	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS CUP WOMEN

August 13, 2011

Samantha Stosur

TORONTO, ONTARIO

S. STOSUR/A. Radwanska
6-2, 5-7, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations, first off. That second set was so tight, and then the third you just kind of steamrolled her. What do you think changed?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think that second set towards -- at the start, yeah, she definitely started, you know, making me play more. I wasn't able to get on top of the points as quickly. It was a real battle through the second set. She kept me under a lot of pressure.
I guess that service game, trying to stay into that one that I ended up losing, all that pressure kind of built up and I played a pretty sloppy game and lost the set.
And in the third, I guess getting that early break was really comforting for me, and I think then maybe she felt like it was a long way back. I started serving well again, and I was just able to stay on top of the points and then finish it off.

Q. Can you talk a bit about where your confidence level is right now? Is it as high as it's been this season and seasons past?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think now I feel like I'm playing obviously confidently, playing very well, and I'm starting to really, you know, have things flow again; whereas I think I went through the season at the start a bit of a dip in form and wasn't able to feel like this.
So now, to come here and play this well and make it this far, no matter what happens tomorrow, I'm definitely feeling good. It's all positive signs.

Q. Do you have a preference of who you play tomorrow, Azarenka or Williams?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I don't think so. Either opponent who I'm going to have to play is going to be a really tough challenge for me. I've never beaten Victoria before, and I have had some success against Serena, but we all know what she can do and what she's capable of. I think no matter who I play, it's going to be definitely a big challenge and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Can you talk about what this tournament means for you and your career?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think doing well here, it's fantastic. These are the big events. When you've got a field like what we've had here this week with the top 25 playing and, you know, the size of the tournament and everything, I think to do well here is fantastic.
It's only the second time I've played this tournament. To have a quarter last time and now at least make it to the final is really good and really exciting to be here. We definitely want to come back.

Q. You said you didn't have a preference or didn't want to make a preference in terms of opponent tomorrow, but if you do face Serena after her long layoff that she had the past year -- this is only her fourth tournament, as you know -- what kind of feat is it if she does make it to the final to play you after that long layoff?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, it would be great. She's obviously one of the best players ever in the women's sport. You know, she's a great champion. And for her to have that layoff, and then obviously it's only her fourth tournament back, she's already won an event and done well, it's full credit to her.
I think she's one of those players, she's not gonna come back unless she's 100%, and I think she's showing even with that time off she is still one of the best in the world.

Q. I think your record in the final is like 2 and 8. I just wondered, what does it take to move into that category of greatness like the Williams sisters and possibly Sharapova?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, well, it takes winning lots of finals and winning Grand Slams, and I haven't done either of those two things yet.
But, you know, you've got fantastic champions like those two you mentioned and then others, you know, that win lots of matches and win lots of finals, as well.
But I think the icing on the cake is definitely winning the Grand Slams. You know, I have played some really tough opponents in finals, and I haven't gone out and lost all those matches, so I'm not too concerned about my record in finals, but I'd definitely like to win another one tomorrow.

Q. Does being in the top 10 mean anything to you? If it does, what does it mean?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think it's -- yeah, it definitely means something. I'm 11 this week, so I want to get back in, that's for sure.
I think it's always, of any person playing a professional sport like tennis, I think that benchmark is the top 10, and then you make it top 5, and then obviously from there you never know what's possible.
But, yeah, I definitely was very excited when I broke the top 10 for the first time.

Q. You say "possible." What do you think is possible for yourself?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don't know. I guess every day I've got to go out and keep trying and keep working on my game and doing my best. I think results like this make anything possible. I don't want to, you know, put a number on it. I have been as high as 4, and I'd definitely try and get even better than that one day.

Q. Why is it so hard to maintain a consistent level over a season?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think because it's so long, and it's hard to peak for every single event. You know, because it's over a 10-month period, I think you're always gonna have those highs and lows through a season most of the time unless you're Novak, which it doesn't seem to bother him at all.
I don't know. I think it's just one of those things. I think because it's so competitive, as well, it's hard to beat the best every single week. That's what makes for a great tour, and, you know, you have those different winners throughout the year.

Q. And do you have any sense coming in whether or not it's going to be a good tournament or you're going to find your game that week?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Always hard to say. You can have a great buildup and great preparation and lose first round, and then you can have a couple of bad results and then you have a good week of practice and then you make it to the finals. That's kind of what happened to me this week.
So there's not really any secret, and I think you've always got to prepare as best you can. And sometimes that results in a really good week, and sometimes it doesn't. I think it's just -- you've got to always be able to bounce back if it doesn't happen.

Q. You haven't played a whole lot lately. Today you played a player who was basically playing every day for two weeks. What can you say about where you fall in that divide of playing an awful lot and trying to pace yourself so that you're fresh?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I think you always set out to have -- you hopefully pick a good schedule and you pick the tournaments that you want to play, and the ones you do choose you obviously want to try and do well in.
I guess it's one of those things. If you're playing lots of matches like someone like Agi has, it's for a good thing. She's won a tournament and made it this far. You never want to, you know, take that for granted, because you never know when those are gonna come.
I guess, yeah, like I said, you pick your schedule, and you hope that you're gonna do well in those ones that you pick. If you don't, then you look at it again, I guess.

Q. How much are you gonna play after tomorrow before the US Open?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Cincinnati, and that's it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297