Eastbourne AEGON International. June 13 2011 Na Li

NA LI

         

 

           Q.  How are you feeling about Wimbledon?  Are you hoping for your third Grand Slam title ‑‑ or third final of the year?

            NA LI:  I mean, yeah, French Open is over.  So now I prepare for Eastbourne of course and also Wimbledon.  If you always think about what do you do and ‑‑ I mean, nothing happen.  You have to think what do you have to do.  So for me I was looking forward to Wimbledon now.

            Q.  Do you like playing on grass?  Is it something you enjoy?

            NA LI:  I think not bad.  Yeah.  I mean, I always do well in Wimbledon, so...

            Q.  So you think you have the game for it?

            NA LI:  I'm ready for it.  Yeah.

            Q.  How are you feeling now that Venus and Serena are back?  It brought a bit of buzz to the tour.

            NA LI:  I mean, of course good for the fans.  I think many fans was missed them already.  And also, you know, I was so happy after injury they will come back.  For the player always tough to injury and come back.  You have to mentally so strong and then try to come back.  So I was happy they are come back now.

            Q.  Did you do anything particularly special to celebrate winning the French Open?

            NA LI:  I didn't go back to Shanghai, no, so I was ‑‑ after Paris I go back to Munich to see the doctor.  So turn off for three days for the ‑‑ I was turn off the phone for three days so nobody can find me anymore.  (Laughter.)

            I think because after I need time to calm down a little bit, because the French Open not last tournament before all of the year.  So I have to prepare for the Wimbledon, for the next tournament.

            Because I have like beginning of year after Melbourne, back to China, you know, so many thing come.  I couldn't concentration on the court anymore.

            So I didn't want do same mistake again.

            Q.  Is it difficult for you, the change from clay to grass, big change?

            NA LI:  I think was tough for every player.  You have to do it.  I mean, you couldn't say anything.  Yeah.

            Q.  Did you receive messages from any special people after Paris, from any politicians or famous people in China?

            NA LI:  I mean, a lot of friends send text message, of course.  And also Safina send me text message, Daniela send my text message, say congratulations.  Most important is a lot of friends send me text messages and family, also.  Yeah.

            Q.  Was your husband in Paris with you?

            NA LI:  Yeah.

            Q.  Because he coaches you, doesn't he?  Or he's your playing partner, isn't he, your husband?  Does he play?

            NA LI:  Yeah, because I mean, right now I have new coach.

            Q.  Oh, right.

            NA LI:  So he was no ‑‑ hitting partner, everything.

            Q.  You said you were going to have a chat with Michael Mortensen.  Have you spoken or discussed what the relationship will be?

            NA LI:  I mean, after ‑‑ yeah, after Paris of course we have the talk, and he was so happy.  Of course me, too.  So now we still continue to work, you know.  Yeah.

            Q.  Have you received any special awards for what you achieved in Paris from China, back home, do you know?

            NA LI:  No.  I think because ‑‑ I mean, after Wimbledon I will go back to China.  Yeah.

            Q.  But do you know if you're going to get any special awards in China?

            NA LI:  I don't know, because I was turn off the phone for three days.  (Laughter.)

            So for that three days, I didn't know any news, you know.  So I didn't want come to the Internet, you see all the news, because I know during the time people a little bit crazy about the winner.  (Laughter.)

            Q.  When you put the phone back on after three days, how many messages were there?

            NA LI:  You know, sometimes was funny, like if you turn off the phone, someone call you, but it was like turn off so nobody want contact you anymore.  If they send me text, I would say, Okay, contact with my agent, you know.

            Q.  Do you think, now that you've got "Grand Slam champion" after your name, do you think players will kind of react differently to you?  Does it give you something extra in the loom locker room or when you walk on court?

            NA LI:  Yeah.  I mean, during like this week like so many players all, like so many congratulations for me.  But I know it's tough, like during a tournament you couldn't think about any more on the clay court.  Because now they change the surface, grass court already.

            So of course, I mean, all players so friendly, but you have to think about ‑‑ you have to stand up again to think what you should have to do.

            Q.  Did you have a favorite Grand Slam that you always wanted to win?  Was it the French?

            NA LI:  I think I can win Grand Slam but I never think I can win French Open, you know.  Yeah, so that's why.

            And next day I was wake up, I was asking my husband.  He said, Real dream.  I mean, after we come, still didn't believe I can win French Open.  Yeah.

            Q.  Have you believed that you can win Wimbledon?

            NA LI:  You know, before I was think about, okay, maybe I can win like without French Open, you know.  But yeah, just one week ago I win the French, so I would say like, What's going on?  (Smiling.)

            Q.  Has it been hard for you to then focus on Wimbledon because of winning the French and all the emotions associated with that?

            NA LI:  No, so that's why I didn't go back to China because I still want to focus on China right now.

            Yeah, I mean, like I say before, I didn't want to make mistake again, same like happen Melbourne.  So also I know if I go back China would happen we're coming.

            Yeah, I'm still on the tour, so I still want to focus on the match, on the tournament, and then to try the best.  I mean, doesn't matter I will lose first round or whether I doing Wimbledon because I tried best already.  Yeah.

            Q.  Was there big pressure on you to go home, to go back to China?

            NA LI:  No.  I mean, no pressure for me.  It was what I think.  And also, I never ‑‑ I never want to change.  I always do the same what I do before.

            Q.  In Paris you said your mother would not watch because she's too nervous.

            NA LI:  Uh‑huh.

            Q.  And you had not spoken to her.

            NA LI:  Yeah.

            Q.  When you did speak to her, what happened?

            NA LI:  No, after tournament, I send text message.  Yeah, she just asked me, Are you come back?  I said, No, I not come back.  I say, I will come back after Wimbledon.  Okay.

            Then after, she never send me text message again.  (Laughter.)

            Q.  Did she see the match at all?  I mean, did she watch it afterwards when she had heard you had won?

            NA LI:  I mean, of course I would think about she didn't watch the match, but of course many phone or text message to her.

            I think she just know I was win the tournament.  But how big, I don't think she know that.

            Q.  When you have some time, will you buy yourself a special reward or something for your husband maybe to celebrate winning?

            NA LI:  Ah, no, I think, because in Paris same day we come to China Consulate, have big party.  I think that's all.  Even make so many party, maybe next day I don't know who I am and what I'm doing.  I didn't want to do that.  Yeah.

            Q.  You said your husband's snoring was causing a problem for your sleeping.  Have you sorted that problem out?

            NA LI:  I think now getting better.  Now he still can sleep on the bed.  I mean, if didn't work I was send him to the bathroom.  (Laughter.)

                       

Eastbourne AEGON International. June 13 2011 Serena Williams

 SERENA WILLIAMS

            Q.  How excited are you feeling to be back?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  I am really excited to be back.  You know, I really miss playing tennis, obviously.  I don't know if you guys know "obviously," but I definitely miss it, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the short time that I've been back on the practice courts.

            Q.  What did you miss the most?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, it sucked because I missed a lot of being ‑‑ you know, I left ranked No. 1.  That's what I miss most is just being on top of the game and just playing some really good tennis and the challenges of all the players.

            Q.  How would you describe your condition at the moment?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't know.  I haven't played a match yet, so I'm not quite sure how I feel condition‑wise.  I feel good on the practice court.  But I always think that when you get in a match it is totally different, so I kind of have to see.

            Q.  How long have you been practicing?  How long have you been just practicing?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I have been hitting for a while.  I have been seriously hitting for like a month, you know.  But I kind of started hitting a little before that; not every day, but every day I have been going at it for a little bit.

            Q.  What made you want to come back and play here?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I wanted to play Roland Garros, but it didn't quite work out, and I figured maybe I can try to play another event.  And I don't usually play warmup tournaments before Wimbledon.  I also figured I haven't played in about a year, so maybe I can ‑‑ it's probably smart for me to play a warmup tournament, and where better to play than Eastbourne?  I have played here before, and I have had some halfway decent results here.

            Q.  Venus says she's here to win it and to win Wimbledon.  Do you share those feelings?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Wow.  You know, I'm just here to do the best I can and I'm here not to lose.  So that's about it.

            Q.  Could you take us back to Wimbledon last year and just your feelings, how delighted you were, and then just talk us through sort of the next couple of weeks after that.

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I mean, Wimbledon was great.  I was playing great, I was serving amazing, and, you know, overall my confidence was right up there.  It was almost even a shock, because I didn't expect to play so well, and everyone was like, Oh, she's playing so well.

            I honestly thought I could do better.  I remember after the tournament was over, I was talking to my dad about things that I wanted to work on and things I wanted to improve on.

            That's about it.  So hopefully I've been able to improve on those things that I wanted to.

            Q.  Would it be expecting too much for you to hit those spots again so soon after your injury?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't know.  I definitely expect to get there.  I don't know when.  I'm hoping tomorrow.  I'm also hoping, you know, I can peak at Wimbledon.  I can peak hopefully in the second week, and hopefully I'll get there.

            So, you know, I'm just taking everything one day at a time, and I'm not putting too much expectations on myself or on my game.  Most of all I'm just happy to be in competition.

            Q.  Does it help you that Venus is making the same sort of comeback as well?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Definitely.  I feel like we've been on a similar road together.  Her road hasn't been as arduous or as long as mine, but I know what she's been through coming back from Australia.  She never retires, and she had to retire.

            So, you know, we kind of ‑‑ I actually felt like, you know, when you're down and someone's down with you, it kind of makes you feel a little bit better.  (Smiling.)

            That's kind of how I felt.  I was like, Yeah.  Ha ha.

            But we've been really enjoying our time just getting back together and practicing next to her and looking over and seeing her play so well.  I'm like, Okay, I've got to do better.

            Q.  Were you hitting against her in practice?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  I don't hit with her too much in practice; maybe just a few times literally.  Two, three times maximum, not much at all.

            Q.  Is that because you get too competitive when you play each other?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  You know, I don't know why we don't hit with each other.  We both have our own hitting partners and we hit with our own people.  We don't really hit each other.

            She's so good.  When she hits with me, I just get really frustrated.  It's like she's always killing me on the practice courts.

            Q.  Presumably this is nothing like when you came back after a long absence and won in Australia?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  It's nothing like it?

            Q.  Is it nothing like it, or is it a much tougher road you've come back on?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  This is totally different, because I've had some serious health problems and I was literally on my deathbed at one point in my career or my life.

            This is like a totally different road where I'm more or less thinking, okay, I have nothing to lose at this point.  And I'm just excited, more than anything, to be playing.  And injury‑bearing, you know, that's great, but now it's just all about me being here and being just happy.

            Q.  What did the doctors say to you in terms of how serious it was?  What were their words when they sort of explained things to you?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, you're obviously talking about my lung, the pulmonary embolism?

            Q.  Yeah.

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, they just said that I had several clots bilaterally, so in both lungs, and it wasn't ‑‑ a lot of people die from that because you don't recognize it.  Me being an athlete, I couldn't breathe.  I honestly just thought I was out of shape.  So I thought I needed to get on the treadmill or something or hit the Elliptical.

            You know, they just said it could have gotten a lot serious a day later or two days later.  It could have been really not good.  It could have possibly been career‑ending, but for the grace of God I got there in time and I was able to recover from it.

            Q.  So they told you you were in fact quite lucky then in some respects?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, I always use the word "blessed ."  I had great people around me.  My physio forced me to go to the hospital, whereas I was actually on the way to a party, to be quite honest.  She's like, No, you need to go to the hospital.

            Glad I didn't go to that party.

            Q.  Has what happened to you given you a new perspective at all on your career?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Absolutely.  This is totally different from, you know, any other comeback, because this has given me a whole new perspective on my career and not taking things for granted.  Not that I've ever taken things for granted before, but there were times when I'm like, Oh, another match, and I'm really, you know, like, This is so hard.

            But now it's more like, Yes, I'm out here and I could have had a chance where I could never be out here again.  And especially being at the top of your game, having to have something like that happen randomly was ‑‑ it's tough, and it really makes me appreciate things.

            Again, not that I didn't appreciate it before, because you guys know more than anything I love winning, and so it's just a different perspective.

            Q.  When you go through something so serious ‑‑ welcome back, by the way ‑‑ do you think you'll ever again find it easier to get worked up about a line call or a serve that doesn't go where you want it to go?  Are there aspects of your game that you won't be able to take so seriously again?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  No, I'm definitely going to still get really serious about line calls.  (Laughter.)

            I probably won't make the same threats.  (Laughter.)

            But I pretty much learned that lesson.  My attitude hasn't changed.  I still cracked a couple of racquets in practice.  But that's good.  That just still makes me feel like I have that desire, and, you know, I have that, you know, insatiable, you know, just innate thing inside me that I just want everything and I just want to win and I want to do well.

            Q.  How sure are you that these most recent health problems were linked to what happened in Germany?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  It was definitely linked.  I had to have two surgeries and so close to each other, and, you know, just ‑‑ I was in a cast for 20 weeks, which I was debating whether I'd rather be in jail for 20 weeks or a cast, and I was leaning towards jail because I really hated that cast.  That was really tough.  Mentally that was one of the toughest things for me.

            But, you know, having your foot in one position for so long and not moving it and not being able to walk and not being able to do a lot of things, you know, didn't give my particular ‑‑ my history of my blood moving and stuff, so it caused a lot of problems.

            Q.  What actually happened, then, if you could tell us about that evening?  Do you remember what actually happened?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  With my foot?

            Q.  With the bottle.

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Honestly I don't know.  To this day I don't know.  I was at this restaurant/barry kind of restaurant thing, and I was with my nephew at the time and my hitting partner.

            We were literally leaving and I was walking, and then I felt something.  I was like, Uh, guys, be careful.  I think there's glass on the floor.

            I just stepped back and I was like, Oh, that really hurts.  So then, you know, I'm just thinking, okay, I'm tough.  I'm just gonna keep walking.  I took another step.  And I was like, Oh, my God.  There's definitely glass on the floor.  Please be careful.

            And so then my coach, he took his phone, he looked down and there's like this massive puddle of blood.  I was like, Oh, my gosh.

            So, you know, they rushed me back ‑‑ I ended up fainting because I lost so much blood because I was standing up.  I ended up having to get stitches in both feet.  One was on top and one was on the bottom of my other foot.

            I guess it sliced right through my ligament.  Now, I didn't know at the time that my ligament was torn.  I just know that my toe was hanging low, and I didn't ‑‑ you know, I just thought, okay, they said it was because of swelling.  They said, Oh, it's swelling, blah, blah, blah.  So I thought, okay, I'll be fine, you know, whatever.

            Eventually obviously it wasn't fine.  But to this day I don't know.  I was just walking and leaving and I just felt like, you know, something like ‑‑ it felt weird.

            Q.  Were you barefoot or have sandals on?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, and I started to wear boots.  You ever see that movie Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow?  I was this close to wearing boots, and I got a pedicure and I thought, man, I don't want to mess up my toes.  Go figure.

            Q.  What did you do with yourself when you couldn't play?  I mean, how did you occupy your time?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, it was tough.  My first surgery was different, because my first surgery I was in LA, and I kind of stayed there and I kind of was hanging out or whatever.  You know, I can't do too much with one leg.

            And the second surgery was way tough, especially mentally, because I thought, okay, there goes Australia, which is really, you know, one of my favorite ‑‑ obviously one of my favorite tournaments to play.

            That one was more mentally tough than a lot of things that I've been through in my life outside of maybe my sister's passing.

            So that was incredibly hard for me.  I think I may have been a little depressed at some moments.  Then everything just happened from there, just the lung issues and it really was a disaster, to be honest.

            What did I do?  You know, I hung out a lot.  I went to a lot of Dolphins games, and then I went to a bunch of Miami Heat games.  Then that's about it.

            Q.  Are you much of a spectator of tennis?  Could you bring yourself to watch the US Open, the Australian, and the French?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  I definitely watched the US.  I was on my way to recovery back then.  I was out of my cast.

            Venus got to the semis there, so I was there a lot.  I watched a little of the Aussie Open but not too much because I was busy, I guess, doing my own thing.

            Q.  If, after all you have been through, in three weeks' time you were to retain your Wimbledon title, where would that rank in terms of achievement in your career?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  I'm not thinking that far ahead.  I'm just taking it one day at a time and just one day at a time.  I mean, I'm not preparing for today or Wimbledon.  I'm preparing for, you know, the rest of my career.

            Q.  Has the emotion of everything you've been through, obviously the illness and the emergency surgery, has the emotion of that caught up where you thought, whoa?  Has it come out in tears or any other ways?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  There were a few days I didn't get out of bed.  I was just ‑‑ I was actually on the couch.  I laid on the couch for a couple of days, because after everything, I ended up having to have ‑‑ just so much stuff happened to me and I just couldn't understand why.

            It was like, okay.  I kept trying to figure out what I could do different or what I ‑‑ not necessarily what I did wrong; just what didn't I do or what did I do to deserve this?

            I don't think that had anything to do with it.  I just think it was a series of unfortunate events.  As the Bible says, there are unforeseen occurrences and  unforeseen things that can just take place.

            Q.  Do you think tennis has missed you and your sister as much as you've missed tennis?

            SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I hope so, because we've missed tennis so much.  If tennis has missed us half as much as we have missed tennis, we're in a good place.

Eastbourne AEGON International. June 13 2011 Elena Baltacha

ELENA BALTACHA

         

            

            Q.  Welcome back to Eastbourne.  You must be feeling in particularly good spirits after your win in Nottingham?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah, definitely.  It's always nice to be back on the grass.  It comes around very quickly every year.  But no, I had a great week last week.  I couldn't ask for better prep.

            Even though the final was moved indoors, my first four matches were obviously played on the grass.  I have had a great week and I'm playing very good tennis.  It's been fantastic prep coming into this week.

            Q.  After a good clay court season, are you feeling fit and ready for the grass court season?  You've not overexerted yourself too much?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  No, definitely.  I think it was a smart move not playing the first week in Nottingham after Roland Garros, because we arrived on Friday and I said, Look, let's just take the week off and just train.

            I think it was a smart move to do that. But I think kind of what I did over the clay, that kind of gave me a lot of confidence, and I felt that my game really improved.  Taking all the stuff that I learned off the clay, I really felt like I used that well in Nottingham last week.  My confidence is sky high.

            Q.  What in particular have you used from playing, transferring it to this surface?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  I think just like tactics.  I'm beginning to find ‑‑ well, I'm beginning to realize that there is other ways that you can kind of dominate and take control rather than kind of hitting the ball a million miles an hour.

            And my serve, my serve has improved a lot.  The variety of the serve, what I do with it, placement is much more key than the power of it.  So a couple of areas.  But I think most of it was the tactics itself.

            Q.  We've seen Heather Watson who did very well here last year and she's rocketing up the rankings and breathing down your neck a bit.  What does this mean to British tennis to have two of you in the top 100?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah, it's absolutely fantastic.  I think rivalry is very good.  You're right; she's breathing down my neck.  It's perfect, though, because it's getting me to work much harder.

            I don't want to lose my No. 1 spot.  She's very talented, she's coming up the rankings, she deserves to be in the top 100.  She's a good enough player to do that.

            It's good, because we'll all ‑‑ hopefully we'll get other girls to think if they can do it, I can do it, as well.  It will get everyone kind of raring and working really hard and moving up those rankings.  That's the whole kind of aim of it.

            Q.  Do you have a practice match with her?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  No, no.  We don't train together, obviously because I'm based in Ipswich and she's based in Florida, I think.  So no.  If we see each other at tournaments, sometimes we will hit.

            We hit together at Fed Cup, so that was probably the only time that we've hit so far.

            Q.  Where does grass rank among your favorite surfaces?  The green grass of Wimbledon has not always been kind to the Brits, has it?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Do you know what?  I'd say in the past that grass was definitely my favorite surface.  But to be honest, I kind of don't see it as a favorite surface because there's not enough tournaments really.  I mean, my favorite surface is hard.

            I think when I play on a grass court, I try and play on it like I would on a hard court.  So, yeah, I wouldn't really kind of classify grass as my favorite surface.

            But every year I look forward to getting back on it.  What especially makes it really special is that it's at home, so we're playing all these tournaments at home.  It's just lovely when you get the home crowd there and they're supporting you.  It's got such a special feeling to it.

            Q.  Is your game better equipped to make an impact now on grass than perhaps ever?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah, definitely.  And I think the biggest thing that I'm beginning to do is I use my experience.  I'm playing now with my experience.  So I find I've kind of got that on my side, especially when I play kind of the young players.

            And plus, it's going to be my tenth year at Wimbledon, so I have played a few years on the grass.  I think I should be able to, you know, kind of draw back on all the experience that I've had, the good and the bad, and try and, you know, make it work for me like now, especially.

            Q.  Is there a bit of a change in women's tennis, backing up what you've said, really?  Because we have seen at the slams, certainly the French, older players having success; whereas obviously a decade ago it was people in their late teens, early 20s.  Why is that happening now, do you think?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  I think sometimes ‑‑ well, I think it depends on the person, because obviously some players develop later and some will, you know, develop much earlier.  But I think now that the game has really improved.

            You look at the top of the game.  Okay, I know Justine is no longer playing, but if you actually look at all the top girls now, it's very much open because I think the game has really, really improved, and because of the level, I think that the girls are beginning to get better as they get older.  I think really that's kind of the main reason why.

            Q.  How pleased are you to see the Williams sisters back?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah, really pleased, really pleased.  I really look up to Serena.  It's been quite strange not seeing her at tournaments, because every time she's at a tournament, I love to go and watch her play.  I like to learn from her and see what she does.  So it will be very interesting how she gets on this week.

            Q.  Have you played against them?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  No, I've never played them.

            Q.  Is that something that would be...

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah, it would be ‑‑ I'd love to play them and hopefully not next week, hopefully not first round at Wimbledon.  (Smiling .)  No, I mean, I'd love to play the Williams sisters.

            Q.  Do you think they have an intimidating factor when players go up against them?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  They're unbelievable players and they've dominated for many years.  It would just be an unbelievable opportunity for me if I ever get the chance to play them.

            Q.  At Wimbledon last year it wasn't a particularly good year for the Brits apart from Andy Murray.  Why do you think that was?  Do you think it's the sort of place that puts extra pressure on British players?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  The thing is I can't talk on behalf of the other girls, but for me it was a very hurtful kind of Wimbledon, especially having such a good year.

            But do you know what?  In a way I'm glad it happened for me.  I'm glad it happened, because it made me learn a lot of things.  It's made me improve.  You know, I always say if it doesn't break you, it makes you.  It was the best thing that could have happened to me last Wimbledon.

            Q.  Is that in terms of handling pressure?  Because I think you admitted that maybe you didn't deal with it quite as...

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah.  And I think I had such a good year.  I think just the expectation that I felt for myself and obviously from others, it just got a little bit ‑‑ a little bit, you know, it kind of ‑‑ I didn't really deal with it that great.  I think now when I look back, I think, God, I've completely changed and I'm so much more relaxed.

            You know, mentally I'm much stronger and I can deal with things in a much better way.  So I'm actually really grateful it happened.

            Q.  Have you had any kind of coaching on the psychologic aspect of it?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Well, obviously Nino with his fighting, that's the biggest thing he's helped me with ‑‑ well, one of the biggest thing he's helped me with, with what he did.  Obviously if he wasn't prepared, you know, properly, and he, you know, wasn't switched on all the time, then he would get hurt.

            But that's the one thing we've worked very hard on is the discipline on the practice court and the match court and obviously the mental kind of side, how to keep yourself together and how sure you can be.  That's the biggest thing he's really helped me with.

            Q.  Are you still boxing?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Now and again.  We don't do it as often as what we did in the past, but I still enjoy it when we do.  We still spar sometimes, but yeah, not all the time.

            Q.  What do you think about the Eastbourne tournament?  Seems to be attracting better players every year now.

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Yeah, you know, Eastbourne is my favorite tournament.  I always look forward to coming back here every year.  I think the courts are in such great shape, and it plays very similar to Wimbledon.

            I think that's where it draws a lot of the top players, because it's just a perfect way to prepare going into a Grand Slam.

            Q.  Next year there are two events at Wimbledon with the Olympics there, as well.  Is your mind at all turning ‑‑ presumably you'll be given entry to that?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  Hopefully ‑‑ I mean, I'd like to make the direct acceptance.  That's my main goal.

            But yeah.  I mean, it's only a year away.  It's very exciting.  I mean, I've said that for me I want to play the Olympics, I want to get to the Olympics and maybe then retire after the Olympics.

            It's only a year away, and it's something that I'm very like really looking forward to and thinking about.

            Q.  Have you played at the Olympics before?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  No, it will be my first time.

            Q.  You have had to work very hard to get where you are in the rankings.  Are you pleased to be ‑‑ was it more virtuous to be in the main draw of Wimbledon, having worked hard to get there rather than the wildcard route?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  You know what?  My main goal is to make all four Grand Slams, not just ‑‑ it's not just about Wimbledon.  You know, that's been my goal for a lot of years, and I managed to do it.  It's going to be my second year of making the main draw cuts.

            Yeah, I was very delighted I made the cut on my own ranking.

            Q.  How good is your tennis right now in comparison with over the years?

            ELENA BALTACHA:  I think I'm playing the best tennis that I have.  I still think that I have things to improve on, which I'm working very hard on.  I still don't think I've peaked out, which is the most encouraging and the most positive thing about my tennis.

            I'm in a really good place.  I'm very happy.  I'm working probably harder than I ever have.  I think there's still more things to come.