Rezai第三輪賽後 - 法網 Tennis

Day 7 - Aravane Rezai
Saturday, May 29, 2010

Q. Last night you were able to break her serve every time she broke yours.
That's what made it such a fierce match. But today she broke yours one more
time. What made that difference, do you think?

ARAVANE REZAI: I think I break her again today. Yeah.

Q. But she broke you twice?

ARAVANE REZAI: Twice, yeah. You know, it's difficult to say, because she
serve pretty well and I serve also well. But on that match, I don't know. I
think it's more mentally. I wanted to serve much better, and she put me under
pressure. It was very tough to control emotion and all stuff, and I couldn't
serve very well.

I knew that serve was very important, because I knew I could break her, so I
wanted to do well. I put myself more pressure, and I couldn't serve better
than her.

Q. Did the crowd help you?

ARAVANE REZAI: Yeah, the crowd helped me, of course. Without them, I think
last night I will, you know, I will lose easier.

Q. You've been the center of a lot of media and public attention since Madrid
and here in Paris. Has that been in general a good experience or difficult
experience? More pressure, maybe?

ARAVANE REZAI: No, no, I think it's very good experience. You know, it's kind
of, you know, my work pays, so it's like a gift they give to me.

And to be, you know, more popular for me, it's amazing. I like it a lot. I
know it's a chance for me to be more popular here, so I always try my best to
play better here in this tournament.

Q. And you go to England next?

ARAVANE REZAI: Yeah, I go to England next.

Q. Will it be a relief to be back in a more normal situation? Less pressure,
less attention?

ARAVANE REZAI: I think to be more popular, nothing is pressure. It's normal.
We have to do with it's part of our life, and pressure is going to be always
here before the match, during the match.

To be more popular doesn't mean more pressure. Popular is because you work
before and you, you know, it's the gift you get after many work and
sacrifice. It's not the pressure.

Q. Petrova said she did not sleep very well last night. How did you sleep?

ARAVANE REZAI: I think after the match it was tough for me to sleep the three
next hours. And I could sleep well, and this morning I wake up early. But I
could sleep well, but it was difficult at the beginning because I was
exciting a little bit.

But, you know, this morning I was very tired, especially mentally, because
yesterday a lot of people, a lot of, you know, emotion and the crowd was
amazing. You know, it takes energy. So this morning I was a little bit, you
know, without energy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You said you were not really in the right mindset. Is this what it means,
you did not have enough energy?

ARAVANE REZAI: Yeah, the right mindset, absolutely. When I decided to get on
the court it was like yesterday. Yesterday took me time to be really playing
this match 5 2. That's when I reacted. It was a bit too late. But then I
managed to break her and be back in the match.

Today it was almost like yesterday. I couldn't really find motivation and
move around, but there were so many other factors, so much so that I wasn't
really into this match immediately. I was tired. I had not slept enough.
It's been two weeks with a lot of emotions like in Madrid, and then after
Madrid there was a week of practice, and then I arrived here at Roland. These
are great experiences that I've just acquired. To me, I'm still very much
learning, and this was all of a sudden, everything at the same time.
I'm happy I could do what I did to start with. But I couldn't go to the very
end of it.

Q. Would you say you have any regrets for the three match points you had on
her serve? It was not that easy.

ARAVANE REZAI: Yes. Well, regrets? It's a word that's too strong, I think,
"regrets."

I think I fought, and she had as many match points as I had. But it's true. I
didn't seize this opportunity at the right time. But it's a tennis match, you
know. If you only focus on a match point, then I would have lost a lot
earlier.

Regrets? Well, you know, it wouldn't have been one set all yesterday evening,
even though there was one match point, two or three. I was still fighting.
This is what I did, and I'm proud of what I did.

Q. You said you're very tired. Did you feel like a tank that was emptying
little by little as the rounds were passing by?

ARAVANE REZAI: Well, maybe, but I didn't really want to think about this. If
I start thinking, oh, I'm going to be more and more tired as days go by, no,
I'll never make progress. Every single day I thought in the morning I have to
go for it. I have to be in it. I have to practice physically. I have to move.
I have to be present as much as during day No. 1. I'm not the only player,
you know. Many players want to do their best.

So I don't think I ever thought I would be tired. But yesterday evening it
took a lot of energy away from me. To me, this match I'll remember. This was
a big match. These types of matches, you know, will teach me a lot in the
future.
For instance, in Sydney I played Serena. I lost. She defeated me. But I
learned many things.
In Madrid, as well, the two tournaments, I managed to conclude matches that
were tough. Yet I managed to resist.

Q. Yesterday there was a sharing with the crowd. Is that something very
intense?

ARAVANE REZAI: Oh, yes, it was a moment I relished. It was incredible.
I wouldn't have thought the crowd was so much present. It really is something
that gives you the shivers, and really, I would like to thank them, those who
were sitting in front of their TV sets, the ones on the court or off court.
They were all here to support me. What I can tell them is, See you next year,
because I will need you next year, as well.

Q. What about your faults on your serves? Yesterday you said, I can't serve
any longer.

ARAVANE REZAI: Well, frankly I think I served pretty well. Frankly, I served
well. I shouldn't just focus on this match, you see, because sometimes you
can't move around that easily. Sometimes you serve with more difficulties, so
I have other assets.

I managed to fight back against a girl who serves well. She has a good
backhand, as well. The matches I played, like in Madrid and the first matches
here against the Canadian and the German, I served well. I wouldn't say my
serve is too poor and I'm weak.

Q. Why today? Why didn't it work yesterday?

ARAVANE REZAI: I don't know. It's a tennis match. You can't always be that
fit. I try and be more consistent. This is what I work on during practice, to
be more consistent for a longer tournament, longer period of time.

Why did I serve badly? Maybe she put more pressure on her returns. Maybe she
served better, and I wanted to confirm my serve, as well. I didn't want to be
I didn't want her to break me. That's why I was a bit frightened. I wanted to
serve my first serves, but it was difficult for me with my first serves and
second serves, as well.

I don't know why today, but I didn't have time to discuss with my coach
today. But this is it, you know. I have to work on this, I know.
I wouldn't say this match is very important and therefore my serve is not
good. No, on the contrary, it's an excellent serve. Sometimes there are days
up, days down. That's all.

Q. What about now? What are you going to do between now or tomorrow and
Wimbledon? What's going to happen?

ARAVANE REZAI: Well, I'll take a few days off, to start with. I'll calm down,
because there's a lot of energy at stake. Emotionally speaking, it was very
difficult, and I'll try and focus on what is important for me.

I will do other things. Off court I will do something else. I'll prepare the
season on grass. Then it's going to be Birmingham, Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
I will have two big tournaments. That's going to be good in terms of
preparation.

Q. Before the beginning of the tournament, you said you didn't have any calls
from the sponsors. Has this changed?

ARAVANE REZAI: No, not for the time being, but there are people who work for
me, you see, and they're looking for them.

Q. What about the longer run? Are there things you think you're going to work
on for the clay season? Would you say you have loopholes in your game that
you would like to fill before next year before Roland Garros?

ARAVANE REZAI: I wouldn't say it's the surface. I play well on all types of
courts, but next year I will take into account the fact that this is clay, so
maybe I'll try and look for other things like dropshots, or I'll try and
wrong foot her.

It's going to be something comprehensive. I have to look at different
surfaces, not just clay. But I think I play well on clay. It doesn't bother
me.

Q. Do you have an objective in terms of ranking before the end of the year?

ARAVANE REZAI: Not before the end of the year. I think the most important
thing to me is to try and be consistent during all tournaments, to win as
many matches as I can and gain more confidence. Everything will come with
time. It's mainly from practice, so I'll practice an awful lot. This is it.
Any objectives? Well, no. Not really. I think about my next tournament.
That's in Birmingham.

Q. Did you regret the fact that yesterday evening you didn't have time to
finish the match? Because there was some type of momentum with the crowd. Do
you think things would have been different with more time yesterday evening?

ARAVANE REZAI: Well, you know, it's the third set. If we had had a tiebreak,
then the match would have been different. I've rarely lost any tiebreaks,
and, well, you know, it's true to say that the crowd was really supporting
me. I was really into this match.

Maybe it would have changed; I don't know. I can't say yes; I can't say no.
She played extremely well, as well. She fought back, as well.

I don't know. When we stopped, I was very positive, and I thought that this
morning it would be okay for me, so I thought it was good for me. I didn't
really think it would be bad for me. I never thought, oh, what a pity we
stopped. No, I was very, very positive this morning.

Q. Can you tell us how the 2010 Aravane is superior to the Aravane in Roland
Garros 2009, even though last year you were at the last 16? Could you tell us
more about this?

ARAVANE REZAI: Well, it's been a year. For a year I've been the challenger.
I've been playing women at a very high level for a year now, and these
matches are very hard against different players.

Physically I prepared myself. Mentally, as well. I worked on my tennis.
Physically I've lost weight. This is very important, physically speaking.
Mentally it's about trust. I have confidence, and confidence comes with the
matches you win. Also I'm more mature, I think, in all respects. I have a
good team around me, people I can trust.

I know I'm going to move forward. For the time being, last year's player and
this year's player are different. I've made considerable progress, a leap
forward, I think. That's all. I don't really think about this.

Your questions are too hard for me. I don't want to think about the past. I
want to think about the future. I want to move forward, what's up for me
next. I have so much to learn, to do and to prove. This is it. It's
happiness, only happiness and positive. I have everything to win.

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