US OPEN
2001
NEW YORK CITY
August 31, 2001
J. DOKIC/A. Sanchez-Vicario
6-4, 7-5
An interview with:
JELENA DOKIC
MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Can you kind of assess how you felt you played
out there, whether you're happy with your performance?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, definitely to beat Arantxa in
two sets is great for me - at a Grand Slam, too. You know, I stuck
in there. I didn't play well at all times, but I played the
important points well and I took my chances. I had a little lapse
there at 3-All in the second. Overall, I think I played well.
Q. That lapse in the second set, what were you
having to tell yourself to get out of it?
JELENA DOKIC: I was 5-3 down, Love-30 on my serve. I
just tried to go a point at a time and try to win my serve there,
then just really concentrate on trying to break her serve. And
that's what happened. From there on, you know, my confidence grew
and I started to play well again.
Q. How important was it to beat her earlier this
year in Hamburg?
JELENA DOKIC: Very important. I beat her there on
clay. It was really heavy, very heavy conditions. To beat her on
clay was a very good win for me because that's her favorite surface
- it's not my favorite. On hard court, it was a little bit easier.
Q. Did you have a particular strategy going into the
match, since she is such a veteran here at The Open?
JELENA DOKIC: No. Like I said, she probably isn't at
her best right now, but she still played very well today. Last
couple weeks, this is the best I've seen her play. She came out,
gave it her all. I just said to myself, you know, not to make too
many errors but still be aggressive. It's hard to do that, but I try
to do that. Maybe attack her forehand a little bit more. I think her
backhand has a lot more pace on it. She dictates the point a lot
more with her backhand. I had to kind of mix it up, just see what
happens.
Q. Can you talk about playing Hingis?
JELENA DOKIC: You know, I think we've played a few
times. I'm actually looking forward to that. I haven't played her in
a long time. This year has been different for me. You know, she had
a tough match today, nearly lost. But still, you know, she comes
out, she came out at the end and won. You know, I actually wanted
her to win. I wanted to play her again. You know, I've got nothing
to lose. There's a lot of pressure on her, I think. You know, I'm
just going to go out there and do the same as I did today.
Q. Why did you want to play her?
JELENA DOKIC: You know, I think to try and play her
again. I haven't played her in a long time. To play her again at a
Grand Slam, you know, would just be a good experience for me, just
try and, you know, do my best and maybe get a win, just see, you
know, where I'm at and how I'm playing right now.
Q. She hasn't had a great six months or so for a
world's No. 1, struggled today. Do you think she's a little
vulnerable at the moment? Do you think this is a big opportunity for
you at a Grand Slam?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. But I think she's still No. 1
and she's a champion. It's never over with her. And she comes out,
you know, in matches when she's playing bad and wins. I wouldn't
take it as an easy match. She hasn't been playing very well this
year and I'm still surprised that she's still No. 1. But she's still
one of the best players out there.
Q. How was your health today? You said Monday night
you weren't feeling to well.
JELENA DOKIC: I was fine today. I knew it was going
to be tough, a lot of rallies, a lot of running. That's what it was.
You know, I'm glad it didn't go into a third. But even if it did, I
would have felt pretty good. It was hot and humid out there today.
I'm happy with the way I handled the long rallies, the way I played.
Q. Will your dad be here at some stage of the
tournament?
JELENA DOKIC: No.
Q. Do you talk to him over the phone?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah.
Q. You obviously have the strokes to keep up with
Hingis. How much of the match is going to be mental for you?
JELENA DOKIC: Pretty much all of it, I think. You
know, I can play with her from the baseline. She's not going to blow
me off the court, and she doesn't have a big serve. You know, I hit
harder than she does. You know, I have the game to stay out there
with her. It's just going to be a matter of who's better prepared.
It will be a very mental match, I think. There's nothing -- I don't
think there will be anything else in it.
Q. Are you going to play her more or less like you
played Arantxa?
JELENA DOKIC: Again, I have to try not to make
errors. I've got to try and make her -- if she's going to win, make
her win the match. Pretty much, you know, I was happy with how I
hung in there today, just didn't make errors and really dug down
deep when I needed to. I had everything there working for me. So
hopefully it will be like that against Martina also.
Q. How can you assess your draw this year?
JELENA DOKIC: I haven't looked at the draw this
year. I don't think there's anything to assess. I think you have to
go match by match. I think I had one of the tougher third rounds
today than, you know, a lot of the other matches. It's Martina in
the fourth round. I don't think you can assess anything. You've got
to go match by match. If I get through each one, you concentrate on
the next match. I honestly haven't looked at it. Really doesn't
bother me.
Q. Are you more confident now than at any time this
summer, past the loss at Roland Garros?
JELENA DOKIC: Probably, yeah. I played very well
during the clay court season. I had a little letdown there at the
French. That was very mental for me. I knew I had a chance there. I
didn't take it. You know, you've got to get past that. That was just
an experience for me. Hopefully I'll learn from that. But since
then, you know, I think this is the best that I've played. You know,
I feel very good when I get out on the court. I've played a lot of
matches, singles and doubles. I feel good.
Q. How disappointed are you in the Grand Slam
results you had so far this year?
JELENA DOKIC: Not really. I had a tough first round
at the Aussie Open. Again, I had a chance there, but I lost to the
defending champion, to one of the best players right now, one of the
best players on hard court also. Just a little letdown at the
French, that's it. Wimbledon I think I played well, and lost to
Lindsay again. I think probably I didn't do as well as I wanted to
at the Grand Slams, but it's something I think that will come. You
know, the more you're seeded at Grand Slams and tournaments, I think
the better it will be.
Q. Should we be categorizing you in the same
category as Clijsters and Henin, or do you think you're still a
little bit below that?
JELENA DOKIC: No, you know, I think there are a few
young ones that are pretty much at the same level right now. It's
just a matter of who's going to get there first. And I think there's
four or five of us that are going to be there probably, you know, as
early as next year. We'll all be at the same level. I think our
games are very similar. We've all come through the Juniors together.
We're all very aggressive. You know, I think if I did play them,
I'll feel very comfortable playing them. You know, I wouldn't say
I'm below them right now.
Q. Who would you say those four or five players are?
JELENA DOKIC: I think Clijsters and Henin are there,
myself and maybe Dementieva. There are a few other ones coming up I
think also. You're going to have four or five young ones that are
going to be coming up and replacing the others.
Q. So then given that Clijsters and Henin have both
reached Grand Slam finals this year, we shouldn't be surprised if
you get there now?
JELENA DOKIC: I'm not putting any pressure on myself
to do it right here, right now. I'm just saying in the next year or
two, you're going to see a lot more semis and finals of Grand Slams
that we're going to be playing. You know, I'm not going to say it
will happen right here. We've all seen that all of us can beat the
top players.
End of FastScripts.... |
