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WIMBLEDONJune 26, 2008Anne KeothavongLONDON, ENGLAND V. WILLIAMS/A. Keothavong 7-5, 6-2 THE MODERATOR: Questions for Anne. Q. You played very well. Have you come to expect that or were you surprised by your performance today? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: No, I wasn't surprised. You know, it was my first time out on Centre Court, you know. And I've been, leading up to this match, really excited and looking forward to it. Until you're out there you're not quite sure what's going to happen, but I really enjoyed it and I tried my hardest out there. Q. What most pleased you about what you did? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: You know, I really felt I was with her in that first set. And, you know, it was just a few points here and there. You know, I really believed I could have won that match today. And it's just playing those kind of matches week in, week out, that's kind of really where I want to be. Q. What did you have to do differently to win it? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: She's got so much experience behind her. Obviously with her serve, I mean, she overpowered me at times, quite clearly. But, you know, it's just the more of those kind of matches I can play the more I can learn, just find ways to improve. Q. Did she have some kind words for you afterwards? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: She didn't say too much, to be honest. Q. How did you feel, this game being broadcast live on TV, for your profile in the country? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Hopefully improve my profile. You know, just the fact that it's out there. And, you know, I tried my hardest. You know, just anything that can really help towards British tennis I think is a good thing. Q. After four minutes you were 2-Love down. How did you keep your belief then? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: She started off pretty strong, you know. I saw a few balls go quickly past me. But, you know, I just -- I had to just stay composed and just hang in there. That's what I did. You know, there was that one game that was, you know, I had -- I don't know how many breakpoints I had. Q. Eight. ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Was it eight (smiling)? You know, she came up with some good tennis, and you'd expect that from the defending champion. Q. How much did she surprise you with what she could do? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: You know, this morning I warmed up with a guy, you know, just to hit loads of returns. There aren't too many girls who serve as big as she does and hit as big as she does. I wasn't surprised. I was expecting it, yeah. Q. Who did you hit with? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Scott Sears. Q. Venus complimented you about your deep groundstrokes. Is that something you will look to improve going into the hard court season? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Definitely. And just my movement's one of my strongest -- one of my strengths, you know, on a hard court. And just learning to -- you know, the bigger tournaments I play, the higher-ranked girls I play, they're going to hit it harder and deeper, and I just have to be ready for that and just keep working. Q. With your improved ranking, I guess the rest of the summer looks a little bit different for you. You said you were going to play the US Open directly in. Where do you go from here? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: I'll start off in Stanford. I'll be looking to play all the tour events in the States on hard courts out there. Q. Do you know what the cutoffs are? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: No. I'll probably have to qualify for the first few. But, you know, that's fine. I'm looking forward to it. Q. How important is it for the women's game to have someone like you in the first round on merit this year and for that to be the case next year, too? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: You know, it was a goal of mine. You know, I'm proud that I'm in on merit and, you know, I deserve my place here. You know, hopefully more girls will follow behind me. It's something I'm looking to do for all the Grand Slams and be in there on merit. Q. Can you make the top 50? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Definitely. That's my goal. And I don't see why not. You know, I'm improving. I've got more in me. I really don't see why I can't. Q. How would you sum up the whole experience of the day? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah, brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Ever since I was a little girl I've always wanted to play on Centre Court, and it's been a dream of mine. So to kind of have that opportunity, and against someone like Venus Williams, you know, you can't ask for more than that. You know, I could have won that first set, as well. Who knows what could have happened. So, yeah, I hope there are more opportunities in the future. Q. Is there a part of you that went out there apprehensive about what could happen? She's blown very good players away on that court. ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah. Well, first two games I think I won one point. They went pretty quickly. But, you know, once I broke her in that third game, you know, I relaxed. I just kept, you know, trying to enjoy the moment and just, yeah, swing away. Q. A lot of the crowd kept calling you Anna. Did this throw you at all? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: No, not at all. Lots of people call my Anna, Annie. Very few people actually call me Anne, so that's fine. End of FastScripts |
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