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WIMBLEDONJune 28, 2012Anne KeothavongLONDON, ENGLAND S. ERRANI/A. Keothavong THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Tough opponent, but were you disappointed with your own performance? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah. You know, it was always going to be a tough match. Sara has been playing some pretty good tennis this year. She's full of confidence. But, you know, I'm disappointed with my own performance because I know I can play better. I didn't challenge her today as much as I would have liked. And, yeah, you know, to lose in that fashion, you know, it's not particularly pleasing. Q. Have you any idea why you weren't up to your best? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah, you know, against an opponent like Sara, she doesn't give you that much. You know, she's pretty consistent. Like I said, she's playing with lots of confidence. You know, I felt like I had to be the one who was aggressive, because, you know, I'm not going to win that match rallying, trying to outrally her. She's better at that than I am. I just felt like I forced it a bit too much. You know, I was a little slower around the ball. Not sharp enough, really, as I would have liked to have been. You know, it happens. Q. You started very slowly. Is there any particular reason for that? Were you nervous out there? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah, it's Wimbledon. Of course. I think everyone is nervous before they go out there. But, you know, again, like I said, I just forced it a bit too much. You know, she didn't hit me off the court or anything like that. She was putting the ball in deep; she played some great dropshots. Yeah. I managed to kind of just hit myself off the court, I guess. Q. Was the wind a factor at all? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: It was pretty breezy. It's the first time I've played on that court. It was a nice court to play on and I had lots of support. I'm just disappointed I couldn't have done a little better. Q. You would have been aware obviously of Heather's win on the same court yesterday at the same time. Did that impact at all on how you approached the game? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: No, not at all. You know, Heather played a great match yesterday. You know, she played Jamie Hamilton. My opponent was Sara Errani. It was slightly different. My opponent is coming ‑‑ I don't know how many tournaments she's won this year and a Grand Slam final. So, yeah, it was a tough challenge. She is someone I've beaten before, but it was a long time ago. But also, you know, I think I said before, everyone's beatable on any given day. I think you see a lot of big upsets, you know, at WTA tournaments and Grand Slams throughout the year, lower‑ranked players beating top‑ranked players. It's possible that there is better depth in women's tennis these days. Q. You're going to be back here in a few weeks' time. Does that fill you with excitement? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah, that's the one thing that puts a smile on my face. (Smiling.) Every time I think of the Olympics, I'm just over the moon about the selection. You know, it's great that all four of us British girls have a chance to be part of the team. And for me, I have never been part of an Olympic team before. It's something new. It's something special. And the fact that it's in London, you know, yeah, I'm super‑pumped about it. Q. Is playing for your country very different to representing yourself, as it were? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah, completely. We only have one team event each year, and that's Fed Cup. That's the one time where all of us girls come together, and it's completely different because you're not just out there for yourself. You're out there for your teammates. You're representing your country, so it's a different kind of pressure. Obviously you've got the team captain on the court at the change of ends, too. The Olympics, I take a huge amount of pride representing Great Britain. Yeah, it's going to be something special for all of us. Q. What are you going to do in the time between now and the Olympics? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: I'm going to the States, so I will be leaving at the start of next week to the West Coast to play Stanford and SanDiego and come back for the Olympics. Q. When will you get back then? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: I will be here definitely a week before the Olympics starts. Q. Did you reconsider that? Was that always going to be the plan, or did you think about it once you got there? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Well, had I not been on the Olympic team I would have camped out there until the US Open. But I think the gap's just too long from now until the Olympics. It's over, you know, over a month away. I'm someone who likes to be out there at tournaments competing. Yeah. Q. Do you get to stay in the Olympic Village and be part of the opening ceremony? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: That, I don't know. I hope we get a chance to go to the opening ceremony. I don't know. I think most of us kind of live locally here, so I don't know whether we'll stay in the Olympic Village or not. The opening ceremony is definitely something I think we'd all like to go to, because I know the tennis event starts I think possibly the day after. But, you know, that's part of the Olympics. I'm not sure I'll still be playing come Rio. I would like to experience as much of everything as I can. Q. Where do you feel like your game is at the moment? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: I have been around for a while, but there are girls older than me who are still out there winning slams and doing really well. I still enjoy what I'm doing and I still feel like I can improve. Today's performance wasn't very good, and I know that. But I also know it's just one match this year. I know I'm capable of playing better tennis. That keeps me motivated. You know, as long as I'm still enjoying it and as long as I'm fit and healthy, there are worse ways to make a living. Q. You say that you're super pumped up for the Olympics. ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Yeah. Q. Forgive me, but you looked a little bit flat today at the start. Is that just my impression? Were you not super pumped up for Wimbledon? ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Of course I was, you know. I'm super pumped. The Olympics is something different because it's not something I've experienced before, but for every match at Wimbledon, you know, you've got to get excited about it. And I do. But when you're making error after error, it's hard to let out a, Come on. When the moment is right, you've got to kind of take it. But today it wasn't a very good match for me. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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