|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WIMBLEDONJune 28, 2013Laura RobsonLONDON, ENGLAND L. ROBSON/M. Duque‑Marino THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You mentioned the other day your mum wasn't able to watch you. Did she come? LAURA ROBSON: No. She's still in Greece and she's going to stay there. Q. Can you tell us how different it is playing under the roof, the conditions and also the atmosphere with the crowd behind you? LAURA ROBSON: Well, the crowd is a lot louder, which is great. It's really exciting playing under the roof because, uhm, when you're playing, you feel so much more of the atmosphere. Uhm, in terms of playing, I mean, it's a little bit faster, I would say, uhm, tends to be a tad slippier just because of the humidity in there. Other than that, it's good. Q. How pleased were you with the way you dealt with your nerves? LAURA ROBSON: I was kind of having a little bit of timing with my serve throughout the whole match. It wasn't to do with nerves. Yeah, you know, I thought I handled it well today. I managed to, uhm, break her at the end of the first set, which was big. And, yeah, just keep it together. Q. Were you surprised that you didn't actually get on last night when the roof was closed? LAURA ROBSON: Uhm, no, I wasn't expecting to go on Centre. I was waiting for the rains to stop. But there's some rule that you can't put unscheduled matches under the roof or something like that. I'm not sure exactly what it is. But that's how it is. Q. You have doubles, as well.  Are you comfortable with the workload of going well in the singles and doubles matches? Will there come a time when you have to consider whether one takes priority? LAURA ROBSON: No, I'm very happy to play both. I'm in mixed, as well. It's grass, so you're never going to have an unbelievably long match. And if you do, like, the points tend to be quite short anyway. So it's not overly taxing. Yeah, if I didn't think I could handle it, I wouldn't have entered. Q. Did your mum send you any texts on today's game? LAURA ROBSON: What did she say today? She said I played well today. So, yeah, I'm happy. Q. The affection, the enthusiasm for you from the crowd is becoming very strong. There are various experts that say that does impose extraordinary levels of pressure. Is it something you have to deal with, this feeling that when you go out, especially Wimbledon, the Centre Court, you're going to deal with a huge amount of expectation? Is this something you think you might have to deal with sooner or later? LAURA ROBSON: I think I'm handling it pretty well so far. I've had a fair few matches on big stadiums now where I've handled the crowd support perfectly fine. You know, I love when people get involved. You know, sometimes they do like a massive groan if I hit a double‑fault, but I'm doing it as well. So, yeah, we're just living it together. Q. Obviously it's been a big week for you, but you've also gotten voice support from 60% of One Direction over Twitter. Is that something that gives you a heart attack when you see it during this week, or is it just part of what makes playing in England beautiful? LAURA ROBSON: The song lyrics are getting to me (laughter). Like I didn't follow, who was it that tweeted me yesterday, Harry. I haven't been really going on Twitter. I actually got an email from Twitter saying, He's followed you and messaged you. I guess if you're that big‑time, then Twitter gets involved. But I looked in my replies, and it was just like thousands of these messages, saying, Who is she (laughter)? I was like wetting myself because it was so funny. Q. Are you worried at all that the other two aren't quite on the boy bandwagon yet? LAURA ROBSON: I'm okay. I think I've gained 20,000 followers and they have no idea who I am, so yeah. Q. Do you feel you're playing as well as you were last year at the US Open? LAURA ROBSON: Uhm, I think it's very different playing on hard courts. But today I didn't think my timing was perfect throughout the whole match. I was kind of just, you know, accepting that and getting on with it as best I could. You know, I think in a way that's probably better for me, you know, just getting through the matches that I should be winning. Q. Yesterday Serena Williams was asked if you could make the top 10. She said even higher than that. Are you flattered by that? Is that what you're looking to achieve long‑term? LAURA ROBSON: Not to add any pressure or anything (smiling). No, I mean, that's nice of her. She's obviously the best player of all time. Yeah, that means quite a lot. But I'm just gonna, you know, focus on tomorrow's match rather than top 10, top 5, whatever. Q. Can you tell us something about how difficult it is nowadays to break through as a really young player? LAURA ROBSON: It just takes a lot longer, I think. You have to have a lot of confidence. You know, for a long time you have to keep your expectations low because you're going to have a lot of tough matches. And I'm still having so many matches where I'm thinking, I should have really won that. It's all part of the learning experience. As cliché as that sounds, you just have to take your time and keep working hard and practice. Q. Going into any tournament, how do you measure yourself?  Do you say, I will get to the quarterfinals? I'll go to the finals? How do you measure yourself? LAURA ROBSON: Uhm, well, before this tournament, I didn't set any results, goals or anything like that. I was kind of just focusing one match at a time, especially when the draw came out and I was playing Kirilenko first round. I was trying to focus on my game, uhm, stay positive on court. I thought I was practicing well and hitting well. So, yeah, there's no reason that I couldn't do well. Q. Obviously during a tournament you have to take each game as it comes. When you're putting in the hard hours on the practice courts, what motivates you to go that extra mile? Do you want to be in the top 10, No.1, win a Grand Slam? What is your tennis dream you're following here? LAURA ROBSON: Well, the biggest dream is to win here pretty much. You know, that's how it always has been. But on a day‑to‑day basis, Miles is introducing favors. If you win the game, he has to do a favor or like vice versa, as well. So if there's a queue for the transport, he's got to line up, things like that. That's quite motivating. Q. What was today? LAURA ROBSON: We don't have one on match days. The other day I forgot my cutlery in the restaurant and he had to go get it for me. Q. Whenever you Google your name, your name comes up next to an Australian flag. LAURA ROBSON: I don't know why that is. Q. Can you talk about your connections to Australia. LAURA ROBSON: I don't really have any, to be honest.  Uhm, my relatives still live there, but that's about it. The only time I go there is for the Australian Open. They live in like a very unpopulated part of Western Australia. I actually haven't seen my grandparents in two years, which is quite sad. But, yeah, hopefully I'll have time to visit with them this year. Q. Do you actually like One Direction, or do you prefer a different kind of music? If so, what? LAURA ROBSON: No, I like a bit of cheesy music. And then yesterday I tweeted, it was like hilarious, just, you know, PS, Hi to the One Direction fans. They corrected me, We're not fans; we're Directioners. It's like a whole other world. Q. You just said obviously Serena was the best player of all time. How would you compare her with Martina and with Steffi? LAURA ROBSON: I think it's very hard to compare generations, you know. Everyone plays so differently. But I just think in terms of, you know, power and also movement around the court, Serena's like way up there. For me, she is the best player. Everyone has like varying opinions. Q. Serena being talked about being the best of all time, she's been challenged to a match by Andy Murray. Are you interested in seeing how that one might go if they get it on in Vegas? LAURA ROBSON: That's interesting wording (laughter). I think everyone would watch that, yeah. Q. Do you have any techniques for coping with the pressure on you? You're playing No.71 tomorrow. At 38, you should be regarded as the winner of that match. Do you have any specific techniques for coping with the pressure? LAURA ROBSON: No, not really. Uhm, you know, I knew going into the match today that I was the favorite, and I thought I handled that pretty well. And, uhm, Marina Erakovic, who I play tomorrow, I've lost to her on grass before. She's got a big game, a huge serve, a good slice as well. Pretty much a perfect game for grass. Yeah, I know it's going to be a tough one. She's been doing really well in doubles lately, as well. Her net game is on the ball. Yeah, we'll see how it goes. Q. The prime minister tweeted you the other day, congratulating you on your performance. How did that go down? How does that sort of reflect on the fact that everyone is watching you? How can you cut that out and concentrate on your game? LAURA ROBSON: When I'm on court, I'm not worried about who's tweeting me. I'm really focused on the game plan that I have. After the match, like, then I'll go through all that stuff. But, yeah, it doesn't bother me at all. Q. You said you had no expectations coming into the tournament. Has that changed now looking forward, ambitions going forward from here? LAURA ROBSON: No. I still know that tomorrow's going to be tough, and I'm just going to have to play very well and focus the whole match to win. Doesn't matter really who you're playing; you just have to go in with that attitude. Q. Could I rephrase the question. Serena and Andy, he challenged her. She said, Maybe. Would that be something that you as players and as friends might be interested in seeing? LAURA ROBSON: Yeah, we would all watch it. But I don't think it will happen. Q. There's a possibility that you could play Eugenie Bouchard. Have you two discussed it and what was said? LAURA ROBSON: No, I have no idea what round that would be. You know, she's about to go on, I think. She's just focused on her match today. I'm worrying about tomorrow. But I've still got doubles today, as well. Yeah, it's a busy schedule for both of us. But, yeah, we're not worried about that. 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
|