V. KING/E. Baltacha
4 6, 6 1, 6 4
ELENA BALTACHA
Q. What was your verdict on that match?
ELENA BALTACHA: Very tough. I knew that going into the match that it was going to be very difficult. She's got a good game on clay and she's playing very well. She took Cibulkova, so she was definitely not going to kind of lie down. No way.
First set I played really well. It was a tight first set, but I managed to kind of dominate when I needed to.
Second set she really stepped it up, and I probably dropped a bit. I was just finding that I was just returning everywhere like constantly in the second set.
And in the third she broke me quite early on. That was always quite difficult, and she kind of stayed at that level. And then I managed to break back and then lose my serve, and then managed to break back again.
But I think in the third, like even though I was being really aggressive, I just wasn't exposing her as I was in the first set. That made it really difficult, because I wasn't actually getting her off the court. So she was just like absorbing my pace and then kind of moving me around. I would say that that was probably the big thing that lost me the match.
But 230 points this year over the clay season, that's not bad, considering probably the last nine years I only picked up probably 50.
So, you know, look, I'm very chuffed. Obviously I don't like losing and I'm disappointed, but it's sort of been a positive.
Q. After winning that first set, did you sort of shut down a little bit after that, do you think?
ELENA BALTACHA: No, not really. Actually, the next game I went 4 Love up on her serve and played three unbelievable points.
Then I missed the first the first breakpoint I missed just a routine kind of return. Then she played a good point and then I missed again, and it kind of just gave it back to her.
Now, I don't know if it would have been different if I broke her back. After that game she just completely like her game just really went up, so...
Q. What do you take out of what you've done here as you go on to the grass in Wimbledon?
ELENA BALTACHA: Well, my confidence is sky high, obviously, by having such a good clay season. And as well physically I feel like I'm very fit going into the grass. That's always kind of a very good area well, actually it's unbelievable when you've had a really good clay season because you've played so many matches that once you get into the grass you're really physically prepped and ready to go.
And as well I think just for me I've learned so much about my game, how much I've developed and kind of the tactics and things that I've never really kind of had the confidence to experiment in matches.
I have on the clay, and I think my game has really improved in this area.
Q. What in particular have you learned about your game from this?
ELENA BALTACHA: Well, I kind of said it the other day, that I don't have to hit a million miles an hour. You know, that's a very big area. There are other ways with the slice and tactics as well, using the kind of understanding a bit more about tactics.
And the serve, I think the serve, my variety on the serve has really improved as well. That's probably the main areas.
Q. It's important not beat yourself up too much.
ELENA BALTACHA: No, no, I'm not beating myself. Definitely not. You know, it's been such a positive. The clay season has been so positive for me that you know, I didn't think that I would have such a good clay season.
And of course, you know, I spoke about it the other day, that the prep has been just you know, without the prep there's no way I would have had such a good clay season.
No, I mean, look, it's all positive. I always think things happen for a reason. I always say that. I can go away from here and I'm very proud of what I've done.
Of course, would it be amazing to be in the third round? Yeah, it would have been. Maybe I could've done a few things different today. Maybe if I held at 1 Love you never know what would have happened.
But that's the ifs and the buts. You know, I'm going to the grass and I've learned a lot, I've picked up a lot of points, you know, so I'm going to go into the grass season and really enjoy it and try and make the most of it.
Then we're back on the hard, so...
Q. Where will you play over the next three weeks?
ELENA BALTACHA: Well, we said Nottingham would be the first one, the 75, and then Nottingham again for the 100k. I won the tournament there last year and I love the way the courts play. They're really decent courts there, so we thought, Well, we might as well just stay and do the two weeks there.
And then Eastbourne and then Wimbledon. So before you blink it will be all kind of over because it kind of flies like that, so...
Q. What was the player gift this year?
ELENA BALTACHA: I haven't checked it yet. I actually haven't checked it. I don't know whether we got one or not, but I need to get down and see what it is.
Q. More brown knickers?
ELENA BALTACHA: Yeah, I was going to saying I hope it's not brown knickers or at least I hope they're now my size. That would help.
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