An interview with:
NA LI
Q. (Translation from French.) Good morning. 25 million Chinese people watched the end of your match yesterday against Sharapova. Is it putting pressure on you?
NA LI: (In English.) Only 25? I heard it was like 40. I heard the news was like today they have 40 million people watching the match yesterday, but you say only 25.
So I should doing more good job and then more people can interesting about in tennis. Yeah I never feeling pressure. I mean, if someone can stay behind you, push you a lot. I mean, is good for me. I like the way. Yeah.
Q. (Translation from French.) How can your previous matches here help you tomorrow mentally?
NA LI: (In English.) Mentally I think I'm always strong; I don't need to push anymore. I just doing the same like before what I'm doing on the court.
You don't even think about tomorrow is the the final. You just think about is just the one match. Yeah.
Q. (In English.) Can you help us explain why so many recent Grand Slam winners have been older players, and now one of you two will be one of the older ones to win a Grand Slam?
NA LI: I'm not old. Why do you think I'm old? I feel I'm still young, so...
Yeah, pass.
Q. For a tennis player, you're sort of old. I'm sorry.
NA LI: I'm not old. (Smiling.)
Q. But that seems to be changing. More mature tennis players now seem to be having more success.
NA LI: I think maybe we have more experience because we be on the tour like so many years and you know what you should do on the court.
And also strong in mentally, so that's why like right now many players come to Grand Slam, like you say, yeah, little bit older. (Laughter.)
Q. Are there any ways that you feel old? If it's not with your body or your mind, are there some times you see teenagers and say, Oh, my gosh, I'm so old. Anything that makes you feel old ever?
NA LI: No. Of course sometimes if you saw the young player coming like they (indiscernible) over like 90, but they still can hit good tennis. You think about, Wow. Yeah, look at the young player you think about you are a little bit ‑ not so old ‑ little bit old.
Yeah, but, I mean, this age you couldn't change anything, so you just have to do what you should do now. Yeah.
Q. In China, many athletes start off within the sort of state system of sports. Young children who are picked and then taken up with the help of the government and get, you know, to do well on the world stage. But you've taken a different route where you're very much more independent. You've sort of broken away from that system. Do you think China would have more success in sports if more youngsters sort of followed your route and sort of did things themselves, or is that sort of government support at the beginning still very important for sort of China's success in sports?
NA LI: I mean, for me, I was young, and also the government, how you say, sponsored me a lot. So, yeah, they pay for the coach, they pay traveling, they pay everything for me. I just have my team around with me was like the end of the 2008 because I wouldn't change the way what I'm doing before.
And also, you know, every sport is different. So like if you say volleyball something, of course you couldn't play for yourself. You have to training together for the team.
But I think tennis also every player is different, not only ‑‑ not everyone can have the chance to a team around with you.
First you have in prize money you have to pay for your team. If not you, I mean, just pay for your coach you couldn't get any money for your pocket, right?
So this year now I think I can play good tennis, but not only the one way for the children. Oh, I should copy for her. I mean, no one can copy for another one, so you have to find which is best way for yourself.
Q. Do you think it's because you went on your own in 2008 that it's helped lead you to these great results this year? Do you think it's sort of because you assembled your own team and went on your own, or does that have nothing to do with how you're playing now?
NA LI: I mean, everything they have around all right, so I'm not sure is because I have team around with me I can play good, better tennis before, or because right now I still national team player. If I need something, I ask the federation to help me get a visa, you know. For us more difficult to get a visa.
So I still ask a lot of thing for the federation. We still have good communication. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. Maybe time can say everything. Yeah.
Q. Obviously in Australia it was your first time into a final.
NA LI: Yeah.
Q. People always say that, you know, for a first‑timer, it's new and it's so different and it's big and there's more attention and everything and it can be overwhelming mentally just to play in a final. Did that happen to you in Australia where it was overwhelming? Are you calmer this time around for this one?
NA LI: I mean, in Melbourne was like first time in the final. You don't have any experience before you come to the Grand Slam final. But I have one time already, so I think I can do better in this time. Yeah.
Q. Two things: You are just 29 years old.
NA LI: Yes.
Q. Very young.
NA LI: I like that.
Q. I'll repeat it. No. Yet you've achieved so much to emerge onto the world's stage. My first question is: In your life, what are you most proud of? My second question is: Do you recall as a young girl watching Roland Garros, the French Open, at all?
NA LI: The first one. I mean, I was always so proud for myself what I'm doing. Because for the China player, not so many player can be in final two times in a row. And also I was working so hard on the court.
Yeah, of course for the player, sometimes you play good; sometimes you play bad. But if you play bad you don't need like hate yourself or something, because always you do things for yourself. You don't need to think about, I should do something for another people. I always do something for myself. So I always for myself.
Second? What about the second?
Q. Roland Garros, did you watch when you were young?
NA LI: You know, I would like to say I was young, I mean, for China, they didn't show much tournament in China in television. So I was young never have a chance to watch tennis. Yeah.
So this is ‑‑ I mean, it's tough for me also. But I think now getting better, because now the young players, they can saw the same time the TV. Yeah.
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