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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS


October 21, 2013


Sara Errani


ISTANBUL, TURKEY

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Talk about how pleased you must be to be able to qualify again for the year‑end Championships in singles.
SARA ERRANI:  Yes, of course I'm very happy.  It's unbelievable to be here for the second year in a row, singles and doubles.
It's amazing for me, and I'm very happy.

Q.  In NewYork you talked about struggling to cope with trying to defend all the points from the previous year and the pressure on you.  How have you managed to turn that around now?  How have you learned from that?
SARA ERRANI:  Yeah, I think that people near me help me a lot, my family, my friends, my team.  I think I was a bit tired physically, so that becomes‑‑ they tell me that I'm tired also mentally, so one thing about the other.
But now I'm for sure better.  I'm good.  I want to play.

Q.  Was it all physical tiredness, or was there something mentally where you felt like I don't know if I can keep this level up?
SARA ERRANI:  No, I think before it was physically.  So when you are very tired physically and after to stay there to fight is more difficult, because you feel tired, you don't have a lot of energy so that it's making you mentally a bit more worse, but I think everything was be coming from the physically.

Q.  Not many players can qualify for both singles and doubles in recent years to this event, so talk about the challenge of doing that, playing, you know, and qualifying in both singles and doubles.  And would you ever consider not playing doubles to feel fresher in singles?
SARA ERRANI:  No, never, because I have a lot of fun playing doubles.  I think also the doubles help my singles game.  So I like to play both.  Of course sometimes it's tough physically too.  After your singles maybe you are tired and you have to play again doubles.  It is not easy, but I like very much to play doubles.
Of course when you play with your friend, your best friend, it's easier to stay there and it's much better.

Q.  Serena, Vika, Maria a lot less than most players.  Would you consider playing a smaller schedule to stay fit and healthier?
SARA ERRANI:  Sorry?

Q.  Would you consider playing a smaller schedule like Serena or Maria?  Less tournaments?
SARA ERRANI:  Well, I like to play tournaments.  I like to stay in competition.  It's not a problem for me to stay away from home, so I like to play tournaments.  More matches you play, I feel better.  So, no.

Q.  You have your best results on clay obviously.  This is an indoor tournament, though.  Would you like to see one day the year‑end Championships rotate surfaces?
SARA ERRANI:  Yeah, why not?  I mean, you change the place every three years, so why not?  It can be also maybe on clay or on grass, so why not?  It's the Championships.  I think can be good to change also the surface.

Q.  There is eight players here.  Serena obviously has had a great year.  How many players in this field do you think really believe that they can beat Serena?
SARA ERRANI:  I don't know.  Of course Serena is very strong at the moment.  She's very consistent.  So it's not easy, but everybody can have a bad day, so why not?
Everybody want to go there and win and try their best.  Maybe if she's not 100% or the others are playing much better, I think also she can lose.  It's not impossible.  Is difficult but not impossible.

Q.  How much of that is just confidence of the player coming on court thinking, yes, I can really do this even if Serena plays very well?
SARA ERRANI:  Everybody want to go on court and believe like that.  We think about that.  If not, it's very difficult to win matches.
So again, when you play against everybody, you have to believe in yourself and go there and try your best.  And you can lose, of course.  You have to go on court and believe that you can do it.

Q.  In Shenzhen, it has announced you will be one of the players to play the tournament next year.  As the year‑end top 10 from this year, you can only play one international level tournament in the first half of next year.  I'm wondering why didn't you choose Mexico, a tournament you cannot defend your title next year?
SARA ERRANI:  Why?  Because I think it's a good way to start the year.  Just try to play more matches as I can and why not to start the year there?  It's a good place, so it's good for me to start the year there.

Q.  Were you upset that Acapulco decided to change to hard courts?
SARA ERRANI:  Yes, a bit, yes, of course.  Acapulco for me is very special all the years, not only this year that I won, and was maybe my first best tournament in my career I made from quallies semis there, and it's from there I start to grow up.
Of course a bit sad, but I think I can be very good tournament also if not on clay.  Is very good place, so can be very good, and it will be very good also on hard court.

Q.  So you understand why they made the change?  Because they thought maybe they would get more very good players the week before Indian Wells?
SARA ERRANI:  Yeah, I understand that, of course.  If they want to maybe have more players, it's a good way to prepare Indian Wells on hard court there, so of course I understand that.  But from my side I feel maybe better on clay and I like more clay.

Q.  Obviously you have had your best success on clay, but a lot of the male players, some of them, talk about having more of the tournaments on clay.  Do you feel the same way?  Do you think that hard courts is very hard on women's bodies and that they should try to transition more tournaments to clay?
SARA ERRANI:  Well, I don't think too much about that.  I mean, just think about playing.  But of course I feel that in the last year that the clay tournaments are going a bit‑‑ they are a bit less of tournaments on clay, but I understand also because there are a lot of important tournaments on hard.
So the most of the year is on hard.  And the tournament like Acapulco they want maybe to have more players going there.  If you want to prepare Indian Wells, is normal that you are going ‑‑you want to play on hard court before an important tournament on hard.  It's a bit sad, because, I mean, for me I like more clay.  I like to play more that, but I understand also that there are a bit less of tournaments.

Q.  From my question earlier about playing China next year, you have been to China a few times, play in China Open, so can you talk about your impression about the tournaments and also the atmosphere, playing before the Chinese fans?  Yet as the top two seeds in the tournament of Shenzhen, it is highly possible you're going to play Li Na in the finals, and there is going to be a match between you two here Istanbul.  Can you talk about the matchup between you and Li Na, please.
SARA ERRANI:  Well, I have never been in Shenzhen, but I think the time that I am playing China they are improving a lot on everything, and many people is following tennis and they like tennis and always a lot of people are coming to see the tournament.
I think it's great.  They are improving a lot.  They are trying to work toward to have more players.  It's important for a nation to want to improve.  So this is a very good thing.

Q.  Question about Fed Cup final.  Will you play?  Last week Roberta said she is struggling to choose between Sofia and Fed Cup final.  Did you speak with her about this?
SARA ERRANI:  Yes, of course I spoke with her about this.  It's normal that is tough to a player to decide from final Fed Cup and a tournament like Sofia, that there is a lot of points and chances to improve your ranking.
So I understand that there are somebody prefer Fed Cup and somebody prefer Sofia.  I think both things are very good, and they have to choose one, and it's not easy.

Q.  Your size is one of the smallest.  Disadvantages of this?  Is there any advantage of being a small size?
SARA ERRANI:  Sorry, I didn't understand.

Q.  Your body size is one of smallest on the tour.
SARA ERRANI:  Yes.

Q.  We are always talking about, being the tennis commentators, the disadvantages of this.  Are there any advantages of being the small size you have?
SARA ERRANI:  Well, it's a different way to find a solution to win matches.  I don't have the power that the big girls have, but I try to think a bit more about what is the worse point for the opponent or the best way for me to think more about tactic, is very important for me to know where is the key of the match and try to be on that point.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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