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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 21, 2013Agnieszka RadwanskaISTANBUL, TURKEY THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You made it here many times in a row now. Does it feel special when you get here? Is it something you sort of expect yourself to do every year at this point? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, I think, you know, every year it's exciting. Especially, you know, we are all fighting to be here from the beginning of the year I think is a goal for everyone. I'm just very happy that I could qualify a few weeks ago and be here again and, you know, being top 8 elite is always a great thing. Q. Talk a little bit about having to back up last year. So last year you kind of really had the breakout year, made the slam final and then going into this season, did you feel, you know, pressure to do better, to do the same? You know, mentally how difficult was this year? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Yes, last year was really great year, and first time I finished top 5. So I think I had a great season again to stay top 5 and staying consistent pretty much all season and also have good results in Grand Slams as well this year. I'm just very happy about it. You know, I think just staying in the top 5, top 10 I think is the most important thing. Q. This year was a very successful year for you. You have struggled against top 5 players. What went wrong in these matches for you? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, I think, you know, tennis is very strong. We have a lot of good players, playing unbelievable tennis this year, and especially Serena winning pretty much everything. When she's on fire, it's really tough to face her. So I will do everything in my power, you know, to maybe change our statistics and win one. So, you know, for sure I'm going to play her here, so I will try (smiling). Q. Is it a very slow surface or faster surface than last year? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I think surface is a little bit faster than last year, so I don't know if it's going to be better or worse for me. We will see about that. Anyway, I think it's very similar. I think it looks the same. I think every match is different story all the time, even when you play someone for so many times before. So we are looking for the first match. Q. You have played Serena a lot now, and you've played her tough and close in certain matches, but at times it looks like you lose confidence, that you think that she's going to raise her level to a point where you can't catch her. Is that true? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, we have a couple matches, different matches, but, for example, the match in Toronto, I guess it was really, really close, and just a few points I was away from, you know, those two sets. So I think it was one of the best matches we played against each other. So, you know, I think, you know, against her you really have to play 100%. If not, it's really tough. Q. You obviously are very close to winning a Slam, but generally what do you feel you need to do to make that extra leap? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, you know, I was really close at Wimbledon, actually twice, last year being in final and this year being in semifinals, also not far to get a title. But, well, it's just ‑‑ I think it's just, you know, one or two matches that, you know, I need to still win the Grand Slam. But I have still couple years to try, and so hopefully one day I can do it. Q. People speak a lot about your intelligence on the court. How do you prepare for it? Are you someone who thinks about tactics and preparing for your opponent like that, or is it a little bit instinctive? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, I think like you're saying is more instincts, and I think I'm not as powerful player like the others. I always have to find a way to be in the game and find a way to win the matches, not really serving 200, so I think I was just playing like that. I think it's just my game. Q. You talked about not having as much power as the other, but in Beijing you hit a forehand that was like 99 miles an hour. How surprised were you like in terms of your best shots ever? How much did you enjoy that one in particular? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Yes, I was very surprised. I couldn't see it on court. I didn't even know that I can hit that hard. So I think, you know, I think my opponent's power, I almost lost the point, and she exactly hit to my racquet, and there you go. But, yeah, it was fun out there. I was even laughing, you know, myself that I hit that hard that I couldn't even see the ball. Q. Back to Serena just for one second. She's had a pretty complete season from beginning to end. I'm just wondering on the court when you play her, is she doing things better or differently than in other years you have played her? Can you sense that in any way? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, definitely she's dictating everything from the beginning of the match, and, you know, served very good also, you know, return is also very powerful and, you know, always going, you know, going forward. You know, it's very tough to stay in the game and really running, you know, really far from the baseline. I think against her you really have to try to, you know, play aggressive from the beginning of the match. If you start too slow it's not good. Q. We know she's powerful, but do you feel she's more consistent in rallies? Do you feel like she's playing defensively better or she's just the same old power Serena player? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, I think she's ‑‑I couldn't see the difference between her now than a few years ago. I change as well. Maybe when I was 18 I didn't really know how to play those top players. I think I'm a different story now. I'm more experienced. I think she's still very fit and playing really on her best level. Q. You play a lot during the year. Do you have to push yourself to stay motivated, or does it just come naturally? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I think naturally I really like playing. I like playing a lot of matches. Of course sometimes it's even too much when you play, you know, matches in a row, like for example in Asia. I mean, it's good problem to have, you know, to go to tournament and you just have one practice and then you play a match again. But like I said, I just, you know, I like to keep going and play matches, and then I feel really that I'm in the game and really 100% ready for the most important tournaments. Q. Could you compare Serena and Petra to very big hitters? When Petra is playing at her best, you know, how do their games kind of compare? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I think you can really compare, especially I think also surface, it makes a lot of difference, as well. I think even balls or the conditions, so I think, you know, every match is different. But definitely Petra is playing also now very good, especially she played really good in Asia. Those players are really ready for this one, so I think, you know, my group is not easy. Q. Here is a simple question: Who, from your opinion, hits the bigger ball, Serena or Petra? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I think Serena. Yeah. Q. Following up on that, does Azarenka from baseline groundstrokes, does she hit as hard as Serena? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: This is a good question and tricky question. I think Serena's balls are the deepest ones. So when the ball is deep, it makes it much harder than the other balls, but still you have some time, you know, to catch. I think Serena's balls are the most difficult. Q. You stood here a couple years ago talking about your pets back home. Do you have any pets now? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: No, I don't have any pets for several years right now. Q. Whose players' pets you have seen on tour do you like the best? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I saw a couple of small dogs. I think Serena is having really cute dog with her. I think he's obviously with her. Q. Which one? There are a few. AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I don't know. I'm also confused now. Q. So you don't like Caroline's new dog? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Oh, yeah, but I just saw it once, and I didn't see her here yet. Q. There are a number of players with small dogs.  Have you thought about doing that yourself, bringing one around? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Not really. I think this is the one thing that you have to take care on the tournaments, and I think it's not for me. Q. How important do you think it is to get to the top of the women's game to have a consistent coaching message and have a coach with you for a long time that you can trust and rely on? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, that's I think a very important thing, especially that we are in the stage that you couldn't really change anything, and you really have to have a couple of people around you that you can trust and they really know how to, you know, work with you and what to do and what is the best for you, you know, to be and to play the best tennis. So I'm very happy that, you know, I can have the same people for couple of years now, and, you know, it's still going good. I'm very happy about it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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