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LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMESJuly 28, 2012Elena BaltachaLONDON, ENGLAND E. BALTACHA/A. Szavay THE MODERATOR: Questions for Elena. Q. Good start. ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, very good start. Very delighted with that. I think for a first‑round match, I'm very happy with how I played. So, yeah. I'm chuffed in the second round now. Q. Did it feel any different going out there playing the Olympics compared with Wimbledon? ELENA BALTACHA: Not really. I mean, I was quite nervous before the match. I think once I put my GB gear on, it relaxed me more because I've been looking forward to this for such a long time. I thought, You know, I've got an amazing opportunity. That kind of relaxed me a bit more. Once I started going on court, seeing all the home support, them getting right behind me, that kind of got me more confident and kind of more like relaxed. So it was lovely. But I think my first day, when I came here, just seeing all the different colors, was a bit, Oh, my gosh. But Wimbledon is always special every year I come here. I think it's been perfect that it got picked to play here, so... Q. The atmosphere is very different as we walk around. Did you find it a different atmosphere to when you play in The Championships? ELENA BALTACHA: It didn't seem as busy as in The Championships. It's nice. As you say, it is a different kind of atmosphere. But, no, I mean, it was just as special as it being like a Wimbledon week. But, yeah, I mean, it was as nice really, even though the atmosphere was slightly, slightly different. Q. On court, did it have the same sort of urgency from the crowd that you get at The Championships? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, they were great. No, they were fantastic. Even though it wasn't as busy, there was not as many people kind of there. But, yeah, the support was fantastic. Q. What was the court surface like? It looks like the courts are breaking up a bit on the baselines. ELENA BALTACHA: No, I mean, they feel great. I think they're a little bit quicker in certain places. But it is amazing how they've transformed it that quick. And now the courts are perfect. I've been hitting on the outside courts the last week and also at Aorangi. They're absolutely fine. Q. There is an Olympic medal in the family. ELENA BALTACHA: There is a bronze, my dad, 1980. Q. Have you seen that much? Is that something around the house? ELENA BALTACHA: Oh, I can't tell you. No, I mean, I've seen it. I have seen it. It does look amazing, yeah. I mean, for me, it's so special because obviously the history kind of with my family, my dad an Olympia, but my mom couldn't go, to add myself to the Baltacha history, it's really lovely. Q. You couldn't be at the ceremony. Did you watch it on TV? What did you make of it? Was it inspiring? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, I absolutely loved it. I think the first 10 minutes, I thought, Oh, I'm not sure. But then once it got going after the 10 minutes, it was incredible. I think they done an amazing job, amazing job. My favorite bit I think was the Queen and James Bond. That was the best bit. Q. Was that your mum watching? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, my mum is here. Q. What has she made of the Olympic experience? ELENA BALTACHA: Absolutely loved it. I'm so happy that she's here to kind of experience it with me and to really enjoy it. Yeah, I mean, I love the fact she's here. I managed to get a ticket and get her in here. Q. The taping on your shins looks pretty severe. Was your taking part ever in any doubt because of injury? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, I mean, I probably say a couple months ago I had it really bad on my right ankle. I've had a problem with my ankle probably the last, probably really badly, the last year, like this year. When we went into the clay season, I had to pull out of Barcelona. We actually thought I had a stress fracture, which thankfully it wasn't. Basically, they told me at some point I'll need to have surgery because the two bones, because of all the trauma in the last five years on my ankle, basically the bone has grown an extra bit of bone. It just needs a little extra bit of shaving. They found a loose body in my ankle. I've actually got it in my left foot as well, but not as severe. The tape on my shin just lifts up and it kind of gives the two bone a bit of room. Since in April, when I saw the surgeon, since then he's given me a lot of information how I can stop the pain, certain things I need to do, certain ways I can tape my ankle, and it's worked. But I am thinking of having surgery very soon on it. Q. Pre‑US Open? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, I think so. I think I'm going to have surgery. I mean, we still haven't finalized it, but we're talking about taking six months and having the surgery done. Q. There's every chance you're not going to play again after this tournament? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, at the moment, that's what it's looking like, yeah. Q. Does that give it a certain extra urgency then because you know this is your farewell tournament before surgery? ELENA BALTACHA: Do you know what, is it urgent? Not really, to be honest, because the surgery's not like if you have it done, you might not play again. It's not a serious surgery. I mean, it's pretty straightforward. Loads of athletes have had it done. Footballers. The surgeons I saw, he operates on all the footballers. It's going to be three, four months kind of rehab. So I know that at some point I need to have it done. The risk is that if I carry on, say I'm flying out to U.S. my loose body gets stuck, wedged, then I can't play anyway. That means if I take the six months out, I won't be able to come back quicker than I would want. I think it's just smart if I protect my ranking, take the six months, and then I'll be back in February. Fingers crossed, I'll be back in February. Q. You're playing through a bit of pain? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, I mean, but it's manageable. You know, it's not terrible. I mean, there's certain things I do. It keeps it kind of ticking along. Yeah, I've managed to maintain it for the last few months anyway, so... Q. Considering the stage of the year we're at, are you highly motivated to come back next year? ELENA BALTACHA: I mean, it depends. Obviously, with the six months, I want to go on a little bit of a break. Obviously, I have academy with the girls, EBAT. We screened over about a thousand girls, we're going to have more girls join the academy. I really want to spend some time with them, see what that is like, be at home a little bit more. Then, yeah, you know, if I feel after the surgery‑‑ obviously do my rehab properly, and if after that I feel I want to come back, I will come back. If I feel I enjoy life at home, I really want to give EBAT my full attention, then I might stop, so... Q.  Looking ahead to Ana Ivanovic, how do you see that? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, it's an amazing opportunity for me. I have absolutely nothing to lose. She's the one that is meant to be beating me. It's a great match to go into because there's no pressure on me. That way you can really relax and really go for it. I think with Ana, when she's playing at her best, she's a very good player. Very dangerous. Big serve, big forehand. If she is not playing well, there's a lot of weaknesses. One, it depends what Ana turns up, and two, I'm going to be fighting for the thing, really swing for it, see what kind of damage I can cause her. Q. On the surgery, is it on the right ankle or both? ELENA BALTACHA: Well, it's definitely on the right ankle. I had a couple of scans down on the left. It's similar. It's nowhere near as bad as the right. It just depends. If I was to have surgery, I would maybe ask about having the left one done as well, if there's a chance the left one would get worse as well. Otherwise, if I don't, if I do decide to come back in February, it might just get worse, and I'll need surgery again on the other foot. Probably be smarter if I get two done. Q. Two for the price of one? ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah (laughter). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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