. You been doing a degree on the side?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Um, yeah, I started doing like a business studies degree by correspondence, but I haven't actually done much of that in the last year or so.
But, yeah, I mean, I'd have to -- I'm not enjoying life on the challenger tour at the moment. It's no fun. You know, I'm prepared to work hard. If I can get back up there, then yeah.

Q. When you have something like this happen, do you sometimes think, Is it worth it?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Um, I have days like that definitely. Yeah, it's tough to take, but I guess there are people out there who would be dying to be in my position playing at Wimbledon as many times as I have and had the opportunity to travel the world. I've played all the other Grand Slams as well.

Q. You mentioned you have to be in absolute paramount physical shape. Do you think you are at the moment?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Um, I've had a few ankle issues earlier in the year. I normally train an awful lot. In the last couple years that's how I got to the top 100 was getting myself in the best physical shape.
But it's been tough for me because I haven't really been able to run or train properly in the last six months which has held me back a little bit.

Q. Do you feel the pressure out there, Katie? The British public crave British success at Wimbledon. Can you sense that longing from the crowd when you're on the court?
KATIE O'BRIEN: Definitely. I mean, yeah. People look at it negatively and think, Oh, yeah, they put so much pressure on us and then they're waiting to knock us down.
I think everyone is just doing the best they can. I think they've got accept that British tennis isn't where it should be really, but there's no reason why it can't be forever down the line.
I think in previous years maybe a lot of the players have been out of their depth playing here. But I think especially on the women's side, yeah, the players genuinely deserve to be here and have got a good shot of winning not just one match but two or three.

Q. So should that pressure be a burden or a motivation?
KATIE O'BRIEN: A motivation. I think Britain's crying out for a new champion, so there are definitely some shoes waiting to be filled.

Q. Court 3, what sort of atmosphere was it? What was your impression of it as a court?
KATIE O'BRIEN: I enjoy it had. I played on the old Court 2. So it was a little bit similar, but it was a bit more intimate on Court 3.
Yeah, I think that's going to be one of the players' favorite courts to play on.

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