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WIMBLEDON


June 27, 2013


Marina Erakovic


LONDON, ENGLAND

M. ERAKOVIC/P. Shuai
7‑6, 6‑2


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Well played.  Noticed your leg as you walked past.  Everything okay?
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Yeah, everything is fine.  I just fell during the match and bruised my knee.  Just a bruise.  I bruise easy, so if I don't put ice on it just goes blue.

Q.  Was that a regulation slip?
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Yeah, it was just a slip.  It was weird, because first I saw the sky and then I saw the ground in an instant.  Luckily I caught myself.
Yeah, it is just one of those random things.

Q.  Good win for you today.
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Yeah, it was a good match.  Really tight in the first set.  I mean, could have gone either way easily.  I managed to play I think a really good tiebreak.  Played some really good shots there.
Then in the second, you know, I thought it was going to be another real battle, but I kept at it, kept being aggressive, and I think she just let it slip a little bit, the focus and her ball play.
I think I got the better of her, so it was a good match.

Q.  Likely you could play Laura Robson the next round.  Home fans will be interested in that.  What are your thoughts on that matchup?
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Look, you know, she's yet to play and you never know.  But it's not the first time that I'll come into this situation where I play a home‑crowd favorite.  Its normal.
You know, I'll have to see and see who wins this match and then sort of make my sort of game plan.

Q.  Is that something you enjoy, if you're playing on a bigger court with a vocal crowd?
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Yeah, definitely.  I think at the start you get ‑‑ you walk in and you get a good feeling.
But then once you start playing, you just see the court.  You sort of hear it, but just you just see the court.  I think it definitely also makes you motivated and want to play better.

Q.  I think it's your first time in the third round since 2008.  Is that a reflection of how well you're playing this year?
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  I think so.  Yeah, I think I'm playing well.  I think I was playing well sort of earlier this year as well.  You know, last few years I've started with a coach named Christian Zahalka, and we've been working hard on my game and trying to improve it.  We have been really on the right track.
Hopefully that work now is sort of paying off.  Hopefully we can keep at it still.

Q.  I think you played some doubles with Heather Watson.
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  That's right.

Q.  Obviously her and Laura have a lot of expectations from the British fans.  Have you seen them mature and try to cope with that as players?  Is it hard for them as well, do you think?
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  I actually know Laura and Heather really well.  I get along with them.  They're great girls.  I think it's definitely not easy, especially in I think England or Great Britain where no matter what you do it's going to be in the papers and everyone is wanting you to do well.
That's just normal, you know.  But I think they do a great job.  They're very relaxed.  They have their other hobbies.  They have a whole bunch friends.  They're sort of normal, grounded people, so I think that'll really help them deal with all that sort of stuff.

Q.  I suppose it get magnified particularly at this time of the year with Wimbledon.  But the British players haven't been terribly successful, unfortunately.
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Yeah, look, it's tough.  You come to Wimbledon and it's like you got to do well right here, right now.  It just doesn't work like that.
I think the important thing for all of us is just to stay healthy.  Opportunities will come.  Just keep working hard.

Q.  Obviously the British fans will be talking about Laura, but you'll be looking at the draw and thinking, Well hang on here.  This is a great opportunity for me to go a bit further and really make an impact.
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Honestly, I don't look at the draw.  I know that I was playing Peng.  After I won, half an hour later, they told me, Oh, you play the winner of this and this.
Frankly, that's how you like it.  Keeps thing simple; one match at a time.  It's pointless thinking ahead, because you got to play this one match today.  That's all that's really going on.

Q.  The difference is if you're playing Robson, it could well be on the one of the big show courts.  If you're playing Duque‑Marino, could be on the outside court.  It's suddenly a whole different environment depending on who you play.
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Yeah, that's true.  I'm used to that, you know.  I can be playing on any court.  Of course if I'm playing on Centre Court, I've never played on Centre Court, so that'll be a nice thing.
Like I said, you go out and soak it in.  Once the game starts, it's sort of a blur.

Q.  Is that easier, though, when you've had 16,000 as opposed to playing in front of 2,000?  I mean, it's a very different environment with sort of the theatrical nature of the court as well.
MARINA ERAKOVIC:  Definitely, and me personally, I enjoy that.  That's what you play for.  You want to go out there and have a big occasion, a lot of people.
Like I said, it really gets you motivated and going.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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