AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 26, 2004

Kim Clijsters

KIM CLIJSTERS: I've played her -- the last time I played her was in Leipzig. I hurt my foot, actually. I was up a set and 4-3, then I hurt my ankle. Then the last time I played her before that was here, I think, last year. So I think it was quarterfinal as well. So, you know, she's -- I mean, she's obviously playing really well. I mean, she hits the ball really flat and she moves really well. That's something that you have to be very consistent, make sure that you don't make too many easy unforced errors. You know, probably one of her weaknesses still is probably her second serve. So that's definitely something that I'll have to attack and make sure that I can get into an advantage situation a little bit from the start of the rallies.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, you know, that's something, you know, maybe you don't think about before the match but, you know, during the match you can see those things, how players react and how players deal with things when they're down or when they're not playing the way they'd like to. That's something that you probably will use more while you're in the match and something that you'll take advantage of at the moment. But it's something, you have to come out and there when you start the match, you have to focus that she can be like at her best. That's where you have to start. If she's not, then you just work around that on the court.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, but, you know, even she can have moments where she's maybe not as focused. But still, you know, she can still hit some unbelievable shots. It's not, you know, like it's always pulling her down. There's probably moments where she is a little bit up and down, of course. Everyone -- I still have those moments where I'm still a little bit up and down. I don't think it pulls her down that much. She can easily get back up. It only maybe needs a couple of points for her to get back up and, you know, be at the top of her game again.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no, I'm not. No, I still, you know, I still think about it and it's still something that I have to, you know, will give some more thinking about when the tournament is finished. But so far during the tournament it's something that I don't really want to think about too much. If I had a lot of things to do, you know, before I came here and about my foot and sort of while I got here, wanted to just, you know, focus on my tennis as much as possible. Of course I have some priorities now, a little bit different. Yeah, so I think -- but I still have to, yeah, when I go home and stuff, I have to sit down and think about what's gonna happen next.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, definitely. Yep. Had some tough matches against Silvia already. She's the kind of player who doesn't give you a lot of pace. She plays well when your opponents -- I felt like I was hitting the ball well and moving her from side to side. With her slice and everything, she kept the ball really low, which made it tough for me to, you know, hit a lot of winners. I felt like this was good. You know, I had to move well, move around a lot, and I felt like I, you know, really enjoyed it as well.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Any match, you know, not just this match, any match has prepared me to get this far and to play better, today as well, at the moments where I had to. It's not just this match. I think every match that I've played here so far, especially because I came into this tournament without having a lot of matches, so every match has sort of been great. And especially, you know, when I can win them and then, you know, get through.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, not at all. No, especially now with, like I said before, my priorities have changed a little bit. I'm more thinking about my health and, you know, trying to stay fit and, you know, for my next round. That's why I'm not, you know -- because who knows. I can do something wrong during practice tomorrow and then, you know, I might not even be able to play. There's just little things where I have to be very, very careful with which, you know, keep my mind on each day, not even about my next match yet, just about practice tomorrow and then about my next match.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Of course. It's something, I think, well everybody knows about the Davis Cup match that they had here. So, yeah, no, it will be, you know, Lleyton's playing really well. I think he's definitely looking forward to this one as well. Especially on Australia Day, to play this big match again, it's definitely something that he always looks forward to.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I'll be okay. I'll be okay. It's definitely, you know -- I'm sure I'm more nervous sitting next to the court than playing myself. But, yeah, no, I mean, it's a nice kind of nervous, you know. It's an excitement, I think.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no. Doesn't feel natural to me.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes, I do know the show. There's actually a lot of physios and stuff in the locker room that keep telling me, "Look at me, Kimmy." (Laughter). Everyone is actually telling me about this. I have to have a look at it. I saw it a few times on the plane flying over, they had a few short sketches of it. It's, you know, I have to say it's really funny. I enjoy watching that show.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no, no (laughing). Actually, the physio, she's from Queensland, she started, you know, calling me that. I didn't know where it came from. Then she just explained it to me and ever since then I've been, you know, watching it a little bit.