Day 7 - An interview with Lucie Safarova - Saturday, June 2, 2007

Q. What's it like being an opponent against Amelie on the Center Court at Roland Garros? How tough does that make your job?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: It was very tough. I was very nervous at the beginning, because I know that the crowd is for her. And, yeah, but I tried to just concentrate on each point and support myself. And, yeah, it was going well.

Q. Did you feel alone?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Not really alone. I mean, the crowd was very fair. It was very nice. But, still, it's a pressure.

Q. What do you consider the key to your victory? Why do you think you won?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: I tried to come for each point, to play aggressive. I think that's why I won.

Q. Were you aware that Amelie was perhaps not as fit as she might have been and were you trying to move her as often around the court as you could to test how fit she was?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah. I saw that she was taping her leg, so I know that maybe she has some injuries. But at the beginning of the second set she was improving her game, and she was playing much better than in the first set before she taped her leg.

So I was like, Okay, that's maybe not so serious. And I have to play more aggressive and still try to win each point, and it was more difficult, so.

Q. What was going through your mind at the last tiebreak?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: I was.

Q. The pressure was there?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah, of course, it was there. But at the tiebreak, I just tried to don't think about anything and just concentrate on each point. Because if I would think about the crowd and everything, that I could lose or win or this kind of stuff, I wouldn't play well. So I know that I have to clear my mind and just think of each ‑‑ think about each point.

Q. But you never played defensively. You were very aggressive on each point.

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah. I want ‑‑ yeah, that was my plan.

Q. Yeah, but sometimes it doesn't work. I mean, you're afraid to miss and you play defensive.

LUCIE SAFAROVA: But if you are afraid, you cannot win against great players. You have to be aggressive.

Q. Does this rank as your finest moment thus far? Certainly this is as far as you've been in a Grand Slam, isn't it?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: I was in quarterfinals in Australian Open.

Q. You beat Amelie there, did you?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah. Yeah.

Q. So you've ruined her year so far; right?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: But it's ‑‑ yeah, for me it's amazing. I'm very happy.

Q. Until this year, you hadn't had success at Grand Slam tournaments. I don't think you had won a match at the French Open before this year.

LUCIE SAFAROVA: I won two matches in the qualifying. Then I got in, also Lucky Loser. I lost two years in the first round. But, yeah, I broke it this year in Australian Open.

Q. Do you have an explanation for why you've had so much more success? I mean, you did very well in Australia. You've done very well here. And before that in Grand Slam tournaments you didn't.

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah, it's ‑‑ I was like growing up from small tournaments, then I played first Grand Slam. So then you get more and more experience. That's why you are improving your game from tournament to tournament.

Q. Is part of it, then, just a mental thing at the Grand Slam?

LUCIE SAFAROVA: Mental and also confidence with the matches that you know that you can beat the good players, that you can play with them. And, yeah, you are more stronger in your mind. And, of course, I had a great preparation for this year in the off‑season. Because last year I was out, injured, so it was tough, yeah.