Roland Garros June 2 2011 - Li Na

N. LI/M. Sharapova

           

6‑4, 7‑5

           

NA LI

 

            Q.  How was the game?  Easier than expected, or not?

            NA LI:  No, I don't think it was easy, because, I mean, always tough against with Maria.  She always fighting every point.  So even I have match point, I don't know I can win the match or not, because she never give up.  Always tough.

            Q.  What's your feeling now?

            NA LI:  Excited.  (Smiling.)  Yeah, of course.

            Q.  Do you prefer one opponent or the other for the final game?

            NA LI:  No, I mean, I just finish a match and now they still fighting on the court.  I mean, doesn't matter.  I ready for Saturday.

            Q.  What represents playing the final here in Roland Garros?

            NA LI:  Another good experience for my whole career.  I think prove a little bit for China tennis, because, I mean, I'm sure they showed the match same time in China, so many ‑‑ maybe children, they saw the match, and they think that maybe one day they can do the same or even better.

            Q.  Could you explain us what kind of work you made before this season, something special maybe to improve?

            NA LI:  I really didn't know.  Just after change the team, and then we going well.  So, yeah, maybe the team gave me a lot of confidence, positive thing.  Yeah.

            Q.  What is your feeling compared to Melbourne Australia when you made the final?  Is that more happier?

            NA LI:  Of course Melbourne was more exciting because it's first time to the final.  Here was ‑‑ because I have one time in the final already, so this time not so exciting.

            And also, you know, you still have one more step to the going, so you couldn't stopping here.  Yeah.

            Q.  What has Michael Mortensen done with your play the last month?  Will he continue with as your coach after French Open?

            NA LI:  Yeah, I think we will talk about after French Open if we continue or not.  Because he has a family, so I would like to ask him how many weeks he can traveling with me.

            Because I couldn't say, Come on, let's go.  Which tournaments?  So I still happy with what he do.  He's working so hard with me, and for my team, also.  So we will talk about this after the French Open.

            Q.  What has he done with your play?

            NA LI:  I mean, yeah, he's trust me a lot.  He give me a lot of confidence.  Also, he say, You know, every person have the mistake, so I should give the chance to have the mistake.  Yeah.

            Q.  What is it you've done that's helped you play better on clay?

            NA LI:  Ah, I mean, yeah, before I try to do the exercise on the court but never win the point.  But this time, yeah, I make the point, so change a little bit.

            Q.  You have been saying that you prefer to play against a big hitter like Sharapova than the Spanish‑style of players.  What happens if you play against Schiavone?  Because she plays a very Spanish style.

            NA LI:  What happen?  Just play.

            I mean, right now I couldn't ‑‑ how do you say?  I couldn't do anything, because now I was sitting press conference.  And even in the match always like against opponent, so we will see who can control on the court.

            Yeah.

            Q.  Everybody say you make a story here at Roland Garros.  What do you think?

            NA LI:  Is true.  (Laughter.)

            I mean, what I can say?  First time to the final.  Yeah.  So I just need one more step and then my dream is come true.  Yep.

            Q.  So you reached the Australian Open final and you didn't have success.  How will you approach this final differently than Australia mentally or emotionally?

            NA LI:  You know, because Melbourne is first time to the final, you didn't have any experience before.  So you didn't know what happened, what I should do on the final.

            But this time, I mean, is second time to the final.  Of course, you know what you should do.  I know it's different surface, but you play six matches already.

            So, yeah, this time I know what I should do in the final.

            Q.  At 29, why are you having such success at this age?

            NA LI:  Age didn't mean anything.  Age just paper.  It's just plus one.  Doesn't mean anything for the age.

            Yeah, I know maybe for the Asia player they growing up for a little bit late for European player, but I'm think 29 is too late, too old.  I'm still feel I am young, so...  (Smiling.)

            Q.  Last Christmas, if someone came up to you and said, Guess what, you'll reach the Grand Slam finals in the next two Grand Slams, what would you have said to them?

            NA LI:  Thanks.  (Laughter.)

            I mean, what I should say?  I don't know what I should say.  I just ‑‑ yeah, I only can say thanks and then try working hard.  Yeah, that's all.

            Q.  So this is your second Grand Slam final.  What does that mean for tennis in China?  And also, what does this mean to you personally as a player and as a person?

            NA LI:  I mean, I know it's not so many player can be same year two times in the final.  I make it; I do it.

            Of course, if I make it to the final, I come more confident on the court.  And also you have to believe in yourself you can do it.

            I don't know how much I can prove for China tennis, but I know if someone doing the final, if the children, they saw, Oh, it's not so bad; maybe some day they can doing better.

            So they have the goal what they have to do.  So I don't know how much I can prove, but I wish like tennis in China get bigger and bigger.

            Q.  It's your second slam final of the season.  Do you feel more of a star on the circuit now?

            NA LI:  No.  I just think it's just tournament.

            Q.  Just the tournament, surely.

            NA LI:  Yeah, just the tournament, just the match.  I mean, just keep going.  Yeah.

            Q.  Have you some interest in other sports, especially for China's athletes around the world in track and field, in basketball, I don't know?

            NA LI:  What?

            Q.  Your interest, your personal interest for other sport and other China athletes?

            NA LI:  Out of tennis, I don't like any sport.  (Laughter.)

            I mean, before I play badminton, and after I change.  So I think tennis was amazing sport.  You can challenge for yourself.  That's why I change.

            Q.  How long does it take you to prepare for the match mentally?  Because maybe half an hour before the match I saw the players and it was really relaxed.  Maybe is your preparation because of where you started at that time, so what should we do to prepare mentally, and how long does it take to you?

            THE MODERATOR:  Maybe a bit slower.

            NA LI:  Maybe a little bit slower, please.

            Q.  How long does it take you to prepare for the match mentally?  But not just training.  Can you explain the way you are preparing mentally?

            NA LI:  For us, we are professional players, so we have to prepare for every second. Of course, after the match like today, I'm not think about tennis anymore.

            But if like I have match like tomorrow, after I wake up I will think about, Okay, what I should do against the opponent or something.  You have to warmup, you have to talk to the coach, talk to the team what you should do, and warmup.

            And then just like automatic, the mental is really.  You don't have to think, Okay, start now.  I should start to thinking.  Yeah.

Roland Garros June 2 2011 - Maria Sharapova

N. LI/M. Sharapova

           

6‑4, 7‑5

MARIA SHARAPOVA

            Q.  After you have been probably at your best during the tournament, today something seemed to go wrong, like especially maybe too many double faults or some type of unforced mistakes.  Maybe was it her hard game that led you to try to hit harder and make mistakes.  How did it go today?  What made that?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, she played a very good match.  She certainly played a lot better than I did and a lot more solid, and, you know, she played the crucial points better.

            There were some ‑‑ I had some chances in the first set on her serve, a couple of games that went deuce and had a couple of break points.  I felt like I had a short ball and just didn't step in and then just made an unforced error.

            Then you kind of give your opponent confidence, and then, yeah, just ‑‑ and then at times I didn't serve well, and, you know, was rushing more than maybe I had to, and maybe went for ‑ considering the conditions ‑ maybe I was just trying to go for, you know, too big of second serves, especially.

            Yeah, little things like that.

            Q.  How much was the wind a factor in your tossing of the ball?  It was looking like you were finding the rhythm.

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, you know, it's tough for me; it's tough for her; it's tough for both of us.

            Q.  Is there a point during the match you told yourself, Okay, this is not working; I'm switching to plan B?  And if yes, what was plan B?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  I mean, you obviously try to adjust, especially after you lose the first set.  I still feel like I had my share of chances in the first set, and I just didn't take them.

            You know, I tried to move in a little bit more and be a little bit more aggressive, you know, but she was hitting the ball really deep and hard, and sometimes I was a little late, as well.

            Q.  Before and during the game, did you feel very different than yesterday?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  No.

            Q.  During the opportunity, how big is your disappointment?  What state of mind are you going to get going for Wimbledon and the next?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  This was a great result for me here.  You know, it's been a good season on clay.  I had a great tournament in Rome, and I got to the semifinals here after not being in this stage of a Grand Slam for a long time.

            So, you know, I'm quite proud of what I've achieved here, but I still feel like I have a lot of work to do.  You know, I don't have any doubt in the fact that I'll be going out and working on some things and trying to improve, as always.

            Yeah, it's good.  Obviously it's disappointing.  As an athlete you want to win.  There's no doubt.  But, you know, good retail therapy and I'll be fine.  (Smiling.)

Q.        In any case, you are moving better on clay.  I mean, I remember Ferrero, it took him semis, final, and in the end he won.  Will you try to come back and win here in the clay?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, of course I'm going to come back and try to win.  I'm not retiring or something just because I got to the semifinals.

            Q.  I mean, two semis, quarters, it's a good curriculum here.

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Thank you.

            Q.  What is the final step, in your opinion, that you have to make to be back on the highest stage?  Because you've always been a great fighter; that's not a problem.  Is it being maybe a bit more consistent on this high level, or not?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Well, I know you don't get from the first step to the 30th step in one jump.  I have always said it's a long journey, and there's going to be ‑‑ there's been tough moments.

            There's going to be good moments.  There's going to be good ones ahead, and there's going to be plenty of good ones that I'm going to cherish.  I really have no doubt in that.  That's why I go out and I keep working.

            As disappointing as it is to lose, I believe in my game a lot.  I know I can improve and improve and get better with every year.  I feel like especially on clay I'm getting better.

            Q.  Considering that you already won all the other Grand Slam tournaments, achieving a career Grand Slam would be obviously the biggest achievement you can still achieve.  Is it the main objective in the coming years, to win here now in Roland Garros?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Um, it's not ‑‑ I will always say maybe it's a coincidence that, you know, the three Grand Slams I won were different.  I would have been just as happy if I won two of one and one of the other.

            Obviously it's great that I have an opportunity, you know, to win all four.  It didn't happen this year, but it's not ‑‑ you know, for me, if I won another Grand Slam, whether it's not here, I think it will mean just as much and even more to me in my career than having it to be all four on all different ones.

            Q.  We have this unfortunate situation where you get off court, and immediately have to look to the future.  I would specifically like you to address Wimbledon where you've obviously had great success.  It's a surface you like.

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Uh‑huh.

            Q.  Just talk about coming off this run on clay and then going there, please.

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, I enjoy going to out to the grass from clay.  You know, the whole summer swing of things, you know, the warmup tournament and Wimbledon and then the summer swing in the U.S., you know, it's probably my favorite part of the season.

            I feel like I have a lot to look forward to.  Yeah, you just go on from here, you know.  The beauty of tennis is that there is a lot of tournaments during the year.

            Q.  Could you assess this whole Roland Garros from just an emotional standpoint, given how the last few months and year have been for you and what this whole run to the semis means to you?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, it means that I'm improving, that I'm stepping up, and I'm adjusting within the matches.  You know, I was down in some matches; I came back.  You know, I changed things around; I'm moving better.

            Yeah, I feel like it's been good progress, but it's not where I just want to end.

            Q.  If there were a final game between Marion Bartoli and Li Na, what would be your favorite in type of game?

            MARIA SHARAPOVA:  The tournament is over for me, so, yeah.

Roland Garros June 1 2011 - Andy Murray

A. MURRAY/J. Chela

           

7‑6, 7‑5, 6‑2

           

ANDY MURRAY

 

            Q.  How do you explain the sort of strange pattern of that match?  Was it the wind?  Was it the way that obviously the last few days have gone for you?

            ANDY MURRAY:  It was just very up and down.  The wind obviously doesn't help, but it was just a really scrappy match.  I didn't start particularly well and then got a little bit better, started moving a bit better towards the end of the first set.

            Then I got up in the second, sort of maybe lost concentration a little bit, which you can't afford to do against someone like Juan who has a lot of experience on this surface.  Something I definitely won't get away with against Rafa.

            Then in the third set I played better, but it was just very scrappy.  I didn't think the standard of tennis was particularly good.  Struggled a bit with my rhythm, but I got through in straight sets.

            Q.  How far did this seem away on Saturday night?

            ANDY MURRAY:  You know, I'm surprised I'm here, to be honest, because I haven't actually played that well.  You know, aside from everything else that's happened, I haven't played particularly well.

            You know, that's a very good sign for me, because, you know, a few months ago I was not playing well and losing badly.  I haven't been playing that well.  I'm in the semis of a slam.  That's a good sign.

            Glad that I'm here, but, you know, I've got two days to rest up, recover, and get ready for Rafa, which is always one of the most exciting matches for me on the tour.

            Q.  Andy, you agree if I say that this is the first year your level on clay is high enough to win the French Open?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I didn't hear the start of the question.

            Q.  If I said that this is the first year that you're level on clay is high enough to win the French Open?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I think in the buildup to the French I was playing very well, and now I'm going to have to get that level out on Friday and sustain it for a long period, you know, to beat Rafa.

            But, you know, I feel I can do it.  It's just, you know, making sure that come Friday I, you know, play my best tennis.  I have to play a very consistent match, and I have to be mentally strong.  Tactically I'm going to have to be very good.

            So I can definitely win.  I just need to play my best.

            Q.  You talked about nerves before affecting you during the Troicki match.  Were the feelings a little similar did you feel today going into this one as well?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Not at all.  No, the match with Troicki was before ‑‑ yeah, yesterday before the fifth set was, you know, I was nervous.  Today I didn't really feel that way, but it was just because of the conditions it can sort of throw you off a little bit.

            And, you know, you might have tactics going into the match, and, you know, the way that you're sort of visualizing yourself playing.

            And then because of the conditions, you have to change that a little bit, play with a little bit more margin, which I didn't at the beginning of the match.  I was sort of going for shots that weren't on, made a lot of mistakes early.

            And then I started to do better after the beginning of the match.  But, no, I wasn't that nervous today in comparison with yesterday.

            Q.  Seemed like you moved better today.  Does the ankle feel like it's recovering?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, it's definitely getting better, you know, with each day and more sort of playing a match on it.  You know, you gain confidence more with the movement each time.

            I still, at times, wasn't moving great.  I was moving a lot better forward today, definitely moved better forward.  Sideways could still definitely be better.  But I felt it a few times.  Nothing major, but I just need to, in the next couple of days, do all the right things again.  A lot of treatment, a lot of icing, and I'm sure it will get better.

            Q.  The last few days have been kind of full of drama, kind of the king of the Suzanne Lenglen.  I don't know, maybe all the drama of all the matches.  Do you think you're fresh now mentally to go with Rafa, or do you feel like you wasted so much energy in the first part of the tournament?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I mean, I don't think I wasted the energy.  You know, I needed to fight back, you know, against Troicki in tough circumstances.  I think all my matches except that one were straight sets.

            You know, maybe, you know, it has been a tough few days for me mentally.  I'm glad I've got tomorrow off where I can rest and recover.  It does make a big difference, you know, in 48 hours ‑ or near enough ‑‑ 48 hours are enough to recover and calm myself down and take everything in and go from there.

            Q.  Do you think your match versus Djokovic in Rome was the best that you played on clay in your life, or recently at least?  And to play at that level would be enough to compete at a high level the same with Nadal, or not?

            ANDY MURRAY:  They're different matches.  It was definitely one of the best clay‑court matches I played.  The tennis was very high level, you know.  For the most part, it was very good.  And also, my match with Rafa a couple weeks before in Monte‑Carlo was also very high level.

            But, yeah, I mean, I have to maintain that for, like I say, a long period.  I'll have to play as well as I did for those days to give myself a chance.

            Q.  You like a challenge.  A guy with 43‑1 on the clay in Roland Garros, is that something that really gets you going?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, one of the best challenges in tennis.  Obviously his record here is ‑‑ well, it's incredible.  You know, yeah, definitely I look forward to it.  I understand obviously it's going to be an incredibly difficult match for me.

            But, you know, that's what I need to make sure the next sort of day and a half, two days, I do all the right things, watch some videos of matches that I played against him, and recover.

            Because you're going to need all of your reserves to get through a match with Rafa at the French.

            Q.  It's the first time you're reaching semifinals in the French Open.  Are you happy enough with that, or you want to go further?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I want to try and go further.  You know, it's a good result for me.  And like I say, I'm surprised a little bit because I haven't played as well on a surface that, you know, I haven't been as comfortable on, you know, the last few years.

            So I'm happy that I'm in the semis.  It's a good result.  But I want to ‑‑ obviously want to go further.  It's not worth going through what I've gone through the last four or five days to just sort of be happy getting to the semis.

            Q.  There's obviously been a lot of talk from Rafa himself about maybe the fact he's not feeling his best, he hasn't been playing his best.  Do you take any confidence from that, or do you think it's sort of being a bit overplayed?

            ANDY MURRAY:  He's still playing pretty good, so I know Rafa will play excellent tennis against me on Friday.  Pretty much every time we've played we've had some really good matches and he's always played well.

            Even in practice he plays well against me, so I don't expect him to play badly on Friday.

            Q.  Haven't you been surprised the fact that the four top men are in the semifinals and in the women draw, none of the top four is in the semifinal?  Before, women's tennis we're always respecting, you know, the rankings.  Now it's completely the opposite.  How do you explain it?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Well, I think because some of the most consistent ladies aren't here.  Henin has retired; Clijsters was coming back for her first tournament for quite a long time; obviously Serena is not playing, and that's going to ‑‑ I mean, if you can imagine a men's Grand Slam without Federer and Nadal, then it's going to be a bit ‑‑ you know, everyone's not going to know what's going to happen.  There's going to be some surprises.

            So I think, yeah, it's a little bit surprising.  But most of the names that are still in are very, very good players.  So it's not ‑‑ I don't think, everyone knew going in there were going to be strange results and different people towards the end of the tournament.

            Schiavone won last year, Na Li made the final of the Australian Open, and Sharapova is one of the best competitors in the game.  So I don't think it's that surprising.

            Q.  Could you spend a couple of words about the other semifinal?  Nadal said the best player of history against the best player of the moment.  What's your opinion?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I mean, it's going to be a great match.  I'm sure it will be interesting to see how they both play.  I'm sure for Novak it will be a little bit strange; five days off in the middle of a Grand Slam is very rare.  He definitely wouldn't have been through it before.

            We were talking about it a little bit the last couple of days.  Like what would you actually do if you had five days during a Grand Slam?  Would you play some sets?  Would you take it easy?

            I know he's played a lot of tennis, but, you know, he's got to be switched on from the start against Roger, because he's playing Roger.

            So it will be very interesting, and I think if the conditions are like they have been the last few days, it's going to be pretty unpredictable.

            Q.  Do you think that your poor start to the matches here over the past two days are in a way related to your ankle condition?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I think the match with Troicki, yeah, for sure; today, no, I don't think so.  Because I hadn't really tested my ankle out before going out against Troicki, I didn't move particularly well.  Not used to playing with heavy strapping on my ankle, so I moved badly.  It was very stiff in my movement early.

            But I don't think today it was anything to do with my ankle.  I just didn't play well.

Roland Garros June 1 2011 - Robin Soderling

R. NADAL/R. Soderling

           

6‑4, 6‑1, 7‑6

           

           

ROBIN SODERLING

            Q.  Today it was windy out there.  Was it a key factor?  You couldn't serve so well as you expected or Nadal moved, or a little...

            ROBIN SODERLING:  Um, yeah, of course it's always difficult to play when it's windy, but it's the same for both players.

            As you said, you know, it was ‑‑ in the beginning it was tough to serve really well.  I think first two sets was pretty windy, and then it got a little bit easier, a little bit calmer in the third set.

            But overall, it was a little bit difficult today.

            Q.  Did you feel a big difference in your game in the third set?  Did you feel you could come back in the third?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, well, at least I tried, you know.  I'm really happy the way I finished the match.  Of course, you know, I had a few break points at 5‑All.  Maybe I could have won the third set.

            But it's best of five.  It's still a long way to go.  At least that's a start.  Then he played a really good tiebreak.

            Q.  In the past days, Nadal was saying that he was not playing too well.  How did you find him today?  Do you think he was playing at his best, more or less, or did you expect him worse or not?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  I think to play against the world No. 1 you never expect anyone to play bad.  I mean, it would be pretty stupid.  I think, you know, about his game, I think it's better you ask him, because it's tough for me to say.

            To me he played a good match, you know.  As usual, he didn't miss much, and I think he served pretty well also during the conditions, which were not easy.

            So I think ‑‑ I think he should be pretty happy with his match.

            Q.  When we think about the match where you beat Nadal here two years ago and then the two other matches you lost, the final and today, like when you look back at them, what was the difference in the first one that made you win?  Or was it that he was not waiting, this kind of fast groundstroke game from you?  What made the difference that made that you lost the last two and won the first one?  How do you analyze it?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  Well, every match is always a new one.  It's always different.

            But of course the match here in 2009 where I won I played really well.  As you said, I served well.

            I just had a little bit of a better day than today, of course.  You know, I took my chances.  I really did in that match, which I didn't do today, especially ‑‑ well, I only had some chances in the third set.

            But, you know, to win a match like this you have to take your chances.

            Q.  You mentioned Rafa's serve.  How surprised were you to see him going for the wide serve on those break points you had at 5‑All, and then once in the tiebreaker when he was going to your backhand all the time?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  Well, I think this is the serve he goes to all the time when he's under pressure.

            So I was not very surprised.  But he did it well.  It was not easy to serve today.  But I think he served well.  He had a high first percentage, so he made it difficult for me.

            Q.  You mentioned that you had problems with your serve, especially because of the wind in the beginning of the match.  But did you feel you also had a problem with backhand or forehand?  Was the serve the main problem?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, to win a match like this I need to serve better than I did today.  Of course.  And obviously play better, as well.

            But I think, you know, I'm feeling pretty good.  This wasn't a great match, but it's still not bad, you know.  I said before I'm really happy with the way I played in the third set.  I came back.

            You know, I lost the first two, and the second one was not good at all.  And then, you know, I come back, I really gave it a fight, and I was even close to winning the third set.

            Q.  I don't even know if you know this, but two days ago Rafa said he didn't feel confident that he could win the tournament; he didn't feel good about his level.  First of all, were you aware of those comments going into this match, or no?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, you guys told me.

            Q.  So my question is:  When you hear that, do you think, Oh, he's vulnerable, or do you think he's even more dangerous and I'm not going to listen to this at all?

            ROBIN SODERLING:  No, I don't care at all.  Nothing.

Roland Garros June 1 2011 - Juan Ignacio Chela

A. MURRAY/J. Chela

           

7‑6, 7‑5, 6‑2

           

           

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA

 

            Q.  I would like you to make a summing up of your French Open 2011.  I'm sure you had good feelings on the court, especially compared with other years.  Can you give us a briefing about that?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  Well, it was a very good tournament for me.  It's the second time I've reached the quarterfinal here and the third time I'm in a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament.

            I didn't expect that in my career.  I'm very pleased.  Of course I'm just coming out of the match right now and I'm still under the feeling that I lost, but I believe I will leave this tournament with a positive feeling.

            Q.  But this was a change of plans for you maybe, so how are you going to get organized now?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  Well, now, thanks to my new ranking, I'll be top 20, more or less, and I would like to finish even better at the end of the year.

            I want to keep pumped up and to keep improving.

            Q.  You played very well during that match.  Can you explain how that first set escaped from you?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  Yes, it's a pity I lost that set.  Against those good players, you have very few opportunities.  If you have one, you need to convert it.

            So two breaks up, and one was just along the line and I missed it.  So I think that set was a key in the match.  After, I was always behind and running after the score.

            Q.  2004 was the year where you beat Coria.  Are you here to show that Argentina is still here?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  Yes.  Most players of my country, most of them are retired now.

            So the difference between now and 2004 is that at the time I was the only one who had lost in the quarterfinal.  I remember Paola Suárez winning the doubles also, or in the finals at least that year.

            I remember that when I came back a lady in the plane asked, What was your result?  I said, I lost and Nalbandian won.  She touched my shoulder and she said, Don't worry.  We'll take you home all the same.

            Now, well, I'm alone.  And because I'm the only one, people think I did very well.  But of course those years were better for Argentina.

            Q.  So it's a bad year for Argentina?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  No, it was a good year, all the same, because we had other good results.  Juan Martin is the best player from Argentina this year.  For me, it's a bonus.

            Q.  You know, at one stage you said, Maybe I'll just play Davis Cup.  Now how did you get pumped up to continue working and to carry your career so far?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  Well, this year when I said, no, I'm not gonna play anymore, not even the Davis Cup, well, the next day we reached the final.

            And during the year I have played many tournaments and the Davis Cup.  But after playing all that I was extremely tired, and I made a decision that was a difficult decision, because I was injured.

            People said, It's not very bad, but it was bothering me a lot.  It was bothering me.  I had some pain.  So I tried to come back.  I was using tape.

            But I wanted to do well immediately.  I had a lot of pressure and I was not able to win any matches or tournaments, so I had to play the challengers again.

            But I knew it was the right way to come back.  And to come back among the top 100, top 50, it was the only way.

            So I was playing each match as if it was the final in a Grand Slam.  I was practicing every day, day after day.

            Q.  Before that tournament, I believe you were planning to play one year more or maybe two years more.  Have you changed your mind now that you have some good results?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  No.  I'm going to play next year, that's for sure, because I have a good ranking and I still want to play.  I'm very eager to play.  But after that, I don't know.  We'll see.  We'll see.

            Q.  Did you talk with your family or people from Argentina?  I guess everyone was watching your match there.

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  Well, they're all very happy.  They know what it means for me and they know how I enjoy tennis.  I worked for that.  My wife ‑‑ for my wife it's a very important day, too.  She has exams today, so I think she didn't even have time to watch the match.

            THE MODERATOR:  Any English questions, please?

            Q.  You had plenty of chances in the first two sets, but you didn't obviously convert them.  Can you explain what happens?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  (Through translation.)  In the first set, the opportunities were better.  I was two breaks up, and he is a player who plays very well, who volleys very well.

            So I had a set point that I was not able to convert.  Against that type of player, if you don't convert your opportunities, then it becomes very difficult.

            In the second set it was the contrary.  He was up all the time and I was fighting back.  I thought I could come back into the match, and again it was 7‑5.

            Q.  He's got a very good record against you.  Do you think there is something special in his game that bothered you?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  (Through translation.)  I think he has a good record against many other players, not only me.  I think he can win Grand Slam tournaments.  He's a very complete player, and he can mix it up a lot.

            He does everything well, and he can play against any player.

            Q.  Yesterday he said he seriously injured his ankle.  Did you have the feeling that he was indeed seriously injured?

            JUAN IGNACIO CHELA:  (Through translation.)  I'm not sure his ankle bothered him a lot.  If he was really injured, I don't believe he would have been able to run that much.

            He played five sets begins Troicki.  We played three hours, and I didn't notice he had any difficulty in running.