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WIMBLEDON


June 29, 2012


Heather Watson


LONDON, ENGLAND

A. RADWANSKA/H. Watson
6‑0, 6‑2


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  It's always going to be hard, a player a hundred places ahead of you.
HEATHER WATSON:  Yeah.  I didn't get the best start.  Well, it was a good first game, and then I just kind of went slow from there.  By the time I knew it, it was already a set gone.
She's No.3 in the world for a reason.  She didn't miss.  Her accuracy was very good.  I was finding it tough to return today.  I couldn't really tell where she was serving, and also she was hitting the lines on almost every serve, got it exactly where she wanted it.
Yeah, I think I tried to do to do much and then I tried to do too little.  I just wasn't getting it right today.

Q.  You were getting more challenges on her serve early on, weren't you?
HEATHER WATSON:  I was.  You're going to get small chances.  If you don't take them you won't get any more, and I didn't take them.

Q.  We've seen you cry in the past.  We've seen you over the moon.  How are you now?
HEATHER WATSON:  Well, I was fine.  I held it till I got off the court, and then was just a bit, you know, let it all out.
Now I'm fine.  It's a great learning experience for me.  I'm emotional on the court.  I show how I feel.  Yeah, I've learnt a lot today.  I'm going to come back stronger and improve from this.

Q.  You're obviously aware the whole nation was rooting for you.  The Centre Court crowd today were fantastic.  Put in words what it feels like to have that groundswell of people rooting for you.
HEATHER WATSON:  Yeah, again, they were absolutely amazing throughout the whole match.  I was getting support 6‑Love, 3‑Love down.  It was good.
And it's so nice for me to play here at home in front of the home crowd.  I just want to do well for them and keep coming back and playing for my country.

Q.  Do you feel pressure or maybe future responsibility?  Hasn't been since 1977 and Virginia Wade that a British woman won a Grand Slam title.  Are you able to divorce that all from your thinking?
HEATHER WATSON:  I don't think that much.  I just kind of play, go out there, and focus on that match at the time.
Yeah, I just focus on each match at a time.  Carry on trying to improve as a player and get better.

Q.  What are your plans now?
HEATHER WATSON:  I have mixed tonight with Ross.  Hopefully we can do well.  We won a round here last year.  I think we're a good team together.

Q.  That's definitely going ahead, is it?
HEATHER WATSON:  Well, unless it gets dark and then we don't play.
And after Wimbledon's over for me, I will go straight to the States to play Stanford and SanDiego and come back for the Olympics.

Q.  Not going up to Manchester?
HEATHER WATSON:  No.  Busy this year.

Q.  A lot of people have said your style is quite similar to Radwanska's.  Is there something you can learn from the way her career has gone and become a better player?
HEATHER WATSON:  I can see why people think our games are similar.  We had some really good physical points there ‑ not as many as I'd like.  But, yeah, she's a great player.  She's so accurate and she did not give me anything.  That's what the top players do, they don't give you anything.
I've learnt a lot from this match.  I'm going to grow, get stronger, and improve on things.  Yeah.

Q.  You have the Olympics coming up.  Is that a chance for you to end the summer on a high end and prove to people how you can play?
HEATHER WATSON:  I'm pleased with how this week has gone.  It's been my best Wimbledon so far.  I keep climbing and getting better.  As long as I keep improving, I'm happy.
I'll definitely be looking forward to the Olympics.  I want to do well for Great Britain.

Q.  You had a fantastic Wimbledon and you won't let this defeat spoil your memory.  What has been the best memory?
HEATHER WATSON:  I think getting through that first match on Centre Court was huge for me.  I really felt the crowd this year ‑ more than the others ‑ because I've come through.  I just love the feeling.  I want it more.  I can't wait till next year.

Q.  You won 30 odd grand.  Are you going to buy yourself something nice to celebrate?
HEATHER WATSON:  Well, I haven't thought about that yet.  I was just kind of focused on the matches.  But I think I'll deserve a little present for myself.

Q.  What do you think you're going to buy yourself?
HEATHER WATSON:  Well, I think I'm going to take my team out for a nice dinner, first of all.

Q.  Salmon?
HEATHER WATSON:  I've had enough salmon this week.  I'm done with the salmon.

Q.  It seemed like you tried to take the pace off of the ball the end of the first set.  What was the thinking behind that?
HEATHER WATSON:  My tactics today weren't very good.  In the first game, they were good.  I did what I wanted to do.  I wanted to be aggressive, stay consistent, because I knew she was going to retrieve a lot of balls.
Then because I was making a few errors I stepped back and thought I'd rally a bit more.  Then I changed again and tried to use the angles but wasn't able to execute.
So I did try different things, but next time I'm going to go in with a game plan and just stick with it 100%.

Q.  Are you confident you can breach that gap and get into the top 100?
HEATHER WATSON:  I think after this I will be in the top 100.

Q.  She's 23 and she's got a lot more experience than you.  Do you think you can bridge that gap since you're on an upward curve?  Do you think you can do that now?
HEATHER WATSON:  Yeah, well, since I've been on the tour I've just been improving and my ranking has been going higher and higher.  I'm learning new things, adding new things to my game, and always trying to learn and do anything I can to make myself a better tennis player.
The main thing is gaining experience and playing these top players, playing them more often.  That's what I'm doing now, which is definitely helping.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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