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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 16, 2013Samantha StosurMELBOURNE, VICTORIA J. ZHENG/S. Stosur THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Obviously a disappointing way to finish after fighting back. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's a pretty hard one to take when you get yourself well and truly into a winning position, yeah, playing really quite well. Then all of a sudden you get to 5‑2 and you lose five games straight. Yeah, it's kind of hard to say much about it right now, to be honest. Q. Was there a problem with the ankle and the balance with the serve? No problem there? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No. Had nothing to do with it. Q. What were you thinking when you were 5‑2 up coming out to serve? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, thought about what I needed to do, about wanting to make a lot of first serves, really just keep playing the way I'd been playing. You know, from that second set through to that point of the third, you know, I was obviously winning most of the games from that point on. You know, there were some tight ones, but I thought I had really good rhythm. Then all of a sudden it obviously went away quite quickly. Q. Did you find your body language changed during that game? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, you make an error and you tighten up a little bit, but you try and reset and refocus before that next point. You know, unfortunately it was ‑‑ it just kept happening point after point after point. You know, then crazy things start popping into your head, and before you know it, you're back on even terms and really lost a lead that, you know, with two breaks in the third should never go away. Q. How much of it was mental as opposed to physical? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think it's a hundred percent. I think, yeah, that's what it was. I got tight and then you start missing some balls. You probably think a little bit too much. You do it over and over and over again, and then, yeah, you start not wanting to miss rather than wanting to, you know, make the winner. Instead, it's I don't want to make the error. Q. Do you think you choked? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. Whatever word you want to put on it. At 5‑2 up in the third, double break probably is a bit of a choke, yeah. Q. What was going through your mind at 5‑2 in the third and your opponent getting those games back? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I mean, at 5‑2 I felt great obviously. I'd broken again to get a double break. Then went out to serve the game like I had been the last 10 service games, or whatever it was. There was no kind of negative feeling, because I started playing really quite well. Then, yeah, got a little bit tight. You miss a return here, a shot there, then you do the right thing, and then you don't do it. It was, yeah, it was too in and out for those points in time. You make a few more errors and you're back even. Q. When you say crazy things come into your head, what do you think? Like, It's not happening again? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Not necessarily it's happening again. You don't want it to go any further. It's 5‑2. You don't want it to go any further than 5‑3. We've all seen it happen before to many players. You know what it feels like. You're desperately trying not to make it happen. It's probably, yeah, part of not really doing what you should be doing to obviously get to that point. Q. You pride yourself on fitness. You said a couple times here that you're tired early in the third set. Is your fitness lower than what it should be? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I said 'tight'. I was fine to keep playing. It was a long match. It certainly didn't come into my head. Q. Where to from here? When people ask you, why is it difficult here, why is it difficult at your home slam, what are you going to say when you get stopped in the supermarket? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I hope those people aren't going to ask me that (laughter). No, look, it's difficult. It's just hard no matter where you're playing. You obviously want to play your best. I know I haven't been playing my best. I've been trying to get to that point. Now, unfortunately, the summer is over as quickly as what it started again. I'll do what I always do and keep playing and keep trying hard. I mean, I know I'm going to get over it. It's just you want it now, not tomorrow. Q.  Are you planning to have any changes in your game, anything specific to do with what is happening now? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No. I mean, I haven't thought about anything like that. Like I said, I'll keep going out and doing what I do. I mean, I know the way I need to play to play my best. That's always what I'm striving to do. I think it's just a matter of keeping on those same lines. Obviously there's things to think about, lots of things to keep improving. That's what I'm going to try and do. Q. Can you draw any positives out of the game? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, I think it's great that I was down a set and managed to come back and like I said before, start playing I thought really well for that set, nearly two sets. So, I mean, that's a real positive to know that I was able to turn it around. Now it's just a matter of finishing off. When you get two points from the match, it's got to be done. It was close to being a great day and now it's not such a great day. Q. Every time facing Zheng, you think if you couldn't take early control in the game and letting her establish in the rallies, you're going to be in trouble, you're going to be struggling a little bit? SAMANTHA STOSUR: The way she hits the ball, you certainly want to have the rally started on your terms as quickly as possible. I think I certainly had enough opportunities today to do that, set the point up the way I wanted to play. As soon as you start getting in a bang‑bang, hitting it hard, low over the net match, that's not my game style. That's exactly what she wants to do. Once you're to that point it's hard to change it. I think it's all about who gets the first shot in at the start of the point. Q. Do you feel surprised that Zheng Jie could fight back with such big disadvantages, like two breaks behind and, 2‑5 down in the third set? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I mean, she always hangs in there and fights hard. I probably gave her a little bit of help as well. That's what you get for hanging in there. I know that she never gives up. I was certainly well aware of that. I certainly had to finish the match. Q. Do you know something about your Polish roots? If I'm not mistaken, your grandfather was a Polish soldier. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, my grandfather was Polish. He migrated to America. No, I didn't actually meet him properly till I was eight. He lived in Florida. Then, yeah, each year when I based myself in Tampa not too far away, I would go and visit whenever I would go back there as much as I could. Q. Can you read or speak any Polish? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I can't read it or speak it. My dad can. He kept that quiet from us for some reason. I wish he did kind of tell us more about it. I'd really like to speak another language. Q. Have you been watching Bernard Tomic's game, and do you have any observations on his game? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I didn't watch last night. I was out at dinner. He's obviously playing very well. He's full of confidence. It's no surprise to anyone, I don't think, given the way that he's playing. I'm sure, yeah, he'll keep trying to play as well as what he has been. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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