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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 19, 2011

Samantha Stosur

CINCINNATI, OHIO

M. SHARAPOVA/S. Stosur
6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you talk about the match? You seemed to be hitting more errors than usual. Something about her ball that doesn't line up right with your style of play?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think the first four and a half games we were actually really close and pretty good quality. I felt like I was winning some, losing some, but felt pretty good.
I hit the two double faults to lose serve and everything fell in a hole, unfortunately.
I think against someone like Maria who I have a terrible record against, I can't afford to give her those breaks of serve. If she's going to break, she's got to come up with winners. I didn't make her do that today.
As the match went on, like you said, I hit more errors and less winners. Very tough to come back against someone like that when you're playing like that.

Q. You mentioned your record against her. Yesterday we were talking about how you kind of figured out Li Na. What specifically, big picture about Maria, is so difficult for you?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I guess it's harder for me to use my real game style against someone like her who hits the ball hard and flat and skips through the court. You know, she serves well, and, I don't know, I think that it's possible to win and I've got to believe that, but obviously up until now I haven't been able to actually do it.
So I guess it's back to the drawing board. You come up with something better, and, again, try and execute the game plan a lot better than I have today and in the past.

Q. How do you not have that history in your mind as you're walking on the court?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: You try not to. Obviously you know that going in. No, I think it goes on and you as lose more, you've really got nothing to lose against someone like that. You can go out there, and, yeah, if you lose again, what's eight or nine times?
It's one of those things you got to try and block out. Know you've got to play well and change something, but you've got to do it, too.

Q. You've had a lot of wins against Serena and other top players. Is Sharapova your hardest challenge by far among other players on tour?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, probably. There are a few players I've never beaten, and they all pretty much play a similar game style. That's something I definitely need to look at and definitely improve. You know, against 90% of girls it's okay, and then you hit those few that I haven't beaten and I kind of struggle.
So I guess it's those matches where I've got to be really tough on myself and make sure I don't do what I did today doing those two double faults and giving away breaks of serve against quality players.

Q. Can you describe the similar game style that you mentioned?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Azarenka, Clijsters; never beaten Venus. I mean, there are a few players in there that are the best in the world and do that style better than anyone else.

Q. Going back to Roland Garros and getting a taste of the final, what did do differently or working that much harder at after you had that experience from then until now?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I didn't try and do too much. I think the one major change was my belief in myself and that I'm able to do that and am capable of getting a result like that.
Since then, I always try and work hard in practice and do all the right things all the time. Obviously you have days where you don't, but as along as you keep those to a minimum, you're going to become a better player.

Q. You've played so much tennis in your life. Does the potential of losing a set 6-Love still bother you? Do you have a different mindset at 5-Love?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: You definitely don't want to lose a set 6-Love to anyone. Yeah, you definitely keep trying to win a game, and then you obviously never know what that could possibly turn into.
But it's certainly a huge deficit you don't want to be in.

Q. You made the finals in Toronto and the quarters here, quarters at the US Open last year. Confidence has to be fairly high going into New York.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, absolutely. I think I've started playing really good tennis. Today was a bit of a letdown. If I look at it as a whole, I'm definitely feeling a lot more confident than I was before Toronto.
I guess now I can prepare and take a bit of a break, and then get into the practice again and then head to New York and start all over again. But I'm definitely looking forward to playing up there.

Q. Talk a little bit more about the state of tennis in Australia. Obviously the fans are outstanding and you've had a number of legendary players, particularly on the men's side.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Uh-huh.

Q. Like with Li Na winning, China, there's been a lot of activity in China. What's going on with youth tennis in Australia? Is it big as it used to be?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think it's getting better and better and they're always trying to think of new ways to get more kid to playing. I think it's pretty obvious what the U.S. is trying to do with ten and under tennis, which I think is really good.
I think Tennis Australia is trying to implement the same kind of thing. We've got some good juniors coming through. The girls and boys champions at Wimbledon were both Australian, so I think that's a really promising thing to have.
Hopefully they can keep improving. They will always push more and more. I think if you can get more young kids playing, there is always going to be a much better chance of finding that one that can break through.

Q. You probably dreamed of being in the top 10 as a kid, and now you've been there for a while. How does the dream compare to the reality?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: It's great. Yeah, when I'm a little kid trying to play, you want to get to this position. I think the key is to really enjoy it when you're in it. I think it's easy to get complacent and think that that's just normal.
But there's only a top 10 because there's 10. You got to balance it between always striving to get better and better, but also want to enjoy it, too. I think I've got that balance pretty right, but there is always that determination to get better and better.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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