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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 28, 2011

Samantha Stosur

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

S. STOSUR/N. Li
6-1, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well done. You're in the semis. What do you want to say about the game?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think I'm really pleased with the way I played tonight. It was a very solid match for me. I felt like I, you know, felt really good out there again and hit lots of winners, moved well. Was a really good turnaround for the match two nights ago.

Q. I saw your Facebook page today. I saw you were at spice market yesterday.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Uh-huh.

Q. How was it?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it was really good. It was a really good night. It was the first time I had been able to venture out from the hotel and go out to dinner and see part of the city. So it was a really good few hours.

Q. Does that show sort of further robustness you've got like when you lost like you did to Victoria only a couple nights ago and then you come out and completely turned it around?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah. I think it's just good, I guess, in a round robin situation there is -- I was thankful it wasn't my last match and had another chance to come out and try and, I guess, redeem myself and play better. If I lost tonight I wanted to, you know, lose on my terms and play well, at least.
Obviously I didn't really get close to that, and I played really well from start to finish, and I'm glad that I'm now in the semis and have another chance to try and do it again.

Q. You're 7 and 2 this year against top 5 players. What do you sort of put that down to? Obviously you've really been able to perform against the really best players.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I don't know. I guess it's always good to have a record like that. For some reasons the last couple of years I have been able to have good records against top 10 players, top 5 players.
I think I go into those matches thinking I can play if I play well and really have no choice but to try and do that. And if you do, then I feel my tennis can match up well against anyone. I don't know. I guess I have managed to do that at the right time.

Q. How does it feel, limping to the line or not even getting to the line really at the end of the season? How physically drained do you feel and mentally, as well, I guess?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I actually feel not too bad. I think, you know, the probably biggest mental challenge I have had through this year was probably at the start of the year and then after US Open. Trying to come and play those tournaments in Asia pretty soon afterwards was a really big challenge.
So I think I hadn't played too many matches going into this event. I had a good week in Osaka but had a week off before coming in here and was able to kinda refresh myself. I had some days off. And when I'm not on the court, I'm not practicing, I'm trying to really zone out and not focus much on the tennis and really stay as fresh as what I can.
But physically I feel fine, so I guess that's a good thing for the last hopefully two days of the year.

Q. Just a question about the ranking system, actually. Do you think it actually rewards players who win Grand Slams? Do you think it's a true measure of who is actually the best player in the world at the moment, given Caroline's early departure here and the fact she still wasn't won the Grand Slam?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think you do get rewarded for winning a Grand Slam and you definitely get the most points by far if you're able to do that. I guess the thing is we've got, you know, nine other really big tournaments, and four of those are, you know, not too far behind a slam, I guess, points-wise.
They're the tournaments that Caroline manages to do very well in week in and week out. That's how she gets her points without winning a slam.
You know, I think it's fair. And if you play a full schedule and you pique at the right time, then, yeah, I think the rankings can work. You can become the No. 1 player in the world.

Q. How much towards the mythic title of player of the year would winning this tournament go for whoever comes out on Sunday, do you think?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Who would be player of the year?

Q. Yeah. In a year of parity, how much would winning this title bolster sort of the mythic idea of player of the year, do you think?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I guess if the player who wins here has won a slam, then you'd have to probably go close to saying that they may be the player of year.
But I think there is a bunch of us who have had very good careers, and it's obviously been spread around a little bit with four different winners of the main events. But I think it's hard. It's not one clear-cut person, I don't think, who is at that spot just yet.

Q. If you were to pick one now, who would you pick?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: You can't put me on the spot like that. I don't know.
I don't know. I think Petra has had a very good year. She's very young, and, you know, to come out and win Wimbledon and now being in the semis, I think that's a pretty good year for someone her age.

Q. At home, are you sensing every time you play now that people are hanging on your results more than they might have just a couple of months ago?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Sure. I think it's great, especially people at home are able to see so much more tennis now, and I guess my career has kind of piqued at the right time where tennis is getting on TV a lot lot more.
And at home, with the few channels that we do get to watch tennis mostly live, I guess I'm fortunate that I'm that person that seems to be on there a lot of the time now. So a lot of my family and friends can follow it. I definitely notice that reaction when I'm away with how many messages I get and people being able to follow the tennis a lot more closely now.

Q. But since the US Open, is it exhilarated again?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, maybe so. Maybe a little bit. You know, I guess the more you're out there, the more attention you kind of bring. That's only natural.

Q. Are you happy because of the sports from the stands?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, the fans have been great this week right from the first match and the first day to at least through to today, and I've heard the semis and finals are both sold out, as well.
So I think for the first year of having a tournament like this year we couldn't have asked for a better crowd and better support. I think they've done a great job in making it possible for people to come out and support us.

Q. You played a few days now in front of some packed crowds. How do you think that reflects on Turkey for the 2020 Olympic bids?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think they've done a great job. Like I said, with the first Championships here in Istanbul, I think that probably shows they want to have more big events, get really into sport, and I think having this here is going to be a huge boost for them.
With that bid, you never know. Obviously there's lots of countries going for it, but if they can pull this off, that's obviously a very good start.

Q. Obviously the slams are above everything else, but how do you rate this sort of tournament, obviously potentially maybe winning it on Sunday compared to obviously the Grand Slams?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, it's hard. Obviously it's a great event. And to be part of it is something really to be proud of, to be able to get here and be one of the best players in the world for that year.
I think the Grand Slam is still the pinnacle, and that's still where everyone wants to win. If you can manage to win this kind of title, then obviously that's not too far behind.

Q. On-court coaching has been here for a while. Do you find you're cooling to it or warming to it? Where do you stand on that whole idea?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: It doesn't affect me. I don't use it, so it doesn't -- yeah, doesn't affect me. I don't even think about it anymore. It's just one of those things. I know some opponents will use it and some won't.
I don't know if it really changes the outcome of too many matches, to be honest.

Q. Is Dave happy about never being called on? Can he get out there at any point?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, he doesn't like it at all. He likes to stay away from the spotlight, as well. So it's probably good I agree with him that I don't want to use it, because that might cause a bit of tension, I guess.

Q. You've never used it once?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I've used it a couple of times, and then each time afterwards I thought, why did I do that? That was a mistake.

Q. Looks like you're going to play the winner of Petra and Aga. Can you talk a little bit about each of those matchups?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I've played Petra a couple of times, and, you know, I haven't been able to get over the line against her yet. But, you know, it's going to be a tough one.
Like I said before, she's had a very good year, and I think she's one of those exciting players to watch because she can pretty much do anything and she's got a very calm temperament out on the court. It's always a tough match against her.
And against Agi, we've played a couple of times. Last time was Toronto, and that's always a battle. She runs every single ball down and, you know, makes you absolutely work for it.
So whoever it is, it's going to be a tough matchup but two kind of different matchups with the way they play.

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