F. SCHIAVONE/M. Oudin
6 2, 6 0
MELANIE OUDIN
Q. Bit of a different prospect playing her here on clay than on hard courts in the U.S. Talk about that.
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, um, basically I pretty much got a clay court lesson today. I mean, playing her-- practicing this past week, I haven't played anyone that hits the ball like that heavy.
I think that the court here I think definitely bounces higher than some of the other courts. That helps her a ton. I mean, she is serving well; she's moving well; she pretty much doesn't have a weakness on the clay, I don't think.
I mean, I can see how she won the French Open last year. Um, she definitely -- I think her best surface is clay. She said that I know a few times. She's so confident here. You could see the shots she was going for and making them.
I thought she played really, really well today. There really wasn't much I could do.
Q. You're don't look that devastated. Is that because you feel like you were sort of schooled out there?
MELANIE OUDIN: I was definitely outplayed on the clay. I mean, this is only my second French Open ever playing in the main draw. I don't get to play on clay and she's grown up on clay. I mean, she's a lot older than me, like 10 years, 12 years. That definitely helps for experience for her.
But also, I mean, she's just really, really good on the clay. It gives me I guess, I mean, perspective on how I need to get better at it, I mean, playing on the clay and what I can do. I mean, she's the best of the best I think on the clay.
So if I want to become the best of the best one day, she's a good person for me to like idolize, especially on the red clay. I mean, I'm definitely going to try to work on things that she does well and see if I can get better at it in upcoming years here.
Q. Mel, the USTA is trying to do more with clay court tennis. You probably read or heard about that. What do you think about that? What do you think are the benefits of that?
MELANIE OUDIN: I think that's good. But the thing is, green clay is totally different than red clay. If they're going to do something with it, I think they should bring more like juniors and bring them over here and play in Europe for six weeks, the younger players, and have them play all the red clay tournaments in the juniors.
Even they have tons of 10,000s over here, so I think I that would be really good. I know especially for me it takes a long time to get used to it. And by the time you get used to it-- you know, draw someone like Francesca first round and it's just a really bad draw, and now the clay court season is over.
I think the more I get to play on it the I think better I'll get and the better the juniors and even like, um, younger players come over for a few weeks to train on it here.
Q. I played on green when I was a kid. Is it really that different?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes, it's completely different. It's nothing like here. Green clay courts you can almost play on it like a hardcourt in the States. It's a lot faster; the ball doesn't bounce as high. I mean, you can't slide as well, but this clay here is amazing.
But it's a lot harder to play on than in the States, especially for Americans.
Q. Hard to tell from today's match, but tell us about your game overall, how you feel going towards summer.
MELANIE OUDIN: Um, I feel pretty good. I guess you couldn't tell, I guess, much from out there. But, yeah, I mean, it was a rough draw. I feel like I've been getting really crappy draws lately, especially whenever I come to Europe and play the red clay. I always get Spanish or Italian grinders. I can never get one that hits the ball hard and flat ever in Europe.
So, I mean, I'll be looking forward to the grass courtseason. I mean, I don't have that many points to defend actually: one round at Wimbledon and couple of the US Open Series and one round at the US Open and that's it pretty much.
So, I mean, I feel like I'm getting better, it's just taking more time really than, I mean, I was hoping, because I had such a good run at the US Open. But I feel like where my ranking is now is where I should be.
And if even if I have to play qualifying some, and I think it would be good if I get in some more matches and even play some more challengers at the end of the year.
Q. As you were saying, last year was strange because you were coming of that US Open and every week you were being asking questions about what's going on, how come you're not playing as well as you did last year at the US Open.
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah.
Q. A little bit different this year. Expectations have maybe dropped a little bit. Do you feel like you can sort of get back to your regular growth curve?
MELANIE OUDIN: I definitely -- I mean, I wouldn't take anything back from what happened in '09, but I definitely think, yeah, now like where my ranking is about where like I should be, and I can keep hopefully moving up, um, and get into more matches.
I mean, I'm going to be playing a lot of tournaments the rest of the year, and like I said, I don't have many points to defend. So hopefully it can only go up.
Q. You beat Schiavone in San Diego in Fed Cup. What difference did you find this time? Only about the surface clay or not?
MELANIE OUDIN: It was like I was playing a totally different person, because it was hard indoor, and my ball did a lot more than it did today and her ball didn't do as much. So it was like complete opposite pretty much.
Um, I mean, I played really well, and, I mean, she was making some errors, but she even said after she didn't know what to do against me, like today I didn't know what to do kind of.
I think I have a much better chance of beating her on a hard indoor court than on red clay. Um, I mean, I'm pretty sure, like, you know, she would say the same kind of things. Our games match up very different on different surfaces.
Q. Did she impress you? Can she win again Roland Garros?
MELANIE OUDIN: She definitely impressed me. Like I said, I haven't played anyone that hits that heavy of a ball and then can hit amazing slice and move that well on the clay and play good defense. She was serving really well, hitting the lines on her serve.
I mean, there are a lot of good players in this tournament so I don't know really who's going to win it for sure, but I think she's got a very good chance.
Q. If you had to bet a dollar...
MELANIE OUDIN: Bet a dollar?
Q. Who would win this year?
MELANIE OUDIN: I don't know. But, I mean, if Francesca plays like this and she can play even better than that this tournament, I think that she could win it.
Q. You just mentioned some of the things that Francesca was doing well. Can you break that down just a little bit more. What is it that makes her such a formidable opponent on clay?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, I mean, of course main thing, serve and returning. She was serving really well today; good percentage of first serve, and she was hitting the lines on them. She did not serve that well indoors last year.
Um, her forehand was huge. I mean, unless you take really early-- and also because I'm small, everything is up here on me. So I have no chance if I let if get up here. I have to take that early and take a risk on timing it perfectly.
So a lot of the taller girls I'm sure it'll be easier and more in their strike zone. She's getting such good angles. She's not missing much. Her one-hander, normally you see people shank on their one-handed backhand. She hardly shanks anything.
She had me all around in movement as well. I mean, she knows how to glide on clay. I'm still learning how to be graceful.
No comments:
Post a Comment