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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 13, 2013Maria KirilenkoINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA M. KIRILENKO/P. Kvitova THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Beating Agnieszka and Petra back to back and all those three‑setters, you must feel pretty good? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, I feel good, and especially it's completely different kind of players. So for example, yesterday the rally was so long, and today was much shorter. And so to adapt to each player, like I just played yesterday and then I had to play today, so I was happy, you know, that I was adapting quickly. Q. And you recovered very well. I guess not playing doubles is helping that now. MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, no, I mean, I have more time to recover now, I think. Q. Was it a strategic decision not to play doubles here because of your match play earlier in the season? MARIA KIRILENKO: Well, actually, I decide not to play doubles after Australian Open. So I decide to change something, you know, just to concentrate on my singles, because I feel that I'm playing better in singles now. I understand that I need more time in recover, and that's why I try something different. Q. It's working out so far? MARIA KIRILENKO: As you can see. (Smiling). Q. You talked a lot about getting into the top 10. You're getting closer and closer now. Do you feel your level is almost there? MARIA KIRILENKO: Actually, I never talk about it. You guys talking about it. (Laughter.) Q.Now you have to. MARIA KIRILENKO: Well, it was the good results. You know, my ranking will be higher and higher. Q. But your level of game, do you feel it's at almost at a top‑10 level now? MARIA KIRILENKO: Well, I just win‑‑ I have two wins over top 10 players, and now I feel that I can be on this level. Yeah, like nothing is scary out there. So I can compete, and as you can see, like, I can beat them. Q. You have beaten her before at the Olympics, as well. These are two of the bigger results you have had. Is there something about the matchup with her that you like, Kvitova? MARIA KIRILENKO: Every time we play we have really tough ones. For example, last time I lost to her on the hard court it was New Haven final. The Olympic Games it was more lucky and I won that tough match. So every time you play against each player, you know, it's always, always difficult. Nothing is easy right now. Q. She seems a little unpredictable. Like the end of the second set where she was ahead and then she was playing very well and you stayed in there and then she just went away a little, no? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, it's her game. She's kind of ‑‑it's her like type of the game. You just need to be there. Doesn't matter what the score. For me, it was like I was feeling ‑‑ like, for example, in the first set I was leading 4‑2, yeah, and then suddenly she start to play unbelievable, a lot of winners. That's what happen in the end of the third set. I was again 4‑2 serving and I lost my serve very quickly. So it seems that when she's losing she's more relaxed. But that's good that when I was serving for the match that I won that game, yeah. Q. Does it make it tougher when you've got a player like that and it's going up and down with her game, is it difficult for you to get a rhythm? How do you confront that? MARIA KIRILENKO: Well, I can't say it's really difficult, because I have been on tour for so many years. Before to go on court, you know what kind of game another girl has, so I just prepared for it. Q. Did you expect to be at this level or in the top 10 earlier in your career? MARIA KIRILENKO: I think everybody has own time, you know. Somebody can be there like in young age; somebody needs more time. So I just feel now that I start to play better just for‑‑ I always play not bad, I can say, but the right moment and the good moment for me I think is right now. Q. The conditions out there, did you feel like you handled them better? It must have been pretty hot. MARIA KIRILENKO: It was really hot today, yeah. Because we did not have long points. That's why it was not too bad. Like if would play Agnieszka today, would be, I don't know, the worst. (Laughter.) Q.You play either Sharapova or Errani next. Can you talk about each of them? I know you have played Sharapova a lot. You've had some big wins and some tough losses, too. MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah. Well, what can I say? It's gonna be another day. Good thing that I'm going to have rest day tomorrow. And so it's gonna be tough one. Doesn't matter who gonna be there, Maria or Sarah. They're both good players. Q. I think Sarah especially wasn't on many people's radars. This time last year she was outside the top 30 and has risen very fast. What do you make of her game, especially and how she's been able to improve so quickly? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, as you can see, like she improve a lot after French Open final. She just got this confidence, you know, and she just got the feeling that she can compete with the top players. So, I mean, she's good worker, you know. I mean, I was practicing with her in Spain. She's really tough, you know, like working. That's why the results pay for her. Q. What is it about her game that makes her win so much, do you think? MARIA KIRILENKO: She has good patience, like she's patient on the court. You know, she's not trying to do something like over her limit. She just good runner, you know. Just keep the ball in. That's it. Q. Is this a tough tournament to play physically because you never know, one day it's going to be cold like last weekend, Saturday, Sunday were cold, and today you're out there on the hottest match of the day? You have to be prepared for all conditions when you come out here, don't you? MARIA KIRILENKO: That's true. It was a little bit cold in the beginning of the tournament, and then suddenly next day it was really warm weather. But, well, everybody in the same situation, you know. Even you guys you're not playing, everybody has to adapt to it. Doesn't matter your sport or not. Q. Can you talk about the evolution of your relationship with Sharapova? You were close when you were juniors, and now you have become rivals. How did do things change over the years when you got into the pros? MARIA KIRILENKO: So many questions about our friendship. (Smiling.) Well, when we were young we were close friends, closer friends than now, because we have a little bit different ways. You know, like she lives here; I live in Russia. So we don't have really interests now, you know. Q. Do you have any updates on wedding plans? Talked about a day? Location? Have you started looking at a dress, anything like that? MARIA KIRILENKO: I'm so busy here, (Laughter.) How you want me to be, focus on the dress? Q. What do you think about from when you were a little girl? Is there anything you want to do from your dreams when you were young? MARIA KIRILENKO: Well, of course. I think all the young girls, they want to have the best dress, the best wedding, and everything the best. Well, now it's a little bit, you know, difficult because I'm playing and Alex is playing. We are just in the period of talking what's the best. We will find the right day. Q. Are you going to give your friend Stella McCartney a call about the dress? MARIA KIRILENKO: Well, actually, is good idea. Thank you for that. (Laughter.) Q.Do you get nervous when you're watching Alex's games? On Twitter you were going almost every goal one day. MARIA KIRILENKO: You know, every game is different. For example, for instance, sometimes I go out there and I watch live. Sometimes I'm so nervous. I want him like and the team to win so much. Some days I'm really calm and I'm sure they're gonna win. Every day is different. Yeah, sometimes you can see I'm tweeting like a lot, and it's helpful, actually. Q. It's helpful to you? MARIA KIRILENKO: It's helpful for them, as well. Q. Of course. Because they're looking at your advice during the game. Are you finding any similarities between hockey and tennis? MARIA KIRILENKO: (Rolling eyes.) I can see like they play on ice and we play on the hard court. That's a big difference. (Laughter.) Q.No similarity? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, no similarity. Nothing is ‑‑I mean, just maybe the things going fast there, and tennis as well, so it's just this is similar. Q. You started tweeting yourself a lot recently. You hadn't done that much before. What made you decide to do more tweeting? MARIA KIRILENKO: I don't know. I wasn't interesting in tweeting before. I didn't know even how it works, you know. And just in the beginning of this year, adidas company, they asked me to tweet a couple of times because I did some Stella shoot. They said, like, Tweet something, you know. And like I said, I don't know how to tweet. I don't know how to use it. Just they had to help me, and then it become‑‑ it start to become interesting. Q. Are you enjoying it? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, I think it's nice. I think it's nice to talk with the fans, and now I can see my new fans who support me. It's fun. Q. Does Alex get very nervous watching you play? Does he follow... MARIA KIRILENKO: You have to ask Alex. Q. But does he follow a lot of your matches online, too? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, yeah, of course. Q. Does he give you advice? MARIA KIRILENKO: Just go there and beat them. (Laughter.) Q.When you say you get nervous when he's playing, are you more nervous that he's going to get smacked in the face or more nervous about the team winning or losing? MARIA KIRILENKO: No, actually you not really think about it. If you're gonna think even happen ‑ like it can happen with us as well; we can twist there or twist our knee. Just better don't think. Just be positive. Don't try to find those bad things. Q. Li Na hasn't been on the court since Australia, right? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah. Hopefully nobody can be injury, yeah. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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