|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMENFebruary 18, 2013Marion BartoliDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES M. BARTOLI/K. Zakopalova THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You must be proud of the way you fought your way through that. MARION BARTOLI: Yeah. Honestly of course I played extremely bad the first‑and‑a‑half sets, yes, but I think the way I turned around the match from a set 4‑3 down, I managed to really play a lot stronger. She just won one game after that. So the way I have been able to turn it around, yes, I'm really pleased with that. Q. What was your mindset then? MARION BARTOLI: I think to start to think a lot more purely on the court, where I was to play on every single ball instead of just reacting to what she was doing. At the beginning, the way I was playing was really not acceptable for me. So I really tried to push myself to do better but still stay positive, which is not easy, because sometimes I tend to be a bit negative on myself when I don't have what I want to. Yes, the way I fought, the way I stay focused, the way I tried my hardest on every single ball, I think that's definitely a plus. When I lost to her in the beginning of the year, I was not thinking this way. I think it shows improvement. Q. You wouldn't normally expect to play Serena in the second round. MARION BARTOLI: Yes, it's the way it is. It's an extremely tough draw. When you come to Dubai, you're not coming to play against someone ranked 100 in the world. You're coming to play against the very tough players. And it's going to be a very hard test, of course, but it will show me where I am and where I need to improve. For now, I really want to enjoy the way I did today, and I'm proud of the way I focused myself on the court. Q. Is that why you accepted, took the wildcard, to face these challenges, to face these players? MARION BARTOLI: No, I wanted to play in Dubai. Just my schedule got a bit messed up. And Brazil, I was supposed to play, and then Dubai, and again, a misunderstanding with the tournament and I couldn't play at the end, but because Dubai was a week earlier, I missed the deadline by five hours. I need to ask for the wildcard, but I'm really thankful to all the organization and especially the tournament director for offering me the wildcard and trusting my game, and I think I showed myself today I'm just trying my hardest every time I'm on the court. Q. With Serena coming off a grueling final, do you think it's a good time to play her? MARION BARTOLI: I don't think there is a very good to play against Serena. Maybe at 4:00 a.m. when she didn't sleep for three days, but other than that, I mean, you can't really get a tougher challenge than this one, of course. But I'm a sportsperson. I don't expect to have something easy. Again, I just want to enjoy what I did today. I'm honestly quite proud of myself. And no matter what happens the next day against Serena or in two days against Serena, I will just remind the way I fought today, and I think I'm in the right track. Q. You need that sort of fighting spirit against someone like Serena, don't you? MARION BARTOLI: Well, I need everything against Serena. You don't just need the fighting spirit. You need the shot, power, the movement, and you need absolutely everything. I don't want to think about this match yet. I'm not into this right now. Q. You beat her at Wimbledon. MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, well, I can play tennis sometimes, you know. (Laughter.) FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|