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Jelena
Dokic Interview - Day 2
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
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J. DOKIC/R. De Los Rios
7-5, 6-1
MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Jelena Dokic.
Q. I imagine you're very pleased with your start today?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. I mean, I'm happy that I got through the first one. I
think it's always the toughest one to get through. You know, I think the
conditions, it was hot, you know, windy. I had a tough match with her
before. I'm happy that I got through. Probably didn't play as well as I
wanted to. You know, like I said, it's always hard with the first match.
But I'm pleased that I got through.
Q. You have a record to live up to here. You've done very well. How far do
you think you can go this time?
JELENA DOKIC: You know, I think it's very hard to say. I mean, I'm in a
very tough side of the draw, so I think I'm just going match by match. I
think we've seen the last couple of Grand Slams, you know, that a lot of
seeds have gone out. There have been a lot of upsets. But, you know, I'm
just concentrating on each match as it comes. You know, hopefully I'll go,
you know, as far as I can, as far as I want to. You know, I've always done
well here. I'm not putting any pressure on myself.
Q. There were lots of Australians supporting you in the crowd. How did
that make you feel, given your change of heart last year?
JELENA DOKIC: I didn't realise that. You know, there was a lot of people
out there. I think I still get a lot of support anywhere I go, especially
here. You know, I think I get a lot of support from the people in
Australia still. I think, you know, they've supported me a lot throughout
the years. You know, I think anywhere I go, I still think I'll get a lot
of support from them and from anybody else.
Q. What was the turning point in the first set when you were 4-5 down?
What mentally kind of changed?
JELENA DOKIC: I think to win that game, to come back into the set. I think
I knew if I could break her there to come to 5-All, I'd win the set, not
to make the same mistakes at 4-All, did some errors there. It was 30-All
there at 5-4, and I won those two crucial points. I think that probably
turned it around.
Q. Going back a bit before that, when you got 3-Love up, then lost the
lead, what happened then? Did you try to over-press too much?
JELENA DOKIC: I probably did. I think I tried to do too many things, you
know. I was just starting to make some errors there that I shouldn't have.
I think I was going for just too much, just wasn't concentrating on
keeping the ball in play. Then, you know, she started to play a lot better
after 3-Love. Even in the second set, she started to hit the ball very
well. You know, you lose your serve once, back at 3-All. The next thing
you know, I think she put some pressure on me there to win that set,
because I did have 3-Love. It turned around very quickly. It would have
been difficult if I lost that first set, I think to come back, and I'm
glad that I won that first set.
Q. Were you worried at that stage?
JELENA DOKIC: No, I wasn't worried. I knew if I got myself together, I can
win the match - not easily, but comfortably. That's all I was focusing on,
to try and get back there at 4-5 to get that game and get back in the
match.
Q. The last time that you two played, it was a much tighter game at the
Sydney Olympics. Is the difference with you or with her?
JELENA DOKIC: I think I played a lot better than I did at the Olympics. I
think she probably played the same way. She had the same tactics. You
know, she likes to hit the ball. She actually mixed it up a little bit
more today. But I think I played a lot more solid today than I did at the
Olympics, and that was probably the difference. We had a tight one at the
Olympics. You know, I think she nearly -- it was going to be nearly three
sets there. It was a tight match. I knew that she can play well. I was
just trying to focus to get my game going, especially being the first
match, just concentrate on my game. I don't think she was going to do
anything different.
Q. How are you feeling at this stage of Wimbledon this year compared to
last year?
JELENA DOKIC: You know, I think, like I said, I've always done well here.
But I don't put any pressure on myself to do well. You know, I love coming
back here. I've done very well here. You know, I love the people and the
atmosphere. I love playing here.
You know, the further I get, the better for me. But I don't put any
pressure on myself to win the tournament right now. You know, like I said,
there's a lot of good players that have a chance. I think there will be a
lot of good matches over the next two weeks. I'm just going match by
match. I'm just trying to, you know, win each match that I play.
Q. How did you feel when you saw Martina knocked out yesterday?
JELENA DOKIC: You know, I think it was a difficult match for her. I think
she's been struggling a little bit probably, hasn't been playing as well.
It would be very disappointed for her to lose first round. But, you know,
you have some good days and you have some bad days. That's going to
happen. It happened to her yesterday. I guess it just wasn't a great day
for her, and she's just got to move on. Hopefully, for her sake, it won't
affect her game. I don't think it will. I think she's a good enough player
to go beyond that and to come back strong.
Q. Do you find it surprising the amount of focus there is on the women's
game on image in this country? Do you feel under pressure with that? There
are obvious examples, like Kournikova, get much more attention than
someone maybe like Lindsay Davenport. Do you find that surprising?
JELENA DOKIC: I think over the last few years, the image thing has gone a
little bit more beyond, you know, tennis. But I think, you know, a lot of
players don't feel that way. I think a lot of players are out there just
to win their matches. They're not out there, you know, to model or
anything like that. I think someone like Lindsay, you know, she's a great
player. I don't think she even thinks about that. I think, especially in
this country, there's a lot of fuss around, you know, how you look, all
that sort of thing. But I think it's gone like that all over the world
right now. I think women's tennis has gotten a lot better, I think in
every way. You have a lot of different personalities out there, a lot of
really good players. I think a lot of the players out there just do their
job and win matches.
Q. You were only 16 when you came here. You've changed your own
appearance. Do you find it all a big ordeal?
JELENA DOKIC: I mean, of course, I don't think anyone is trying to make
themselves look ugly out there. But I don't look at it that way, you know.
I'm not out there to try and look my best. I think if you're going to do
that, you should go and model, like I said. But if you want to play
tennis, maybe be Top 10 or Top 5 or No. 1, you're going to have to win
matches. I think that's the difference.
Q. Venus was talking about lucky charms. Do you have any lucky charms or
superstitions?
JELENA DOKIC: A little bit. I'm a little superstitious.
Q. What have you got, rabbit's feet?
JELENA DOKIC: I wear the same things during the tournament. I wash them
every day. I play with the same racquet. I think a lot of players do that.
I think a lot of the players that I know do that.
Q. Do you wash them yourself?
JELENA DOKIC: Yes.
Q. You wear the same kind of casual clothes or tennis clothes?
JELENA DOKIC: Tennis.
Q. Same skirt and top all the way through?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah.
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