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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 21, 2012Ana IvanovicMELBOURNE, VICTORIA A. IVANOVIC/V. King THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Were you happy with the way you closed it out? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely. Really happy to close out that second set because it was really up and down. It was tough set. She was playing really well. But I'm really happy I managed to survive that last game. Q. Tell us about calling the doctor, what you were feeling at that time. ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I caught a bug a couple days ago, after my second‑round match. I wasn't feeling really good yesterday. So I had to take it really easy. Today I felt fine. Just started to get a little nauseous again in that second set. Then I just took some tablets and it really helped to calm things down a bit. Q. Been a while since you made it to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. How much does winning that next match mean to you? ANA IVANOVIC: Oh, it would be great. That's definitely my goal, you know. I always want to take it one match at a time. You know, next match will get me there. It's going to be very tough one. Petra is definitely playing some great tennis. She's one of the hottest players at the moment. It's going to be great challenge for me. But I'm really happy to go out there and throw my best at her. The better player will win. Q. How much do you credit your form here to spending so much time in Australia beforehand? ANA IVANOVIC: Oh, I think it's great because I had time to adjust to circumstances. I love it. I've done it every year, you know, for maybe eight or ten years now. It's always very enjoyable. It's great to be back in the second week and competing against top players. Q. Is there something about your preparation this time that's made you go well? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it's been a little bit of a change. Normally I had a very big team of people around me. This time it was just Nigel, and I had physio working, making sure the body's in line because I had lots of little injuries and pains and niggles the last couple years, I really wanted to get rid of them this year. So it was physical, but I did a lot of my fitness work on the court with Nigel. That's really paying off. I'm feeling very good physically. Q. Do you think Adam will stay around for as long as you go? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, that's the deal. I really hope I can go far and spend another week here. That would be fun to compete next Saturday. Q. You've been in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Do you think the male players should do stuff like that, like Novak Djokovic or someone? ANA IVANOVIC: Well, I don't know. I mean, yeah, they should try, see how they go. Q. Anyone in particular you think should give modeling a go? ANA IVANOVIC: I don't know. You tell me which one would you like to see (laughter). Q. You didn't get to play in the Beijing Olympics because of an injury. How much are the London games this summer a goal for you? ANA IVANOVIC: It's definitely one of the priorities for this year. I'm so thrilled to have opportunity to compete again in Olympic Games. I think it's a great way to represent your country. It's very, very exciting. I think I'm also going to play mixed doubles with Zimonjic, which is fun. I think it's a great opportunity. I really want to try and stay healthy this year and compete there. Q. Can you tell us how valuable Nigel's experience in the women's game is to you? ANA IVANOVIC: It's been really good. I've been very fortunate that we had the opportunity to work with each other. I was really excited after Wimbledon when we sort of started working together. I felt like through the summer in America I was improving each week. I had a great week in Bali last year. But, you know, we actually did not have time for preparation in time to work on the game. This off‑season was the first time we could actually take some time and work on things specifically. I really feel it's paying off. We are still getting to know each other, the rhythm and what works, what not. It definitely helped me a lot. We both believe in the same things. Pre‑season, we sat down and set goals for ourselves. I feel like I can absorb a lot of his teachings. Q. Why did you choose him and how long before you actually hooked up together did you identify him as a coach you wanted to work with? ANA IVANOVIC: Obviously, I know him for a long time, ever since I started on tour. I've seen him around with Daniela. Afterwards I know he worked for LTA. He was always one of the people I wanted to be coached by and talked to about that possibility. It really came about fast. In Wimbledon we spoke a little bit. I was very fortunate that he could start straightaway. I think it was great opportunity for both of us. Q.  Did you have a specific goal here for the Australian Open when you sat down with him? ANA IVANOVIC: We definitely set some goals. But it's just very exciting to be in a second week. That was a first step for us. That was a first goal we had. It's nice to be able to achieve that. Now it's going to be tough matches, match after match. But I still believe I can do well. I'm just enjoying competing again. It's going to be tough, but I love challenges. Q. Can you give us an idea of what areas of your game Nigel has helped you the most with? ANA IVANOVIC: One of the big areas was the serve. That needed some improvement. Throughout the end of last year it was improving. But now in off‑season we really had time to work on it. It has improved a lot. Also my base game, just lifting the level of my base game is something that we worked a lot on. My forehand. Just lots of little bits and pieces that are sort of coming together now. I'm just very excited to see. Q. You just spoke about defending the colors of your country. Will you be on the Fed Cup team in two weeks? ANA IVANOVIC: I still didn't decide about it. But, like I said, I think this is a big year with Olympics. I want to really represent my country in the best possible way. I really want to be fit and well for that, just see how I go there. But hopefully yes. Q. It depends on what happens next week? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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