home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN


September 3, 2013


Ana Ivanovic


NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

V. AZARENKA/A. Ivanovic
4‑6, 6‑3, 6‑4


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  How hard was it yesterday?  You're playing then you're not playing, and then you have to come back this morning.  Were you guys upset about that at all?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Well, you know, it was same for both of us.  I mean, I actually was warming up for the match when Daniela was set and serving to go 5‑3.  Then the rain.
It happened in the past, you know.  We do have these situations in Wimbledon a lot more often.  But it was a bit hard, because, you know, just waiting around, you don't really have good rhythm with the food or anything.
But, you know, I really came out today feeling good today.

Q.  Very good, close match today.  What was the difference in your mind at the end?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Well, I really played well.  You know, I put her a lot under pressure, I felt.  I think the biggest difference was the serve in the second set.  My percentage went right down.  This was the big difference, because, you know, I felt like I could break her, but it was very frustrating that I was losing my serve constantly.
This is, you know, what I felt was a big difference today.

Q.  You were talking last week about just wanting to get back to that No. 1 position and that you had a strategy for doing that.  You played very well here.  You played her well in Carlsbad and even better today.  Can you talk about some of the positives in the context of what you're trying to do in terms of regaining No. 1?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Yeah, I think this match was a lot better quality than the one we played in Carlsbad.  But, you know, it's just frustrating because I still had opportunities, I felt.  It was very, very close match.
But it's very encouraging, because I know I'm right there with them.  She's top player, you know.  She just came from winning in Cincinnati.  It's definitely a lot of positives to take from this week and this match.
But it still doesn't change.  It's disappointing and it hurts.

Q.  Did you feel like she was playing her best today?
ANA IVANOVIC:  She was definitely playing good, I thought.  You know, in the big points she came up with the good serves and the big points.
She started playing a lot more aggressive in the second set, as well.

Q.  You came out really going for winners today.  Was that a strategy that you had determined that you were just going to hit it all out?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Well, it's a mix of things.  First of all, it's my style of game, you know.  I am aggressive player.  And another I think is the opponents like Vika, Maria, Serena, they're top of the game.  So if you don't put them under pressure, they're going to use that and they're going to kill you out there.
I really felt this was the way I should have approached the match, and it worked well.

Q.  You broke her almost as much as she broke your serve, but you lost eight of your last ten service games.  What kind of pressure did that put you under?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Yeah, I was just talking about that.  That's what I felt was the biggest difference today.  I felt like I could have broke her, too.
But it was frustrating.  In the second set, all of a sudden I couldn't find my rhythm on the serve.  Then towards the end of the third set I felt like I was serving well.  The last game that she broke me, I really felt I did serve well and made a lot of first serves.
But this was the probably the biggest difference.

Q.  Mentally was that difficult when you're, you know, sort of coming very close to getting control again of the match, yet you get broken.  Is that difficult to deal with mentally?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Yeah, it is.  It's very frustrating especially in one of the games I had 40‑15 on my serve and then I lost it.  It is challenging, you know.
But I really tried to stay in the moment and try not to think too much about what happened.  Just tried to sort of stick with the game plan and, you know, keep pushing her.
But, you know, at the end it went to her.

Q.  What do you think you need to do better to be with the top players?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Just a little more consistent.  Because I played some great tennis today, you know, in the first set, and, you know, throughout some of the second set and third set.  You know, just keeping this level, you know, more often.
Like I said, the serve I felt was the big difference today.

Q.  She had that dropshot going.  She didn't make a single mistake on that.  Were they a little demoralizing, a little difficult?
ANA IVANOVIC:  No, she did them really well.  You know, a couple of them, you know, I really tried to get there.  I was very close.  But, you know, it worked well for her.  It was a good try.

Q.  The other day you said how hard you work, but tennis is a pretty tough sport.  Most players every tournament go home dealing with loss.  How do you deal with loss?  I mean, do you reflect on it?  Is it something that grates on you?
ANA IVANOVIC:  Well, some losses are more to learn from than some of the victories, so you always try to look for positives, and also the negatives, because you want to work are on them and improve.
It's something that you learn how to deal with, because like you said, week in and week out we have to deal with victories and losses.
It's just, you know, you have to talk to your coach or your team about it, and then you can sort of move forward in a more constructive way.

Q.  Players like to say they don't look ahead, but it's pretty hard for me to believe you guys aren't aware now of where you are in a draw and what might happen.  Does that play a factor going out there, knowing that, well, you know, you've got winnable matches?
ANA IVANOVIC:  I mean, it does.  Even if we don't look sometimes, you guys remind us of it.
So, yeah, we are aware of that, but I didn't think of that match during my match today.  I did see that yesterday waiting around as well.
But, you know, today in the match I really tried to focus on what was going on on the court.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297