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MERCURY INSURANCE OPEN

August 5, 2011

Ana Ivanovic

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA

A. IVANOVIC/S. Peng
6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were down 4-1 in the first set. From there it seemed like something changed. Can you describe what that was.
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, you know, I started swinging a lot more because after that point I was a little bit pushing, a little bit trying not to make a mistake and tried to place the ball rather than just commit and hit. Nigel said, Stay calm, keep hitting the ball, work the ball. I started doing that a little better. It made a difference.

Q. So does it help to be able to have your coach come down and talk to you at that point in the match?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it does help. Yeah, because most of the times it's just excitement that first overtakes, and you can't see things clearly. So it's good for someone from the side to actually point these things out.

Q. Are you looking forward to being in a semifinal? Is there a different feeling to getting to this point?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely. I'm very excited to be in the semifinal. It's been a while since I've been playing on this level. It's good.
There is a lot of positive things that I can see on the court that are happening, which is very exciting. That's what, you know, you work for. So no matter what happens, I can see I'm making progress, and that's all that matters at the moment.

Q. What do you see as the main difference with this new team for the last month? What is the biggest change?
ANA IVANOVIC: It's the structure, you know. Structure basically equals continuity, consistency. That's something that I've been lacking in my game.
You know, having that back makes huge difference also because I'm perfectionist; I want to do everything perfect. If I know in the back of my mind I haven't done everything possible to play well, I won't play well. So now I know I have something to fall back on because I've done the proper work.

Q. Was there anything that you would still like to improve for tomorrow?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, you know, I did still make some mistakes. But overall I was really, really happy from 4-1 on.
You know, you always going to have mistakes. But it's who wins the last point that matters after all. I've been pretty pleased with my serve. Placement is very well. Yeah, I was just very enthusiastic.

Q. Vera, who has two coaches, talked about how she approaches the whole coaching structure thing. She says she takes the input, but once she goes on the court it's her and the racquet. Do you feel that way or do you feel more open to people telling you what to do during matches?
ANA IVANOVIC: Well, it's different depending on what stage you are at. At the moment I am just starting with Nigel. We are working on a few things. It's good for him to come out and remind me of certain things.
Once you get that confidence and consistency in what you are working on, then obviously you're out there on your own.
During Grand Slams, you can't call coach on court. In the future obviously I probably going to call him less and less. But at the moment it's really good to get that reinforcement.

Q. Didn't he also say to play freely, which means trust yourself, right?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, exactly, because that's been an issue last week. When the ball was coming, it was, What did he say? Did he say open stance or closed stance?
He's like, Once you're on the court, forget what we worked on, it should start to become automatic.
That's what he was trying to remind me of: be free and follow your instincts because you have put the work in.

Q. It was a good match from your side. I also like your nail polish. Are you going to stick to that color or change?
ANA IVANOVIC: No, you know, I was inspired by the beach, the nice blue sky. But probably Toronto is a city, maybe different color.

Q. Was there a point in the last couple years where you lost trust in your game?
ANA IVANOVIC: I did. There was points in last two years it was extremely tough. One of the points that was probably the toughest was February last year, sort of before Indian Wells and Miami time. I was just starting with Heinz. I was really struggling at that time. It was very hard to get going, to get motivation back.

Q. Where did the trust disappear to? How did it go away?
ANA IVANOVIC: It's hard to say. If I knew, probably it wouldn't last so long.
But, you know, sometimes it's a process. Being perfectionist, it's very hard to do it and be patient and wait because you want everything perfect now straightaway. It's not how it works out.

Q. So you had three wins in a row. Tomorrow obviously you have a bigger test. She's a proven player, playing fairly well. She'll get a lot of balls back, she's smart. How excited are you about it and what do you have to do to win the match?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I'm very excited about that challenge because she's a top player. It's going to be a good test for me also to see where my game is at.
I know we had a lot of tough matches in the past. I know if I play well, I can challenge her. You know, that's going to be my goal, just to try and play free and enjoy it again like I did today.
If I play well and she still wins, you know, congratulations to her and that's it. But, you know, I just really want to try and give my best tomorrow and, yeah, try to apply things I've been working on.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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