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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 25, 2012Samantha StosurISTANBUL, TURKEY S. ERRANI/S. Stosur THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Is it hard to come in sort of late to a tournament and everyone else has played and you finally get a crack at it? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it's difficult, but then also on the flip side you weren't expecting a match, and then it's kind of a bonus that you get one as well. Yeah, it's difficult, but at the end of the day you can't be too worried about how difficult it is if you're lucky to be in there anyway. Q. Given that you were sort of behind the eight ball, did that sort of change your motivation or approach at all? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, no. I mean, obviously it was going to be harder to qualify anyway, but I still had a lot of work to do before that was even a consideration. I knew that, and I really wanted to try and play a good match tonight and be at least one match up. Obviously the result wasn't quite that way. Q. You found a good sort of patch in the second set and couldn't hold onto it, I suppose. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it was a little bit up and down. Second set got off to a good lead and then was able to hold onto that and win that second set. Then had a breakpoint early in the third in that first game and missed a return. Then it was kind of like all the energy went out of me. Yeah, it was just like I got ‑‑ all of a sudden everything came to a head and the it was very difficult. Then I got down another break, and from that point it's very hard to win. It gives someone like Sara who makes you play that extra ball over and over again and you press a little bit too much. Yeah, I certainly dug myself in too much of a hole to try and get out. Q. One more match. Are you almost sort of happy the year will be over, or how are you looking at it? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I'm looking forward to a break now. I guess, again, I got one more match. I'll certainly go out there tomorrow and try to play the best I can and hopefully play well. But as soon as I shake hands tomorrow I'll be happy to take a break. Q. How will you look back on the' season overall, do you think? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Probably a little bit up and down. I think once it's done I'll probably be able to think of it in a more positive light. At the moment, I think it's been up and down. I've had lots of quarters, lost of semis, but at least some of those matches were matches where I really think I could have played better or got a better result. Then you find yourself in a couple more finals you never really know what can happen. I don't know, it's been a little bit bittersweet because I've improved in some areas and I've been happy, but haven't had that wining a tournament or haven't had that really big result where obviously I've had that in previous years. Q. What specifics have you improved in? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I think I've probably won more matches this year playing pretty ordinary tennis than what I have ever before. Especially at the start of the year it was pretty tough. But I think I fought through some matches that I was down and not playing well, and that has always been kind of a struggle for me. Even leading into the US Open I had a match I was 4‑Love down and I came back and won. At the moment I've a lot a lot of the close three‑setters and another three‑setter today. That's definitely one area that I've improved, but still lots I think I can get better at. Q. Any plans after tomorrow night? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Fly home and take a break. Not going to go anywhere. Just go home and up to the Gold Coast for a week probably and take probably three weeks off and get stuck into it. Q. Last year you were in the limelight after winning US Open and making semis here. You were one of the favorites in Aussie Open, and obviously you want to do very well in your home slam. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah. Q. But it was, as we know, kind of a disaster. SAMANTHA STOSUR: It wasn't kind of. It was. It's okay. Q. Now you're a little bit maybe going to the Aussie Open under the radar. Do you think it'll be better this time around? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. I don't know if it's that much of a difference going in seeded 5 or 6, whatever I was, or seeded 9. Still top 10 and still the highest ranking Australian. I don't think it's going to be that much different in that respect. Obviously having just won the US Open probably catapults you that little bit higher. You know, I think I hopefully would have learned a lot of things from this year's tournament and from the whole year. Yeah, definitely want to try and handle that occasion better and play a lot better and play to my capability a lot more at home in Australia. Q. How much of a part did the court play? You couldn't execute your kick serve as much as you would maybe like. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Today here? Q. Yeah. SAMANTHA STOSUR: The court, I mean, it didn't bother me last year and I had a really good tournament. Probably had, like I said, a shorter preparation, but I've been playing on a lower‑bouncing slow court in Moscow going into this tournament. I can't really look that as an excuse that I couldn't do what I wanted to do because of conditions or anything like that. Q. Just so follow up, last one on the Australian Open. Marinko is going to be the Australian No. 1. Does that surprise you? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I guess it's great for him. Obviously been working very hard in recent years and can be quite a character and whatever else and kind of play some good tennis, I think. So, I mean, that's great for him. I guess it is a bit of a surprise having Bernie get, what, 25 or so I think he got to, and now he's kind of dropped back. But I think whoever it is, hopefully they can use that and carry it forward and, yeah, keep going even higher. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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