N. LI/F. Schiavone
6‑4, 7‑6
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE
Q. You made a great effort of comeback in the second set. It was a great game. Was it that you tried to change your styles and come to net often, play slice, topspin, a variety of game? Was this your tactic all over the match, or how did you intend to deal with her speed of ball?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I think the match style that she played, really deep, so I couldn't play my spin really high so she could come in. She played really high level through one set and 2‑1, 3‑1, she was playing really good.
And then I tried to push more, to risk more, and she went down with the level. But it's normal. Tennis is always like this.
I think at the end, we were really close and could be for me the set or for her. But at the end, she won. She deserve ‑‑ I think she deserve this final. She fight a lot, and she played good also on the clay.
Q. It was a very tough match and a close one. What do you think makes Li Na, what kind of shots or like skill makes her tough to play, her forehand or her serve or her backhand?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: No, I thought she serve a good percentage of serve. She prepared these kind of thing, because she didn't want to play the second ball to be attacked. I think of course the backhand she can play much better in every part of the court.
But today I saw with the forehand first set was deep, everything was going really close to the baseline. She played good.
Q. You won the final last year, and you are in the final this year. Was there pressure for you to play another final and be scared to lose this match?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: No, no. Why be scared to win, not to lose?
No, I was ready to play intensive match. I think today we played some amazing moment or great points. No, always ready to take everything that can arrive.
So no, I lived a good moment. It's okay. In life you can win; you can lose. But was tough, and it's okay.
Q. She did today something similar to what you did last year in some ways. You came from a tennis culture, from a Western way of life, and she's coming from China. Do you appreciate or have any feelings about how big this is for her to be able to accomplish this and win a Grand Slam?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah, of course. I can imagine many people, China's people watching tennis. I think it's important also from them to know the clay over there. I think they are just hard courts. This can be a good start for them.
In Europe we know much more the clay. Maybe is different between mentally or culturally between them and us. But is good for them to start.
Q. Last year you played a hard hitter also, Samantha Stosur, and you kept her off balance from the beginning by playing clever and tricky shots. This time it didn't seem like you tried to do that as much until the second set. Was it because she was keeping you off balance, or why not?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah, I think she keep me really far away from the net or inside the court, so I was always too defense. With the slice was not easy because she has good timing and she has good preparation with the legs.
But when she played a little bit short or I played a little bit more aggressive, she couldn't come in so easy.
So it's a mix, I think, from the start until the score she played so good, and then I played higher level and she went a little bit down.
Q. I think you played her last year here. She talked about her education and her improvement on clay. Is she a different player on clay this year than before? Do you sense any improvement in her game on any surface?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah, she run much more in particular. When I play really good in that side and then I played to the other side on forehand, she arrive with the legs before she was arriving and hitting the ball.
Now she can arrive and hit one or two shot more. That's big difference on the clay. She slides a little bit more. Yeah, can make, in some points, the difference for her, eh?
Q. She is rising the way you have been the last two year or two like you are up the rankings. Do you feel she can be a No. 1 player?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I don't know. Is open, but to be No. 1 you have really to win many, many matches, huh? Not just one tournament, one Grand Slam.
Maybe she has to win another one. But everybody are hungry. I don't know if she can win another one. (Smiling.)
I'm joking.
Q. The overall deuce at 5‑6 clearly came at a big point. Did you sort of feel like that kind of swung the momentum back in her way?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: (Translation in Italian.) I don't saw the ball. If the ball is out, I call out. Steal the ball. If the ball is out, I call out. If the ball is in, is in. That's what they teach me from when I was young, and that's what I want to teach in the future to the other person, to the kids.
So if I call the ball out, the percentage that I mistake, it's really, really low. So if you explain me this is the mark and this is out and you explain me really the sign, I can believe you.
But that ball, no.
Q. Good tournament. A question about emotions and feelings. In our sport there's victory and there's defeat. Obviously last year, so much joy, such happiness; today, a feeling of loss. Years from now, which do you think will have more impact? How do you think they will compare?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: The impact to win, it's a big difference than to lose. But I'm happy to be here, because now I can ‑‑ I can feel much more what I did last year, much more. To arrive close to win is different than to win. Big different.
But in the same time, I can say that to arrive in final is mean that I have always one chance to take a trophy.
So the emotion are a lot, and sometimes you don't control it. Sometimes you can control more. So I'm happy to be here. Doesn't matter win or lose, I want to live every moment.
Q. You just said you don't steal people. Do you have the feeling you have been stolen from something today after this overrule? And how important was it today in the outcome of the match?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: No, one ball can't make the difference so much, but in that moment, you have to check really good the ball. That's what I contest.
After she decide that the ball was in, but I don't think can make the difference, because then I played other six, seven points.
Q. After this ball you lost every point.
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yes. (Laughter.) What I have to say? The true or I have to joke?
Italian questions? (Laughter.)
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