|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 24, 2011Samantha StosurISTANBUL, TURKEY THE MODERATOR: Welcome. This is the first Australian woman in 30 years to win a Grand Slam singles title. Of course we're talking about the US Open this summer. Three singles titles now added to her 23 in doubles. She's here from Australia. Let's welcome here now, Samantha Stosur. We will start by asking who has our first question, please? Q. Can you talk about the last sort of couple of months and your adjustment since winning the US Open. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, it's just been actually quite a quick, you know, time since playing the US Open and winning and trying to adjust to that new status, I guess, but I was able to enjoy it for a few days and then was straight on the plane to playing Asia, played those few events and now here. There hasn't really been too much time to get used to it. It's just been pretty much getting back on the courts since and trying to find that same form again. Q. You only had a brief return home to Queensland afterwards. How did you rate the reception, and did it surprise you how into your victory everyone seemed to be? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, it was fantastic. I always actually planned to go home to Australia after the Open. It just happened it was for a really good reason that I was going home. So the reception I got was unbelievable, and it was -- I mean, I obviously I got the keys to the Gold Coast, which was great. It was a really fun day with that, and so many people came out and were supportive. Yeah, it was I guess much bigger and better than maybe than even what I was expecting. So it was definitely good that I got home even though it was only for those four days. Q. I don't know whether you have something like a sportsman or sportswoman of the year in Australia? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, we do. Q. What are your chances? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think that would be pretty good, but also Cadel Evans from Australia won the Tour de France this year. I think he's the first Australian ever to do that, too. I think it will be hopefully close, but I'm not sure who's gonna win it. Q. It's not a sportsman and sportswoman? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. To be honest, I'm not too sure. Q. Have you already met Cadel? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I never met him. Yeah, it would be pretty cool if I was able to meet him one day. Q. How far did you follow his Tour de France? Are you a cyclist fan? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Ah, not huge, like I've never watched a lot of cycling before, but when I was home I definitely tried to watch it whenever I could. Unfortunately it was always on kind of in the middle of the night getting really late, and I was practicing and could never stay up to watch the final stages, and then I was actually in the States for the last day and couldn't find it on TV. So I watched some highlights on the Internet, though. Q. It's been a fantastic year for you. What are the main differences or difference between Sam Stosur now and, say, Sam Stosur two or three years ago? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think that probably the major difference between those last couple of years and now is just probably my overall consistency with what I'm able to play throughout tournaments and I'd like to think play at a higher level more often. That's kind of been one of the focus points for the last couple of years is to make my good level, you know, out there much more often, and hopefully when you have a bad day, your bad days aren't quite so bad and you can get through and win matches even when you're not feeling great or necessarily playing so well. So I think that's obviously one of the big differences. And obviously with the winning the US Open and making the final of the French and semis the year before, probably that self-belief in just knowing that it is possible and that you've got to that stage so there's no reason why you can't do it again. Obviously it takes hard work but at least you know that it is possible. Q. How much of that consistency comes from mentality and attitude and how much comes from looking after your schedule and keeping fit? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, probably everything goes into it, but I think my schedule and the keeping-fit stage and healthy, you know, is pretty routine for me now and don't find that necessarily too hard, touch wood, but the other things having -- yeah, having that good attitude and practicing well, you know, every day. I think if you do it on the practice court nearly every day, that's a lot easier to replicate on the match court. Sometimes it's hard to do, but I think if you're able to do that, you know, almost 100% of the time that you're gonna see those rewords when you play tournaments and any matches. Q. What do the keys to Queensland get you? Can you run your cows around, or what kind of thing do they give you? SAMANTHA STOSUR: To have good Queensland athletes. I don't know. I wish we'd have Daylight Savings. I think if we had that, then I think we'd be even better. I think it's just the lifestyle. Obviously the weather, being outside, just kind of -- you want to be outside doing things. And, you know, obviously all around Australia we love playing sport no matter what it is, but maybe we just have a good climate for it. Yeah, we've been fortunate I think to have so many good athletes come from Queensland. Q. Can I just ask you how much a good tournament like this means to you at the end of a long season? I think it would be quite easy to be blase and get it over with. What does it mean to you? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think it's a great honor to be at this great tournament end of year. You can't come here unless you've had one of the best eight, you know, you are of one of the best eight players in the world for that year. So I think it's a real honor and something special. And, yeah, obviously we all know we're close to the end of year, but on the other hand you have five or six days left and you can put absolutely everything into that event, everything into that match and try and do your best. You can't leave anything to chance when you're playing the best in the world. It's one of those events where, you know, if you are gonna do well then you're gonna have to play well to get through. Q. Caroline Wozniacki is world No. 1 but hasn't won a slam. You've won a slam but you haven't been world No. 1. Are you happier being in your situation than hers? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I'm more than happy with my situation, so yeah, I'm sure it's a goal of hers and she would dearly, you know, love to win a slam. You know, I'm sure one day it will happen. But, you know, I'm happy with where I'm at right now, and, you know, winning a Grand Slam was always one of my goals and one of my dreams, so I'm happy that in 2011 I was able to achieve that. Q. And do you think that you, having won a slam, you'll feel differently now going into future slams, and in particular, Australia? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, possibly. I think for sure my career is going to probably be different from, you know, having since won than before I had, and with the next slam being in Melbourne and Australia, I think there's probably going to be even more attention and more spotlight maybe on me than what there has been in the past, but I think that's all part of doing what I do, and I'm looking forward to going down there and playing, and hopefully I can play well and do, you know, something similar to what I did at the US Open down in Melbourne. Q. In tennis, so many up and downs, even in the same match. You can win five games, you can lose five games. Finally you win 6-3, 6-2, but we don't understand many times what happen. Is because the level of yourself and the opponent in general is very, very close, you know, the difference is so close? Is because level is so high? Is because feelings of women so different? How you can explain so many up and downs in the same match or in the same year? You win one tournament and then you stop for, like Schiavone, talk about in Italian, stops like for two tournaments and then play win again. How is possible? Is because of winning feelings or something different? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think there is probably many reasons that go into that, and I think no doubt women's tennis is so highly competitive right now. It is hard to absolutely dominate, whether it's through one whole match or one tournament or throughout a year. I think there's many, many good players out there, and given the day that maybe the conditions, the circumstances, anything is possible. You know, women probably are a little more emotional than men, but I'd be surprised if -- you know, many of the guys could sit here and say they didn't feel nervous at times, or, you know, those emotions came, you know, through. Maybe the women just show it a little bit more. But, you know, I think it's all partly because it is so competitive out here now, and the gaps probably are getting smaller and smaller. Q. You talked about or you have spoken about getting a lot more attention these days. Do you feel that the perception among your peers has changed as a result of that great match against Serena and winning a slam? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. I'd like to think I was always one of those respected players where, you know, I could play well and possibly beat anyone on my day, but, you know, I think having won the Open and beating Serena the way I did, that's probably one of the most pleasing things about it is that I was able to play at a very high level when it absolutely counted in the biggest moment or one of the biggest moments of my career being out on court. So, yeah, I mean, I guess I'd like to think that there is that respect there. I think watching from the outside, if I was looking at another player do that, I would definitely have that. Q. Can you say that Maria Sharapova is the toughest opponent in this group because of your head-to-head record, and what do you think of her chances to win the tournament? SAMANTHA STOSUR: My chances? Q. No, Sharapova's. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, well. Yeah, obviously I don't have a very good record against her at all, and we have had some close matches and there has been matches where, you know, I haven't even barely made the scoreboard. It's definitely gonna be tough. It's gonna be a big challenge for me against her and everybody in my group. So, you know, it's gonna be a tough week, but I think you couldn't expect it to be any other way here at the Championships, and, you know, it's one of those things it shouldn't be easy to get through these matches here when you're playing the best in the world. Q. Have you ever been over to the venue at all yet, and if you have, can you talk about that? And also, what are your impressions of Istanbul? Obviously it's the first time the tournament has been held here. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I have been over to the site each day I've been here, and each day it becomes more and more complete and starts looking really good. I guess today was the first time I hit on the center court with all the proper lights around the court, and it looks great. So hopefully we're gonna have lots of people out here watching us play, and it's gonna have a great atmosphere, as well. It's my first time to Istanbul. Obviously the first time for the event, as well. I'm looking forward to the week ahead, and hopefully I can get into the city and see what the city has to offer, because I have heard so many amazing things about it. Q. Do you think an event like this can have an effect on women in a country like this? Do you think having an event here can effect change in any way in a country like Turkey? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, sure. Obviously Turkey doesn't really have much of a tennis history, but hopefully having this event here is gonna maybe inspire some of those young kids to play. And, you know, for them to be putting on this event with women's tennis, I think they must want more sporting events and start to have that sporting culture. So I think it's going to be definitely a good step in the right direction to hopefully having that happen. Q. Three days ago we had a press conference with Kim Clijsters, and she said she had been watching the women's tennis the last couple of weeks on her TV in her kitchen while cooking. She said she was amazed you, Kvitova, and Na Li haven't won much more tournaments after their Grand Slam win. She said normally you have such a boost of confidence you can play at a higher level immediately afterwards. Did you feel that kind of boost? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I think it's hard. I mean, I have played three tournaments since and obviously it hasn't been results that I've wanted to, but in some ways you can feel a boost, but sometimes it's hard to back up and come back from that great high that you've been on. You know, I'm not gonna talk for Petra or Li Na, but, you know, I'd like to think my run since hasn't been that horrible. I've only played a few events, so obviously I've got one more left and I'd like to play better than I have been. You know, I think it can work either way. Sometimes you can have a fantastic run afterwards, and obviously sometimes it's a huge adjustment to get used to, as well. Q. It's any surprise here for you in Istanbul? I mean, it's any player you didn't respect here between the first eight or someone else you respected and is not here? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. I think, you know, I think everyone that's here deserves to be here for obviously for the year they have had. I think probably Radwanska maybe wouldn't be expecting to be here going into the Asian swing and then winning those two tournaments back to back has got her here, which is unbelievable effort. I think she's probably the one that's made the last run and did absolutely everything she needed to do to get here. But other than that, I think, you know, we've had all very good years, and all of us deserve to be here. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|