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WIMBLEDON


June 28, 2007


Michaella Krajicek


LONDON, ENGLAND

Q. Congratulations.
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: Thank you.

Q. From a British perspective, what did you think of your opponent today?
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: I think she was nervous, that's for sure, especially in the first set. She looked really tight. But on the other side, I think I played one -- a very solid match. I think it was a very good match. You know, I think -- well, I played really well, so it was tough maybe to play me, I don't know. I've never played her, so I don't know how she plays normally.

Q. I mean, today in the paper the British -- the LTA chief executive criticized the fitness of British players. Did you sense that she was lacking fitness at all?
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: That's tough to tell on grass, that's for sure, because on clay it will be maybe different. But on grass it's just very tough to tell if the player is lacking any like condition or fitness because you don't have to move that much. You know, you have to move, but on clay, for example, you have to move much more. But I think it was such a quick match so I didn't actually really see if that was one of her weaknesses.
But I just think that -- well, for the grass it's important if you serve well, and her serves were going exactly in my hitting zone, so it was easy for me to return. So I think that was one of the most important things in the whole match, that I was just having the pressure all the time.

Q. In England they've been criticizing the English players for not working hard enough and relying on the LTA to help them and not really showing enough energy and commitment. When you play English players, you've played them before, do you think that's a fair criticism of English players? Do you think they have the same hunger as players, say, from Holland or anywhere else?
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: I mean, this is such a tough question. I get this in Holland, too. Not exactly this one, but of course in Holland we're lacking of players at the moment, too.
I mean, it's so tough. I don't know what's going on here. Sometimes it's just that you have a lot of players in one year and then another year it's not just -- I mean, all the players are working hard, that's for sure. It's already very good and you have to respect the player, that she's already 150, although some players just -- that's their peak. They can't reach more than that. I don't know what Katie's peak is going to be. But I think she has a very good forehand. And in general, I don't know, I have not played so many English players, so I cannot comment on any more of that.

Q. In general terms did it surprise you that you could come to Wimbledon and beat the British No. 1 so easily? Sitting here now, does that fact surprise you?
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: Well, like I said, I served really well today. Yeah, she just served really in my hitting zone, which I don't have with a lot of players. So against me, against -- she beat a German girl who was really good. I didn't think she was going to win. I didn't know how Katie was playing, so I think that's a good win for her because she still is 150. Hopefully she will get higher.
I mean, in the first set she just looked really tight. Maybe she has a lot of pressure, as well, here. You're giving her a lot of pressure. Not only you, but all -- maybe she's giving pressure on herself. She wants to do so well and then this happens.

Q. In general terms do British players have a reputation of being a soft touch on the women's tour?
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: I really don't know. I know that they are really nice girls, that's what I know, that's for sure. The rest, I mean -- of course it's different if you come from England which is a very nice country than from another country like from Russia, for example, where you just have harder conditions.

Q. Were you expecting a tougher game, though, today?
MICHAELLA KRAJICEK: Well, after I saw that she beat this girl from Germany, I thought it was going to be -- yeah, of course a tough match, especially because we never played each other. But like I said, I played a really good match today, and I'm just going to stick to that. Like I said, I have no clue how she's playing normally and I didn't see her first-round match.

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