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APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEYJanuary 13, 2015Samantha StosurSYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES B. ZAHLAVOVA‑STRYCOVA/S. Stosur THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Take us through today. First set it was pretty tight. You got the break back there, but then sort of got away from you in the tiebreak. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I don't think I played as well as what I did yesterday, that's for sure. Yeah, kind of the start of the match I thought was really positive. I obviously had some opportunities to break serve, and then wasn't able to capitalize on those. Ans then her first one she took it, and then it was kind of a little bit catch‑up mode. I thought I did well to at least pull it back to a tiebreak. Yeah, it was almost like all that kind of escalated then early in that second set. Yeah, I guess I wasn't able to work my way through that and really turn around what was happening. Q. Do you feel you were maybe a little bit flat after yesterday's match because it was so long? Was it hard to back it up? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, I woke up this morning feeling pretty good considering, but for sure I don't think my movement was as good today. I didn't feel as sharp on the ball, and my timing certainly wasn't there like it was yesterday. Yeah, probably isn't effective playing a three‑hour match the day before and all that, but maybe it's just harder to bounce back early in the season because you're not used to those matches and concentration and all that type of thing. I don't want to take anything away from Barbora either. I thought she played a really smart match against me. Q. So where does all this leave you going into next week now, do you think? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Look, leaves me with there is still obviously lots to work on. There are quite a few days left now to go out there and practice and work on what I‑‑ myself and Simon‑‑ think needs to get better. That's what we'll do. Head down to Melbourne and really get stuck into it. It's not all bad. There are certainly some good things to take way from this week. You look at what's just happened and say, Okay, next few days it's going to be really important to do A, B, and C, and then be ready for the first round in Melbourne. Q. Do you think it would make any difference to have a summer where you won a tournament or played two tournaments and won five, six more matches, do you think that would make a huge difference to you, or you don't feel that would make that much difference? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Look, any time you're winning matches, whether it's the start or the end of the year, I feel like that's probably when I'm playing best. That probably shows in the results and everything else. But, yeah, I don't know. Maybe I need to make up a tournament in December and play a few matches and pretend that they're real. Q. Don't have a break. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, just keep going and run yourself into the ground, and then by March you're dead. No, look, it's just one of those things. Some people can turn it on really quickly and others take a little bit to get going. I'm certainly not feeling like it's all run away from me this summer by any means. I do feel like in general I'm playing well and hitting the ball really well. Today was a bit not as good, but I'm certainly, yeah, prepared to be doing everything I can for Melbourne. Q. Do you think you're a bit of a slow starter? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, probably haven't been the quickest starter. But, again, that's just the way it is. There are other players who have lost first round, first round, but I wouldn't say they're discounted for next week either. That's tennis. Again, this draw is you got to play somebody in the top 30 pretty much every single match. It's not like it's an easy match and everything is a given. You go out there and you compete and you try your best. Obviously you want those days to result in wins. If it doesn't, doesn't mean it's all a disaster. Q. Is this slow start a physical thing after the break or more mentally? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. Again, whether it's a slow start or whatever, you're tired, whatever you want to put on it, I've played three matches and only won one. It's hard to win every match you play. Of course you want that to happen, but like I said, I think it's more forme at the moment how I'm playing and how I'm going about things than getting myself in the best position for where I want to be next week. Q. What did Simon say when you called him on court? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I just wanted I guess a bit of clarity with returning. I felt like returned quite well I guess the first couple games; had the opportunities, and then those kind of went away. Yeah, I pretty much called him onto court to, yeah, ask him what did he think, kind of where to from there. It was just a, yeah, really simple kind of couple of messages, and that was it. Q. What's your routine going to be like now the next few days? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I would say go down to Melbourne tomorrow and then, yeah, just be practicing down there. Try and get on the court as much as I can those couple of days when I'm first there. Obviously Saturday, Sunday you don't want to be killing yourself with hours and hours, but, yeah, just practice and probably some fitness and movement stuff and be as sharp as possible. Q. Can you get any practice matches in? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I'm sure I'll be playing with other girls and playing lots of points and practice sets and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, I'm sure there will be many players down there. Q. You're serve percentage dropped off in the second set. Was that because she was pressing you a bit? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I don't feel like I used maybe my serve and where she was standing to my biggest advantage. She was standing a fair way back to give herself a lot more time. If I was able to serve a bit smarter and hit my spots better, then maybe would've given her some more to think about. Yeah, probably started pressing a little bit. She doesn't give you too many free points because she's standing a fair way back. Just trying to start the rally and get the ball going and get into the rally and run and do all the things she does very well. I don't think I probably set myself up with the points as well as I can. Then, yeah, I started losing that percentage and it made it harder and harder. Q. Barbora is the kind of player that doesn't give you good rhythm. Does that give you difficulty getting into the match? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, she definitely does play a little bit differently. She'll hit the odd serve‑volley. She'll hit the odd dropshots. She's slice returns and doesn't mind hitting a slice backhand and all that kind of stuff. But, I mean, typically playing opponents like that doesn't bother me. I understand that they've got this crafty side and they're good at it. That's why she is where she is. Yeah, I think even having said that, there was still plenty of opportunities where she would hit a slice ball and I would have time on it and manage to hit it late and miss it and that kind of stuff. Maybe coming to the net and maybe not hit approach as well as I needed to and then she's got a passing shot. So certainly make you think a little bit differently, but I typically don't mind players trying to throw in those different kind of plays. Q. (Question regarding pressure. ) SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, if I end up surprising some people, that's great. But I want to do it because I think I can obviously play well and do well, and that's what I want to do. Yeah, who knows. Win all your matches going into the Aussie Open, great. You lose them all, so be it. You still got to go into Melbourne feeling like you're doing everything you can do to try and play your best tennis when you first step on the court down there. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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