HE SAID/SHE SAID: Wimbledon Day 1

HE SAID/SHE SAID is officially back! Apparently, the Wimbledon officials have more sense than the Roland Garros officials and have allowed transcripts to be posted a day later. See? Now everyone's happy (at least I am)...

Q. Given how long you've been playing now, is it fair to call you an 'old school player'?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Uhm, 'old school' has a lot of good connotations, you know what I mean? But, uhm, I'm not sure like in the style of my game I'd be old school. I still think I come out with a lot of new moves, so...

Q. How nice was it for you to see your mother and father sitting in the Royal Box in the front row?

RAFAEL NADAL: Too many beautiful things to saw my mom and my dad in the Royal Box. For sure can just say thanks to Wimbledon, to the people who organize this fantastic tournament to invite my mother and father to the Royal Box. I think for them was a great experience. So, yeah, everything in general was very, very nice today.

Q. How did the break play out, the break for rain? What effect do you think it had on the game?


FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: For me it was fantastic because really I start the third set and I couldn't understand why she was playing so aggressive and I couldn't move her. So at the end I say, Something is not working. Of course, when they put the roof, I went back to the locker room and I spoke with Barazzutti. He say something to me, something that was really important. So I came back and I was playing better.

Q. He told you to work more on moving her around?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah.

Q. Did you make them a cup of tea when [the drug testers] arrived?

ANDY MURRAY: My Mum did, yeah, which we shouldn't make them cups of tea. You know, it's just very intrusive when you get someone sort of in your house in the morning. When you're going to the toilet and they're staring at you, it's a bit... you know, in your own home, it's just quite strange feeling. (Laughter.)

Q. Are you sure they're drug testers?

ANDY MURRAY: You hope so. I've actually spoken with a few of the players about that in the past that, you know, they could easily... because it's not like we ever check. I don't really check, you know, whatever they're saying.

Q. They don't have a card saying...

ANDY MURRAY: They do, yeah. They do have the card, but I don't know. I mean, you're not going to know if it's real or not, are you?

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

Who are your final four ladies of Roland Garros? Let's find out!

So it's set. The Roland Garros final four of the ladies' draw were decided today: In the top half we have Francesca Schiavone battling homegirl Marion Bartoli while the bottom half features a Nike showdown between Maria Sharapova and Li Na. Wanna get to know them better? Anyone? Bueller? Fuck it. Just read on.

NAME: Francesca Schiavone
AGE: 30
BIRTHPLACE: Milan, Italy
RESIDENCE: Milan, Italy
SEEDED: 5th
This lady baller is the defending champion and likes to go by the nickname “Schiavo”. She enjoys gesturing wildly during her matches (did I mention Schiavo’s Italian?), referring to herself in the third person and making out with the clay when she wins. Last year, she became the first baller from her country to win a major. BRAVA!

NAME: Marion Bartoli
AGE: 26
BIRTHPLACE: Le Puy en Velay, France
RESIDENCE: Geneva, Switzerland
SEEDED: 11th
This Frenchie has an IQ of 175 to match her unorthodox tennis game. She plays double-handed on both sides, enjoys shadow swinging between points and playing yarn games with her cat named Calinette. Oh, she'd also like a sponsor, so if anyone has any interest please tell her dad. She kinda plays well you know.

NAME: Maria Sharapova
AGE: 24
BIRTHPLACE: Nyagan, Russia
RESIDENCE: Bradenton, FL and some place in Manhattan Beach, CA
SEEDED: 7th
This Russian blondezilla, affectionately nicknamed “Shrieka” on this blog, is a 3-time Grand Slammer who recently got engaged to fellow giant Sasha Vujacic, a basketballer for the New Jersey Nets. She likes to design her on-court fashions, learn about architecture and spend nights counting her ever-growing bank account. Dislikes? Volleying. She’s due to release her latest creation, SUGARPOVA - a tennis-themed candy, in the very near future.

NAME: Li Na
AGE: 29
BIRTHPLACE: Wuhan, China
RESIDENCE: Wuhan, China
SEEDED: 6th
This semifinalist from China is all about making history. She became the first baller from her country to reach a Grand Slam final (Oz Open ’11) and first to make it past the fourth round in Paris. She enjoys shopping, using credit cards and generally kicking ass in all interviews.

Good luck ladies!

[Photo(s): AFP, Getty, AP]

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Francesca Schiavone

 I live and love tennis when I can express myself. I'm improving. In some years I'll be good.

- Francesca Schiavone on her on-court expressiveness

Heh. Boy, that Schiavo can play some dirt ball. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, like Caroline Garcia against Maria Sharapova, played a stellar set and a half blitzing the defending champ. But when it came time to close the deal experience prevailed. Disappointing loss for the Russian but Fran be tough on the slippery stuff.

[Photo(s): AFP PHOTO / PATRICK KOVARIK]

MEDIA MASHUP: WTA celebrates year-end Championships, launches new logo

Seven of the eight lady ballers who qualified for the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships in Doha made their way to the official draw ceremony last night. Roland Garros champ Francesca Schiavone, US Open champ Kim Clijsters, Wimbledon + US Open finalist (edit: and new World No. 2 today) Vera Zvonareva, World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva and Roland Garros finalist Sam Stosur got their glam on before making their way to the event. The eighth qualifier, Victoria Azarenka, was busy beating Maria Kirilenko in Moscow for her second title of the year and fifth overall.

The tourney begins tomorrow and features a round robin format with the lady ballers broken out into two groups. The Maroon group features Wozzi, Fran, Sam and Elena while Kimmie, Bepa, Vika and JJ make up the White group. View the full singles draw here.

The ladies also helped tour Chairman & CEO Stacey Allaster, joined here by President of the Qatar Tennis Federation Nasser Ghanim Al Khelaifi (4th from left) and Tournament Director of the WTA Championships Doha 2010 Karim Alami (5th from left), launch the revamped identity for the WTA brand including a new logo. Via the WTA tour:

The new mark is designed to serve as a distinctive and modern reminder of the captivating athleticism and excitement that has driven the international popularity and growth of women's pro tennis and placed it firmly at the nexus of sport and entertainment.

The design of the new brand image departs from conventional sport logos by not featuring a figure of a female tennis player, but rather putting the emphasis on the letters W, T and A. The symbol also incorporates subtle references to the sport: the oval shape of the mark is a reference to both the imprint a tennis ball leaves on the court and to the shape of a racquet, while the yellow circle as the crossbar of the A recalls a tennis ball. The new core brand identity will be fully integrated throughout the WTA and women's tennis, including in TV graphics, print materials, tournament branding, advertising, promotion and digital and social media in all its forms throughout the 2011 season.

Here's some video promoting the new logo:



Check out more images from the draw ceremony here. Listen, I know I didn't comment on each lady baller's outfit but I didn't want to sound like a broken record. You guys know how I feel about their repeated attempts at 'fashion' for these events. At least their consistency gives me comfort, like a pair of ratty, worn-in sweatpants. Heaven.

Today, the ladies were given the chance to leave their mark on this year's Championships by offering up their hand prints before heading to their pre-tourney pressers. Here's Wozzi's helping:

BONUS: Hello make up man. Even Elena looks intrigued. Who you be?

[Top image + video: WTA tour, Elena image: Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Surprise!

"Somebody pinch(ed) me."

Former World No. 3 Elena Dementieva, who now sits at No. 10 in the WTA rankings, seemed to shock even herself after reaching her first final since Kuala Lumpur back in February defeating Roland Garros champ Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-5. She'll face off against Caroline Wozniacki, who gave up a 5-0 lead in the decider before finally closing out Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4, for the title.

Elena has become such a sympathetic figure on the tour particularly after her heartbreak in Paris earlier this year. But even before that moment, the well-read Russian always came across as someone who worked extremely hard at her game (was there any other way to fix that serve?) but never got the big pay off she deserved. And her fans. The ones who, even though she's ballin' big and torching her draw, live with the dreaded feeling that something will go terribly awry. And they're usually right.

Let's be honest, though. The 28-year old has had her chances including two major final appearances. Will she get another opportunity to enter the tennis history books? It's hard to say. Elena will need a few things to fall in her favor during the two weeks of a Slam for her to make that breakthrough. There are some who have completely written the Russian righty off, though, and point to this year's Roland Garros as the last, best chance she had at winning that maiden major. But I have only one thing to say to those doubters: SCHIAVO.

[Photo: AP]

PHOTO OP: Fisting it

 

"Ok, just smile and pump, smile and pump..."

See what I mean? It's just a pre-presser for Tokyo and not the baller party but they've still got them doing some freaky stuff on stage. Let's hope that whatever they've got in store for them at the actual party has nothing to do with fists or pumps. *shivers*

In any case I bet JJ's channeling her best NaturAna. I mean, it's not like she hasn't done THAT before.

 [Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Day Nine

Q. I couldn't hear what you said on court about your victory salute. Do you give it a name? What is it?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: What kind of name you are waiting? (Smiling.) Just salute for thanks for crowd, you know. Everybody a lot of guys are kiss their hands and say thanks, put racquet up and say thanks. I do like this one.

Q. Do you practice it?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: After I winning matches.

Q. You haven't beat her in seven meetings. Coming into this match and considering how well you were playing in the tournament, can you talk about your expectations in terms of facing Venus, and is it that much more disappointing to lose this one?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah. Is a lot of disappointed, because I have the chance and the quality real to beat her because she doesn't like to play with me. I play different ball; I push her in defense; I don't give her the chance to play how she want, so every time I think we have a big fight. I don't know what she thinks, but I can say the true, and that often is the difference between me and other players. I can tell you the true. If I am injured, I tell you I am injured. If I am good, I say I am good and she play better. So this time is for her, but I will find the way to beat her. Yeah, yeah.

Q. Is that the case then tonight, that she was just better? Is that what you're saying?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Si. I think I lost a little bit more this match than she won. But in the same times, I can say that she serve so good. Is big arm is big part of tennis. And with wind, she has a little bit more chance than me. But for sure she play good in the most important moments. She serve when she had the possibility. She serve an ace. So we are two great athletes. One has to win; one has to lose.

Q. What's the scariest thing about Verdasco to you?

RAFAEL NADAL: Everything. He's a very complete player. He has all the shots and he's playing very well, no? Much better than he did last months, so gonna be very difficult match. I saw him play today, and I saw him play against Nalbandian the other day. He's playing very good tennis, so gonna be a very interesting match. I have to play aggressive, to play well. It not gonna be impossible, I think.

Q. Do you think you've got any edge just because of how long he spent on the court today?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't know. We don't know yet, no? We will see in one day and a half. I think we are fit enough to resist that. It was four hours?

Q. Four and a half.

RAFAEL NADAL: What? Four hours 23, so, yeah, was long, but I played in Australia five hours 15 minutes in semifinals, and I had to play the final one day later. So I was very tired, but I was ready. I think for sure he gonna be ready.

Q. [Schiavone] said in her press conference that you don't like playing her. I don't know how she garners that, but that's what she said.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. She said the reason was she pushes you to the wall; she shows you a lot of things that other girls don't; is that true? Do you not like playing her? Does she present certain challenges to you that, you know, that stand out?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I like seeing my name next to her name. I'm good with that.

Q. You're 7-0 against her.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. (Laughing.)

Q. I pointed that out, too. You come in, you're 7-0 against her over the years. You come into the match, and she was playing very strong tennis in this tournament and obviously earlier in the summer.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. What were your thoughts coming into the match facing her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, I've played her for so many years. There have been times when she's had me down, but fortunately I was able to come back. I think, you know, when your record against a player isn't that great you have to keep positive, and, you know, do whatever it takes to get out there and play a good match.

She does that every time. I know when I play her I'm gonna have to play good tennis. I really do enjoy our matchups, obviously, because I usually come out on top. But I enjoy it.

Q. Could you kind of describe match point? That's a shot that is going to go down for a long time.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Is tough to explain. You are just you are with your sixth sense in the ball, in the point, knowing how important is, and, you know, just trying to run, fight, all the balls. So when I did the backhand along the line passing shot, you know, I was like even surprised that he took the volley. Of course, my reaction was just keeping the point and start running forward. Because normally with these volleys it's a dropshot, no, you gonna make another long volley. So I start running, and I just saw that space. (Smiling.) You know, is tough. Is tough to explain, because is like really short period of time and you are just running and trying to get the ball. When you see there a little bit of space, you just try to put the ball in. It was like unbelievable.

Q. But was the space you were looking at actually between the net and the chair?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I was just first trying to get the ball; after that, yeah, it was only space. He was in the middle of the court, so I didn't see a space to play crosscourt. I saw a little bit of space just on the top of the net, just in between, like you said, the chair and the net, and I just tried to put the ball inside, inside out no, outside in, and it's good. (Laughing.) So happy when I saw that the ball was going in.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Seven + Eight

DAY 7

Q. Do you think Nadal is gonna be able to figure out how to win this tournament here in New York eventually?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't think it's gonna be an obsession for him at all. He just come here to play his best tennis, and as he normally does. It's not gonna be an obsession.

Of course if he wins here he will have the whole Grand Slam because he won already three of them, but I don't think he has to, you know, be focused only on that goal.

Q. You're a friend. Do you think he will figure it out? Do you think he will do it eventually?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: He will probably do it. I mean, he's still 24. A lot of years to play, so he will have the chance. I think so.

Q. Sorry about the ridiculousness of this question, but they were making a big deal on TV about you tugging at your dress. You just didn't seem comfortable out there. I know it was windy, but was the dress bothering at all?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. The only thing that bothered me was when I didn't win the point, I think. That was it.

Q. Speaking of your sequinned tennis dresses, I think they're gorgeous. It's become the talk of the Open. What color are we gonna see next?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I do have some more colors, but so far I've worn the colors I liked best. So we'll see how I feel in the next round if I just do a repeat or something new.

Obviously the dresses are super fun. It's just fun. Hopefully just as much fun as my game is, and seeing those kind of fun in big shots.

Q. What happens to the old dresses? Like do you store them somewhere? Put them on a wall? Honestly, are they just gone?

VENUS WILLIAMS: They get retired. A lot of times people ask me for them. There aren't many, so I don't really give them away. But like the Wimbledon museum asked me for one of my -- the Tina Turner dress. I think maybe the Tennis Hall of Fame maybe asked me for the can-can from the French.
So of course that's awesome when people ask me for those. But other than that, they get retired, and...

Q. Do they become rags that you use?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, historically I've saved like one of each dress. I do a lot of the organizing at the house, so I'll save one of Serena's, too. Lately she's taken over that. But I think at the end of the day, I think, you know, to have an exhibition of all the dresses we've worn, I think that be -- it would be very interesting, I think. Hopefully that will happen one day.

Q. Nadal said on the court you had a baby.

GILLES SIMON: Yeah.

Q. Two days ago?

GILLES SIMON: Yeah. That's why I'm going to be short. (Laughter.)

Q. Boy or girl?

GILLES SIMON: Boy.

Q. Name?

GILLES SIMON: Timothy. Like Timothy in English.

Q. When is your flight home, and how eager are you to get home?

GILLES SIMON: As soon as possible. I don't know yet. But I had a great match to play this afternoon. I knew that if I lose, I will be home right after. So my coach is doing the booking. (Smiling.)

Q. Were you distracted at all by these thoughts on the court?

GILLES SIMON: A little bit. It's hard to focus for me the last three days. But I think I was playing good. The two first sets were nice. I had some problem with my return today. I missed a lot of return. And then the third set, I have to say that I was already in the plane. (Laughter.)

Q. I assume you grew up on a clay courts at home. How did you get so good on a hardcourt?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I think I have physically the possibility because I am fast. And also to keep going, to mix this kind of shot, that is my quality. Is not easy to play on hardcourt, so I think I put some problems to the players to play so different.

Q. With your spin?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: For sure on the clay I have more time, so I can take you and go 10 shots, 20 shots, 30 shots. Here is not like this. But in the same way, I can do serve and volley, I can play faster, I can play slow and back. Is a mix. It's like Capricciosa pizza. I don't give you margherita, I give you Capricciosa, different kind of ingredient.

Q. There was a report this afternoon that the other day you didn't want to take one of the transportation vans that had a picture of Roger. Can you describe what happened?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, if you know me, you know that I not gonna do. This is very stupid thing. I was in a van of the picture of Roger, both sides of the van, like 15 times these two weeks. (Smiling). So that's very stupid thing. That's never happen.

Speaking seriously, is better the other side. I want this car because is bigger, and I am more comfortable with this car than with the others. You can see the car of Roger's photo is there, is outside, is a van. So is much bigger than the other ones.

Roy know, the manager of the transportation, that I always want this car. So it was good.

Q. Did you get out of that car that had his picture or you stayed in it?

RAFAEL NADAL: I thought my English was better. (Laughter.) I said I went with this car 15 times.

DAY 8

Q. Did you have confidence in that third set when you were down a break that maybe you might not have had if you were down a break in the first set just because you had seen [Gasquet] be kind of shaky to that point?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, I was still confident. I won't lie, on that one set point, I had like to hit backhand passing shot. It was tough. But then when you save it, you know, for sure I knew if it was my set point and miss it like this, I knew like I will be thinking or this or that. Just try to be solid, put pressure for him. And also, Richard, he doesn't really like pressure. He love like good play, not play. He don't like a lot of crowd around, the crowd involved. He don't like see the opponent like show emotions. Just play with that, play a bit with his mind, and that was it.

Q. You won in three straight sets. Do you feel like it could have gone either way?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, it could have gone -- I mean, I could have got two sets down, for sure. Two sets down. But like I told you, I mean, my mentality today was to push him like hard in head and hard in physically and try to break him physically and break him in the head. That was my plan.

Q. You held your serve pretty easily at 3 2. The next two, three games you lost your range. Did the wind pick up?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Which set?

Q. The second set.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, yeah. But you could say that about so many different areas in the game today. Like I said, I played two good points and then made two return errors. It wasn't like she was hitting 120 serves out there. You know, in those situations, I didn't really give her a chance to play. I felt like I was just giving it out there.

Q. What are your thoughts on the state of your game now, your return from the shoulder problems, what you foresee down the road?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I think it just needs to be more stable and not so up and down, especially against an opponent like her. Uhm, you know, I need to string a few more things together than I did. It's all really capitalizing on what you have. You work hard for something, and then you let it slip away. I think I've just got to capitalize on that. Obviously, a bit unfortunate in the Grand Slams. I had my fair share of chances and didn't take them throughout this whole year in the big events. Uhm, you know, that's just the way it's gone. But keep moving forward, keep working hard.

Q. When we think back three years ago when you were the sensational finalist and the joker on the court, don't get me wrong, but it seemed easy came for you, a, of things. Is that right, or maybe a wrong...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, depends really, because at that time I was a 19 , 20 year old kid who just didn't care much about pressure or anything and didn't know what's pressure and expectations. Just hitting the ball, being very aggressive and open minded and just playing great game. I think a lot of us wish to have this kind of attitude on the court and not thinking about some things, some side factors that can affect your game, which in this present moment is something I have to deal with. But on the other hand, the positives of me as a player today is that I have more experience, I'm stronger, I just played so many matches on the big stage. I still enjoy. I still enjoy even though I'm not doing my impersonations on the court or after, but I still very much enjoy what I do.

Q. So you described how there was no pressure then. What's the pressure like now, and how are you dealing with it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, once you get mature, then you experience some things in your life, and, you know, you get to the stage when you're one of the best players in the world. Then you're not coming in Grand Slams anymore as somebody who is young and kind of the first 30, 20 in the world and not expected to go far and you don't have that amount of expectations on your back. On the other hand now, you know, you're getting into the tournaments and matches as somebody who is expected to win most of his matches he's playing on, and getting to the late stage of the second week. So that's something you have to deal with, and everybody deals with it. It's a challenge you have to overcome, and it makes you mentally stronger. So right now I learned over this year and a half how to deal with it and just happy with the process.

Q. How important is it to look good on the court for you?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I'm so lucky that I am the face of adidas and Stella McCartney and I have my own special line that no one else is wearing. I think that's really nice. For me it's important to feel good on court and of course to look good. Then I can focus on my tennis at 100%.

Q. In this case, don't you think it's a bit short, your dress?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's nice. I definitely am sure I'll get a lot of male fans now (laughter).

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Five + Six

Day 5

Q. How have you found the rhythm of your serve, because you're serving very well?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, Toni arrives and everything under control. No, seriously, I don't know. That's pretty strange, because I wasn't serve very well the previous days. I started to serve well one or two days before the competition. But the week of practice, I wasn't serve really well, no? I changed a little bit the grip, like five or six days ago, because I felt when I played against the wind I didn't have free points. So I needed that, no? So I tried to play the serve a little bit more aggressive. For the moment, it's working really well, so I going to try keep playing like this. And, sure, serve like this is a big confidence on my game.

Q. Considering your success at Roland Garros and a good run at Australia this year, do you feel right now you are as poised as you've ever been in your career, both mentally and physically, to get to semis, to get to a final, and to actually contend for this championship?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah. Why not? I think I've had a pretty consistent year, and now to get through -- I've never been past the second round here, so now to be in the fourth round is a big jump. I think it's just the kind of following on from the year I've had. It's pleasing to now back it up in another Grand Slam and to be playing well. Yeah, once you get to this point, you never know what can happen. So if you keep playing well, then, yeah, can you find yourself in maybe semis or finals. If I've been there once, I definitely want to try to be there again.

Q. Do you feel as confident as you've ever felt in this particular campaign where you are right now, as confident as you've ever been in your career?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, I never had a good US Open. If I wasn't feeling as confident as what I've ever been here, then I think there's something wrong. So I think I'm playing well and hitting the ball well. Yeah, I think I have a good chance.

Q. We see your mother as a coach, but how do you work physically?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean fitness?

Q. Yes, fitness.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I do have -- well, I don't have a fitness coach. I have some other people working with me, but my mom, she's definitely the one who's traveled with me. That's the person that I feel more comfortable with. So fitness is a big part of my game, and, you know, physically I feel pretty good playing all these years on the tour. So I always take, you know, lots of time during the offseason to get ready physically before I start my practice.

Q. Do you ever ask your mother to be a little more calm when she's watching, or...

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I always ask her, but I realize it's very difficult to watch and not be able to help. She's very emotional, and she really wants me to win. So it's kind of hard, because she's not only my coach, she's my mom. Well, I guess it's just very emotional for her.

Q. Does she know that she's very good on television? Because she looks so...

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: She hates when, you know, the camera goes on her. (Laughter.) She hates it.

Q. How much time do you spend in New Jersey?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Ooh, um, after I played that event in Brussels, I flew over to New Jersey for a few days afterwards. So I was there until, yeah, we left to Cincinnati. And then kind of in between Montreal and the US Open I was there for a couple of days. And before Indian Wells. You know, like whenever it fits with my schedule, obviously now. When I wasn't playing I spent more time here, obviously, in the summer. I was at our house more. But now time is kind of divided between going to tournaments and being there.

Q. Can you compare sort of the traditional lifestyle in Belgium with Jersey life?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, it's home. They're both home. I think you create that home atmosphere. You know, I even try to create it in our hotel room. No, I mean, it's obviously nice to go to a place that you're familiar and you can cook yourself and do everything kind of yourself. But obviously, you know, my childhood memories are in Belgium. You know, I still live in the same street as my parents used to live, where I grew up; my grandparents live next door. I mean, that's what I love, and that's obviously what I go back to, you know, when I go back after the US Open. That's what I look forward to the most is going back and just being there.

Q. If Rafa were to win here and complete the career slam, how do you think that will change the way his record is looked at, his career is looked at, in comparison with Roger's?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I hope he doesn't win the tournament this year (smiling). But, I mean, his record is incredible. You know, for someone so young, he's won pretty much everything, you know, bar here. You know, he's made a semifinal here a couple of times. If he wins, that's obviously great for him. But, I mean, his career is pretty impressive as it is anyway. He's won on all the surfaces; he's won Olympic gold; he's won however many tournaments. I'm sure he'd love to win here, but I don't think I mean, I'm sure for him it would be incredibly nice. It wouldn't change the way I view him as a player if he wins the US Open. To me, he's one of the greatest ever right now. He's going to win more slams. He's going to get closer to however many Sampras won, however many Roger wins by the end of his career.

Q. What are your thoughts on the speed of this court versus the speed at Wimbledon and how that affects Rafa's game?

ANDY MURRAY: It's quite clear the balls are a lot faster, a little bit harder to control the balls. Guys are serving harder. But I think the court itself I think grass is definitely still quicker than here. I just think because of the warm weather and obviously the balls being they seem very light in comparison to the Slazengers, which are pretty heavy. I think it's just a little bit harder to control the ball on the return. Obviously guys serve a little bit bigger, which might make it a bit harder for Rafa to break.

Q. You had such a wonderful breakthrough obviously in Paris. A lot of people might have expected you enjoy, sort of lose the rest of the season because you achieved this great thing. You really have seem to have reset yourself perfectly and are putting yourself in position again with another Grand Slam.

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Thank you.

Q. Was it mentally difficult to get over that and get yourself ready for the hard court?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yes, was difficult, but new experience give you the chance to make a new step. So everything that is new is maybe at the start a little bit slow and then came back, because I won the championship at Roland Garros. Is not another person. I have the chance to play again in a big Grand Slam like this. I want to do well. I have the quality and the opportunity to do it.

Q. So it made you hungrier?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah.

Q. You spoke in the past about some of the books you've been reading. What have you been reading this summer?

ANA IVANOVIC: I've been reading a lot Stieg Larsson's books, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. I'm on the third book. I've read about 50 pages in the last few weeks. I haven't had much time to read. Just trying to take a lot of walks and spend time outside. Didn't spend too much time in the room.

Q. Back to the Stieg Larsson books. The main character, Elizabeth Salander, she's a feisty character. Do you get any inspiration from that? She takes no nonsense from anyone.

ANA IVANOVIC: I do recognize myself in some of them. I do get very stubborn sometimes. That's a little bit annoying to my coaches. But, hey, you have to take the bad, too.

Q. Talking of the best, trying to perform the best you can, your outfit was really amazing. Could you talk to us about why you had that beautiful outfit and top it off with a victory.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, so far this year my outfits have been based off of cities that I play in. This outfit was really about New York. It's firework bursts actually on the dress. It's like bursts of fireworks. It's about a celebration of me playing my best obviously at home and kind of doing what I love and being able to wear something fun while I do it. So just always trying to do something fun on the court.

Q. Speaking of EleVen designs, have any female tennis players approached you trying to rob some of your designs?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, that will be fun. As my company continues to grow, maybe there will be some other representatives. Obviously, EleVen is about sport, but I don't think the primary focus will be tennis as it grows. It's just a small feature.

Day 6

Q. Have you looked a bit ahead [in the draw?] Do you know what's coming possibly next round and the round after?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, I saw Montanes won in his match against Nishikori. I will play him in the next round, which will be a very difficult match. We played many times. We had tough matches. Yeah, I think here was the first round last year we had a tough four setter, I think. He's a good player. It's gonna be tough.

Q. Do you know what might happen the round after that?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah. Everybody has been telling me that since the draw came out. I'm going against Roger in the quarters. He still needs to win two more matches, and I still have to win one more. It's still far ahead.

Q. Does that bother you people have been telling you, or it's gonna happen no matter what you do?

ROBIN SODERLING: No, I mean, I'm the fifth seed, so I know I'm gonna play one of the four top guys in quarters. I mean, they're all good players, so it doesn't really matter who I'm playing.

Q. The other day you spoke about how much you looked up to Maria and that you had never had the chance to meet her. Can you describe any interaction that you had with her before or after the match today?

BEATRICE CAPRA: Before the match, you know, she would just walk past me and kind of like give me a glare, which is kind of intimidating. (Laughter.) You know, after the match when we shook hands, she was really nice. She said, Great tournament. Keep up the hard work. You know, I think she's a really nice person. Yeah.

Q. What did that mean to you?

BEATRICE CAPRA: It meant a lot. It really meant a lot to me that she said that. She didn't have to say anything. But, I mean, it encourages me, I guess.

Q. Did you see Francesca Schiavone's shot between the legs?

ROGER FEDERER: I think I did see it. I'm not sure.

Q. Is it more difficult for a girl, in your opinion, to do it?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, yeah, because they never come to the net, so they'll never be lobbed. No, I've seen her hit some very good shots in the past already, you know. She has a great ability to come up with some different kind of variation for a woman's player, which is nice to see. I think she played incredible at the French Open. She is not scared of trying out a few things, you know. That's why I kind of like to watch her.

Q. When you were a junior, was the whole Maria [Sharapova] image thing something that you thought maybe one day you'd emulate?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, which way?

Q. Well, she's the big Nike girl. You're now Stella McCartney.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you know, to be honest, Kournikova was always for me the girl that I thought was just I wanted to be like her, definitely, you know. I thought she was very pretty; she was handling everything really nicely. You saw her everywhere in the commercials. I think I would more go for Kournikova.

Q. But what about on the court? Did you watch Maria's game? Did you see her win here in '06 or even Wimbledon when she was 17? What did you admire about her?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, of course. I think when you're a junior you see a lot of matches, in the women's game. And, yeah, I saw some of her matches, definitely. But, you know, she's a fighter; she never gives up. I think that's a great thing about her. But, you know, players that I really admired was, yeah, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis; those were the girls that I really looked up to.

Q. You're regarded as one of the toughest mentally out there on court, if not "the" toughest. Do you believe that in yourself? Also, how has the surgery and injuries since then, how have they really affected your confidence and perhaps showing you a little bit of vulnerability that you didn't have before?


MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, I mean, I do feel that, you know, especially in certain situations that I feel I don't know if the word "tougher" is the right word, but, you know, it's something that's, you know, won me many matches in my career.

Growing up I was never the biggest, the strongest girl on tour. You know, even though I have big shots, there are many girls that are more powerful that were quicker. But in certain situations -- you know, coming into juniors, I was playing girls that were much older than I am. You'd be in a position where it's 6 all in the third, and I'd have to battle it out. You know, I found a way to stay calm, and, you know, be tough inside of me. It wasn't really about, you know, seeing an error from the other side, and, you know, saying, come on or pumping the fist. It was more of a feeling you had inside of staying calm. That's kind of the toughness that I felt. Like I said, it's certainly won me many matches.

Q. Compared to other Opens, how are you feeling mentally and physically? You know, you're getting into the last final week. You have hopefully a few matches less until it's that final match. What's going through your mind right now?

GAËL MONFILS: I feel great physically. I mean, before the Open I was strong; I work hard like physically, so I feel great even if I have like long match. Basically I feel great. I hope the conditions will be better, and then I have like couple interesting like match to come one against Richard so I will try to play the best tennis I can. I know I can made it through the quarters, so I will try to take my chances on Monday.

Q. Do you think there's a lot of differences between your's and Richard's game?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, a lot. I think Richard is more talented than me in couple ways. Like he can adapt more about the conditions. Then I think I'm stronger than him physically, and maybe a bit mentally, also. Sometime he is like too defensive, like me. So actually it will be a good match, and we will see who's going to put like more pressure on the opponent.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]