ROGERS CUP
Date: 2009-08-18

ROGERS CUP

August 18, 2009

Ana Ivanovic
TORONTO, ONTARIO
A. IVANOVIC/M. Rybarikova
2-6, 6-3, 6-2

The Moderator Questions, please.

Question Must be nice to get a win like that. You started off a bit shaky but then ended really strong.
Ana Ivanovic: Yes, definitely. It's good. As soon as I stepped on the court I felt quite good. I felt my movement, my shots, everything was working well, but I just was trying to play a little too safe, I think. She's a good player, and she was playing really aggressive and dominant.
Yeah, so then I tried to change a little bit and be more, you know, more patient but still aggressive and, you know, hit the way I was practicing. And it worked really well. I'm really, really happy. Second and third set I really played well, like -- yeah, like myself.

Question It seemed that there was a shift in momentum in the second set. You cracked a crosscourt forehand winner. And can you talk about that or when you felt that you were like coming up out of the not-such-a-great place that you were in the first set?
Ana Ivanovic: Yeah, I think that was an important point, you know, to get the break back, and she was playing really well.
You know, since that moment, I kind of got my momentum back, and I started playing a lot better. That was exactly the kind of game I should have played from the start, but like I said, I felt like I was trying to play too safe.
I felt good, and I thought things will come easier, because I just felt like I can make my shots, but you know, I wasn't because I was too defensive. So I tried to step up a little bit, and then I was making those shots, because I felt good.
Yeah just, you know, happy that the hard work that I put in, it paid off.

Question After your first-set loss, you asked to talk to your coach. What did you and your coach talk about?
Ana Ivanovic: Just, you know, I just wanted to tell him how I feel, and you know, if there was something that he sees from the side. Because so many times it's easier to see from the side of the court than when I was on the court. I just told him, you know, I feel really good, but I'm just not making, you know, I'm not winning games and everything.
He said exactly that, that I'm a little bit too passive and have to, you know, be aggressive and commit to my shots a little more. That's what I did. It worked out good.

Question Is that something in the first round where you sometimes can be guilty of coming out a little bit too conservative just because it's the start of the tournament and you're maybe not quite warmed up playing?
Ana Ivanovic: It can be, but the thing is that I just -- I worked really hard the last couple of days, and I worked on many new things. I just felt quite confident with what I've done, and I sort of wanted to protect that a little bit instead of just letting go and playing that way.
You know, I thought it's going to come without trying to apply too hard. And it's not the case, but I'm really happy I managed to pull through and play awesome the last two sets.

Question You said last week you might have found a service motion that's working for you again. Did you feel that today?
Ana Ivanovic: Yeah, I was serving quite well. I mean, yeah, I changed my technique a little bit, and I have a little bit shorter swing. It's working out well.
Obviously it's something I'm still working on, and it's -- you know, it's a job in progress. I'm sure it's going to come on good.

Question Can you talk a little bit about the impact of having that shot go off and losing confidence in it and the difference it would make if you were to get that back?
Ana Ivanovic: Well, I think it's a big shot in tennis. That's why it was so frustrating not making many first serves, because that's the only shot in tennis that you control. You know, you can take time and you can -- you start from zero, so you can just hit it as well as you want to.
But it was really frustrating, and it was affecting, you know, my whole game. I think it's not only case with me; it's with every player who has a big serve, and then all of a sudden if the serve is not coming, it affects your whole movement or your whole game. So it was very frustrating.
But you know, now I felt like I'm working on it and fixing that problem. So I just accept, you know. It's going to be times when I'm -- games that I'm not going to serve perfect, but I just accept it rather than get upset and let it affect the rest of my game.

Question You just mentioned that you were working on new things the last couple of days. Can you tell us a little bit about what you're working on?
Ana Ivanovic: Well, there is lot of things, you know, I'm working on. I feel I found the path that I want to take and that I'm confident in working and developing as a player. There is lots of, you know, lots of new things and exciting things in my game that I found work well for me, and obviously I have full confidence in this.
There's going to be days out there I'm not going to, you know, feel perfect about it, but I'm going through it and stick with it because I believe that's the way to go.
I mean, today I was doing partly what I was practicing, and I was really happy to see that, yeah.