PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

 

March 16, 2008

 

Amelie Mauresmo

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When you think back to 2006, two Grand Slams, where you were in the world rankings, how frustrating has your start this year been?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Very. I've been -- I've been answering this question for the last year, so I'm a little bit tired of doing it. It is obviously very frustrating, and it is obviously, you know, painful sometimes to go through these moments.

Q. Sure.
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: What else?

Q. How much does it affect the way you look at the future?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: It's always, you know, every time is always tough to handle, but then you just go back on the court and go back to work and do the best you can.
The moments are -- these moments are difficult, but then the career and the year continues.

Q. Is it the memory of the successes you've had that keeps you coming out and keep trying?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: No, it's the thing I would like for me and the thing -- the things I think I can still do on the court, and that's -- yeah, that's what I'm looking for. I'm just -- I think I can do better than that.

Q. What are your thoughts about what is the difference between when you were having those successes and right now? Have you any idea what's not happening for you?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I think I've been spending a lot of time of my career to -- I have a game where I can choose between different things to do, whether I stay back, whether I come in, whether I do a little bit of both and everything.
I felt that I spend most of the time finding how to use these weapons at the right moments, making the right choices. I feel that, for example on today's match, I make 70% of the time the wrong choice on the court, so -- for today.
So it makes it pretty difficult, so I have to -- and the confidence is probably, the building of these right choices.

Q. Aren't a lot of those choices though - you've been playing for so long - based on instinct?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: They are, when the confidence is in. When you've had a tough year like I had, I guess you have to work on those things and on those choices, unfortunately.

Q. Are you thinking too much then? You're overthinking what you should be doing?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: No, because I think -- yeah, I have to think about it, because it's not coming instinctively anymore, not until I guess I will have some more confidence.

Q. You're very young and very gifted. Are you buoyed or encouraged by the fact --
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Buoyed? What is that?

Q. It's a dumb English word. (laughter.) Kept floating.
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: (Speaking French.)

Q. That's close enough. Are you encouraged? Let's use that word. Buoyed is an interesting word. We'll talk about it another time.
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Yeah, another time. Thanks.

Q. That you can and will return? Is that burning within you?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: It's something I still believe in.

Q. Good.
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: But sometimes it's hard.

Q. Yeah, sure, sure.
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Yeah, it's not -- yeah, like, for example, right now after this match I feel a lot of uncertainties are in my mind, but I know that in one day or two I will go back to work again, as I said.

Q. You've had to go back to work a number of times in your career, because you've had injuries, ups and downs. Is it enjoyable now to have to go back to work again?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: It should be more enjoyable if the work was paying off right when you step on the court for a match, but it's difficult when you feel that, you know, the confidence is not there and that's what's holding you up a little bit.

Q. What was it about her game today that impressed you?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I thought she played a good match overall. I thought she's -- she's hitting the ball pretty well on both sides. Not a big server, but good enough that, you know, you can't do really much on it. Yeah, coming up with some great shots at the right times. She played a good match, actually.

Q. Do you give yourself any time scale as to when you need this to improve to carry on in the sport?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: No.

Q. You just take it every week at a time?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Yes.

Q. Are you being too hard on yourself now, or are you trying to be easy on yourself?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: No, I don't think so. I try to be lucid. I try to be -- to put things, you know, into perspective a little bit, step back and see what's happening and what I've been doing, maybe what I've been doing right and wrong. And, no, I'm trying to be as lucid as I can.

Q. Have you tried anything like putting in a tape of the Wimbledon final, something where you can see?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Not yet.

Q. That's coming, huh?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Maybe it's a good idea. Why not?

Q. As far as the big picture, are you happy with the direction you're going, or do you think maybe you're a little lost?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: No, because I was talking about the choices, and I definitely feel that I need to come back to the right choices I was making very -- very naturally some time ago.

Q. Remind me, are you playing the Olympics or not?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Yeah.

Q. Definitely?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: (Nods.)

Q. So the Fed Cup thing this year didn't matter for you?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: No, I'm going to play the next Fed Cup in Japan. It was not a big issue.

Q. Can you understand Bartoli's decision not to play Fed Cup or the Olympics?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I was asked the question about Andy Roddick a couple days ago. Doesn't really matter if I understand it or not. That's the choice, and that's her choice.
To put first the WTA circuit or the ranking or the Grand Slam, because US Open is coming right after the Olympics, is, you know, something I think you can understand. Not every player, not every person see the Olympics as, you know, the greatest event in sports ever. So, yeah.

Q. But for you, you want to have that experience. It's probably going to be your last time unless you play until you're 32. But that's the last time, you want the whole experience? Is it the tennis or is it the Olympics, just being there at the Olympics with all the other athletes?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Well, one is being there in the village with all the other athletes was great in Athens, and I want to, you know, go through this experience again.
And the other thing is taking a chance to get a medal and to feel this unbelievable emotion I had in Athens four years ago. It's worth giving it a try.

End of FastScripts