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U.S. OPENSeptember 4, 2012Samantha StosurNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK V. AZARENKA/S. Stosur THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You put up a great fight out there today. Came up short in the end. How do you feel about the match? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I mean, of course there's always going to be disappointment when you lose, you know, quarter of the US Open, but I have to say I'm really pleased with the way I played. I thought it was a really, really good match, and there was, what, a point or two in it. You know, I'm really happy with the way I played out there, and I gave it everything I had. Q. Was that some of your best tennis of the year, you think? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it's probably up there with it. It's been a rough year. I mean, I came off a pretty rough spot before coming to the U.S. hard court season. I have really been able to turn my form around really quickly and come here to NewYork and play great all of my matches. I guess that's definitely a pleasing aspect of what's happened out there the last couple of weeks. Q. What's your relationship with that stadium out there? Are you building a love a affair for it? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I love playing out there. It is a great court to play on. The atmosphere and the crowd and I guess everything that makes it what it is is just, you know, fantastic to play out there. It's a dream to play on the center courts of Grand Slams. To have so many opportunities to do that, especially here, it's been, yeah, fantastic. Q. What are your impressions of the fight and determination of Victoria? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, yeah, well, I mean, she never gives up. She fights very hard every single match she plays and she does it very well. That's probably part of the reason she's No. 1 at the moment. She's one of the players you have to get out there and ‑‑she barely gives you any points and you have to work hard for every single point you get. Q. How did you actually fall into working into the match? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I mean, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do out there today. The first set didn't really come off at all. The rain delay at 3‑Love, I kind of came off and thought, Okay, well 3‑Love is not the greatest start, but I really thought I should stick to what I was trying to do. As the match went on and kind of got into it a little bit more, then I started to see it was paying dividends. Just kept trying to plug away and started playing really well and really took my opportunities when I had them. And like I said, you've got to work hard for every point you get out there, so you've really got to be on yourself every single point to not give away a loose error, because you're not going to get one back. Q. Did you think perhaps you had her? She lost the challenge and then went on to break her. I think it was 4‑4 at that point. Did you think, Maybe I have this after all? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I never thought that I was going to lose, but you certainly don't want to get ahead of yourself and think, Oh, I have just broken back again; I'm going to win. Tennis can change very quickly, but I was trying to play each point for what it was. I think in a match like that you can't afford to get ahead of yourself and lose focus for a second. So, yeah, it was one of those matches where you just kind of kept playing, and, bang, all of a sudden you've lost a tiebreak but you didn't know what was gonna happen. Q. You did something here in the final last year that not too many people have been able to do lately: beat Serena Williams. She's on a good roll. What are your impressions of the possibility somebody can beat Serena Williams here this year? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I mean, I don't know. I guess we'll find out in the next few days. No, I have to say I think she's the favorite to go on and win. I think she's been playing incredible the last few months. If anybody's going to beat her they have to play very well, be aggressive, hit winners, not give her anything, and try and temper her serve. Serena, when she's on, is pretty tough to beat. Q. Your play in the last two sets, is that the equal of the way you played against Serena last year? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. It's hard to say, but I think I played very well today.  I mean, I don't know whether it was better or the same or what. But I guess going into a match like that where you've never beaten a player before, you've got to just play well and really get everything out of yourself that you can. That's what I did today and just came up short. You know, it's disappointing, but at least I know that I came, you know, within a whisker of getting there today. Q. Do you remember her only ace of the match? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think about half the line and break point, so wasn't too happy with that one. Q. Does the result give you confidence that you eventually will get a win over Victoria? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, for sure. I mean, she's a tough player, but, you know, I think I'm capable of beating her one day. Just would have liked it to have been today. I will certainly take a lot of confidence out of this match and out of the whole week. Q. Effectively does it further reinforce in your mind that you can be a contender again in the next couple of years? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Absolutely. I think going into this tournament I was struggling a little bit but gaining that momentum and confidence. To really turn it around, you know, in one of the biggest tournaments of the year, that's what we come out here and play for. I think that proves to me that I am capable of doing it. To have another showing here at the Open like this, it for sure gives me confidence to think that maybe one day I can do it again. Q. The standard and level of play was just so high in the match. Do you allow yourself to get involved in that situation, or are you just so focused that you can't think of anything else? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I mean, I knew we were playing a good match. It was exciting and there was, you know, momentum here, momentum there. We were hitting winners and running all over the court. So I knew that was going on. Again, you can feel that, but you don't sit down at change of ends and say, Oh, gee, this is fun or anything. They are the matches you like to play. They're the most enjoyable, but not necessarily at the moment you've got that going through your head. Q. Did you hear the crowd? Were you able to hear the Aussie, Aussie, Aussie chants? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, I heard them on the change of ends. When I hit that smash winner to go 5‑All in the tiebreak they really erupted. I felt that. Yeah, it was again a great atmosphere. Really got a crowd that big and so into a match like that, it's always, like I said, enjoyable to play. It really keeps you going and you want to be out there as long as you can. Q. Those squash shots really took the crowd's breath away, too. They were pretty impressive today. SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know where they come from, but the last few years I have managed to pull quite a few off. It's not a shot I necessarily practice too much. I guess I've got the timing on it and I think my opponents don't know what to do with it when it comes just lasering over the net. Q. Serena obviously has an aura being Serena, but also coming off what she's done at Wimbledon and the Olympics. You obviously have cracked that aura last year. Is it tough to mentally get to a place, is she just another player, or mentally is it sort of a walk you have to go through to realize you can take her down? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. I think even earlier on my career, years before, I had matches against her that I had beaten her. There was one in Sydney I had four match points and lost. For whatever reason I have always kind of enjoyed that challenge of playing her. I know that if I don't play well, I'm more than likely not gonna win. It's just a matter of going out there and trying to play as best as you can and enjoying that challenge. You know, you're out there playing maybe one of the greatest players ever. So what can you do but try and play well and enjoy the moment and do your best? Q. Is she the pick here to go on and win now? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think she's going to be very tough to meet. Victoria played really well today so you can't discount anyone. I think going on form before this event and so far, it's very hard to go past her, I think. Q. Kim said earlier in the tournament that she thought that Serena was the greatest player ever. What are your thoughts on Serena's place in history when she's playing as well as she is now and with the future ahead of her? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think, like I just said, if she's not the greatest, she's definitely right up there with the first few. So to achieve what she's achieved, won all the Grand Slams in singles and doubles and gold medals and all that, you know, you read through, you know, some of her stats, and it's quite remarkable. To have the career she's had over such a long time, it is, yeah, remarkable. You've got to take your hat off to it. And keep coming back year after year after year and be able to perform the way she does, yeah, I think she's definitely right up there. Q. What's the plan for you now, immediately next week or two? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I will go back to where I live in Florida for a couple of days and pack up stuff and go back to Australia, five or six days, head up to Tokyo, and then do the whole Asian swing. Q. Regarding Serena, what about her serve makes it so difficult? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I mean, her first serve I think is one of the best in the world. It comes from a pretty hard trajectory and she's got very good technique on that serve. The ball bounces up and she can hit her spots. Sometimes you just gotta kinda guess every now and then and try and read what's going on, because, I mean, she can hit it really hard, but she can obviously take the pace off and slide it wide. You never quite know what necessarily is coming straight at you. I think she's one of those players that really can mix it up well and it's hard to sometimes get a read, but, you know, sometimes I have been able to do that. Q. This match came down to 5‑5 in the tiebreaker. I missed the top of this, so pardon me if you alluded to this already. Can you take us from 5‑5 in the tiebreaker to the last two points? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I remember the last one. To be honest, I can't remember exactly what happened at 5‑All, but she hit a dropshot. Yeah, I hit a good serve, and once again she hit a good return back deep. I think I hit another shot and tried to get around, hit a forehand, and then she got maybe a bit lucky and it actually went over. Again, just constantly under pressure. At 5‑All I don't think I did much wrong. And then match point she, again, hit a ball pretty much on the line, and, you know, you're just under that pressure the whole time. But stuck to my guns and handled it really well. 5‑All, you lose two points, you're done after two‑and‑a‑half hours. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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