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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 10, 2012Ana IvanovicINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA A. IVANOVIC/J. Larsson THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Do you feel like today was a little bit of revenge for you from the French? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely happy about that. You know, I had a little bit of that match in my mind. I didn't play good at the French Open, so I knew I had better chance this time around. You know, I felt it was a bit awkward match still, but, you know, still so happy to get that revenge and win. Q. It's not that often you get quick victories where you're only losing a few games. Shows you're in control almost the whole time. ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely. I felt like that on court today. I really felt like I could break her, which obviously gave me a little bit more confidence and I could go for a little bit more. But I just felt like it was quite a few unforced errors today, so it was really hard to get rhythm. But overall, just happy that I did what I had to do out there today. Q. How important are the Olympics to you, especially given the fact that you got hurt right before the last one? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, they're very important. I'm very excited for the opportunity to play there again, you know, to represent my country and hopefully win a medal. Would be an amazing thing. You know, it would be nice. Who knows what happens. It's only once in four years, so it would be very, very nice. Q. When you were a little girl, did you look at the Olympics the same way you looked at majors, or was it something totally separate? ANA IVANOVIC: Well, actually to be honest, when I was younger, the Olympics were always about volleyball and water polo and basketball, because that's where we were winning medals and it was always very exciting to watch. I remember as a kid watching it all the time. Opening ceremony was really, really exciting. But to be honest, I don't remember much of the tennis from Olympics. But, you know, to be part of it, it's I think a great thrill for every professional athlete. Q. You did well in Indian Wells last year. Is there something in the air here for you? ANA IVANOVIC: I really like this event, and I think if you ask players it's one of most favorite tournaments of the year. It's very relaxed and it's a nice environment to play in. I like playing, you know, in the desert. You don't get too much wind most of the days, unless you're playing final in 2009 (Laughter.) You know, it's always a great conditions. I like warm, as well, to play in the heat. It just suits me. I feel very comfortable here and I have big support, too. Q. Do you know how many events you'll play at the Olympics? ANA IVANOVIC: No, I don't know. How many? Oh, me? Q. Yeah. ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, two, two. I think that will be plenty, and doubles, mixed doubles and singles. Q. You wouldn't play doubles with Jelena or something? ANA IVANOVIC: No. I spoke to Zimonjic a little while ago and he asked me to play so I agreed. Then later on I was thinking about playing doubles, as well, but it's just too much because we have event straight after. Q. Are you adjusting your schedule at all to kind of account for the extra tournament? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah. Actually you do have to make some adjustments because it's not easy. The calendar has changed a bit and have to make some adjustments. Obviously just try to stay healthy, because with Olympics right there it kind of puts everything really close together, you know, with French, Wimbledon, Olympics, and then US Open. You just feel like it's all the time on the go. So you really have to schedule before and then try to pick for each event. Q. A while ago you said you felt so old being 24. Yet it doesn't really seem to make sense. Could you talk about that? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, you know, it's really true, because they always ask about young players coming up. You know, I'm considered old. Even in Sydney this year, actually, a driver took us from the hotel to the site and we were talking. He was asking, Oh, what's your name? I said, I'm Ana Ivanovic. He said, Oh, you've been around for a while. (Laughter.) I'm like, Thanks. Does that make me old? It's really strange getting these comments. I have been on tour for a while. But I still, you know, feel young and in shape, so that's important. Q. How important is Fed Cup to you this year, because Serbia is in the semifinals? You didn't play the first round. Are you making that a priority this year to give Serbia a chance to win? ANA IVANOVIC: I think it's great success for our team and for our country to reach the semifinals. It's really good. We have a good team for a while but we never seem to come together and actually go for it. This is the first time we're in semifinals. It's very thrilling, of course. It makes it that much harder with the Olympics and everything else in this year, so it seems like it's a lot of things going on. But I definitely would love to play, because I think, you know, semifinal is just one step from final and maybe a title. It's something I would love to have it, you know, next to my name, eventually. Q. It sounds like you're not going to make a decision until after Miami. ANA IVANOVIC: I just heard the news about the surface and obviously place, and it did make a bit of a difference because obviously it's a lot better playing on clay. Q. Playing on clay? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah. So obviously that makes it a bit easier for a decision. But, yeah, no, I'm really trying to put that a priority and trying to fit it in the schedule. Q. You won the French Open. If you can just give one memory, what is your best moment in Paris? ANA IVANOVIC: Well, definitely that last point in that final. It's really‑‑ it's amazing feeling. And, you know, closing ceremony, I remember Serbian National Anthem came on on center court Philippe Chatrier, and the flag was going up and I had tears in my eyes. Q. Do you know what you're playing between Olympics and the US Open? ANA IVANOVIC: Yes. For the moment I'm playing Cincinnati and Montreal. Q. You were talking at the beginning of the year about sort of changing the fitness idea where you were working on keeping healthy, right? ANA IVANOVIC: Yes. Q. Making sure not to get hurt. Is there a point now where you're thinking, I have to get stronger or faster? It looks like you're moving very well, but maybe muscle‑wise you're not where you used to be? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I'm definitely, you know, in the gym every maybe second day and trying to‑‑ you know, even during the tournaments trying to do a little bit of weights because I think it's important to get stronger. My coach is, Look at Novak. Look at him. They're so ripped. I'm like, Yeah, well, I can't look like that. (Laughter.) But I'm trying, so, yeah, definitely trying to go to the gym and gain muscle strength, and also trying to keep the explosivity there. So not to be to heavy so I still move fast on the court. Q. When you're on the court, I'm curious, how much energy do you draw from the crowd and the cheering that you hear‑ while you're also focusing on winning? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, actually it's a lot. It's probably a lot more than people think. It helps a lot when you have crowd behind you and you have people yelling, I think. As much as you try to be in the moment and not to focus too much what's going around, you can hear the cheering. It definitely affects in a positive way. It's always nice to hear the words of encouragement. Q. With Fed Cup, if you were to go on to win it, how big a deal would that be when you look at what happened a couple years ago with the Davis Cup side? ANA IVANOVIC: Obviously winning Davis Cup, and especially the final was held in Serbia, was huge for the country. You know, I was actually there. You know, I thought, you know, it would be nice to win Fed Cup, as well. Because it's an individual sport, but it's so nice to have the team competition because, you know, you feed off each other so much. You know, you really try to work as a team, and, you know, to have fun, to have meals together, to practice together. You know, it's girls coming together, and we don't get to do that also very often. You know, to win would be amazing, you know, yeah, to bring the trophy home. Q. You have had some great wins, some real triumphs, but also some setbacks and tough stretches. If you go back in your career and change one or two things, Ana, what would that be? ANA IVANOVIC: Definitely when I got injured after Wimbledon, so sort of like in Montreal in '08. I always kept playing, and I was one day on the court, and then I tried to hit and then it would hurt my wrist. Then I took a couple of days off, but I could still be on‑site and then try it again and again and it hurt. This kept going on for a month, and I tried to compete. I went to Olympics and I had to pull out. It just was so much going on, and it always felt likes disappointment because I was always at the site so I always took it as a defeat. And then when I played US Open I played it with like five days of practice. So I would still play US Open, you know, but I probably would have taken time off straightaway rather than later. I think it affected a bit my confidence, especially with all the expectations as the world No. 1. So I would definitely change that. Q. Do you blame anyone else for that, giving you the wrong advice, or do you think, I was just young and that was my fault and I was pushing myself too hard? ANA IVANOVIC: Definitely I was the one who was motivated and who wanted to practice. But still, I think people around me could have stepped up a little bit more. Because I was really young, you know, and I didn't know what to expect with all the expectations. I was doing so well, and I never really had big disappointment. So I felt like, you know, Oh, I can do anything. I can even play with one hand. You know, there were people who maybe should have said, Hey, you know, just step aside a little bit and this and that. But, you know, again, it was their first time probably, as well. So I can't really blame anyone. But I would have maybe changed that now with the experience I have. Q. You enjoyed a very comfortable victory today. Have you given any thought towards your next potential encounter potentially against Peng Shuai? You enjoyed a comfortable victory over her in Carlsbad last year. Any thoughts to that? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I think it will be a different match. She plays a lot faster and a lot more aggressive. It's going to be a tough match no matter what. It's a very tough third‑round match. I just have to try and apply things that I did so well in practice over the last, you know, few weeks and months. So, yeah, my coach is gonna watch a little bit of that match, and then tomorrow we're gonna work on a few things to prepare for the match. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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