http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2014-01-22/201401211390359
534987.html
Wednesday, 22 January, 2014
Q. How pleased are you to be able to back up such a good victory against
Sharapova?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Of course I'm really glad with the way I played,
especially with the way I handled it mentally. It was a big win against
Maria.
But I wasn't favorite in this match again against Halep, you know.
I walked on the court with the confident that I can do it again today. I was
so focusing what I have to do, to do the right things. That was all what I
wanted to do, and of course enjoy my tennis again.
Q. Your opponent, she said she didn't really feel like she was mentally
ready for the occasion. Did you feel the difference out there today?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, I think it was also very important today because I
already was on the stage. I already played couple quarterfinals in the Grand
Slam. I already did semifinals in a Grand Slam.
So that was my experience today. I was ready for it. It was for me like
every other match. So I didn't take it too much, you know, like too serious,
so I put myself under pressure.
Yeah, I think also in this I was better today.
Q. Your other Grand Slam semifinal appearances, how are you a different
player now?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: That time I was 19 years old. I was pretty young. I
would say also a different player. You know, I am much more experienced.
I went through so many things also already in my career. I would say more
mature, yeah.
Q. You mentioned not being favored. Your record against Agnieszka or
Victoria says you won't be favored in the semis. Do you like that?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, I mean, of course it's less pressure, even if it's
not less pressure, you know, to play against big names.
But now, you know, it's quarterfinals, semifinals. In the end of the second
week of the Grand Slam. Nothing is easy. There is pressure you can feel
from everywhere.
So, you know, I still want to do the same thing what I came into the
tournament. I want to really enjoy it. I want to play my tennis. That's
when I play my best.
Q. You've had tough losses and big wins against both of them. How does that
affect you going into this match?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: You know, I already beat both of them. It's going to be
very tough, for sure. Both opponents are big fighters and a great player.
It just gives me enough confidence, you know, to go into this match and to
know that I beat both of them. I know what I have to do. We know each other
really well. We are the same age. We played so many times each other.
For sure it's going to be really, really tough match.
Q. You played a really good match today. Was it your intention to go out
and be so aggressive from the start?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, of course. It was something we were talking about
with my coach. I know how is Simona playing. She's running a lot of, giving
a lot of balls back. I knew I have to be aggressive enough.
But sometimes it's not easy because sometimes when you go for too much, it's
too many mistakes. I knew I had to step into the court and play a lot to her
weaknesses, use my backhand down the line that she was not expecting, to play
some unexpectable shots.
Reads the game very well. Even if you play well, you play fast, she's there
at the ball.
Q. Isn't that the same thing when you play Vika or Agnieszka, you have to
bring something unexpected?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: If you play against the best players, you cannot do the
same things all the time. They know if you serve T and you give them two
aces, so she's going to stand there next time.
You have to change sometimes the tactic. When you go for the winner, I
cannot go into the same spot, you know.
Yeah, today I bring up my backhand down the line. I was playing from the
first balls. It's something little bit new in my game.
Q. How have you learned to put big losses behind you? If you look at your
rivalries with both of them, how do you put those behind you and move on?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: That's something of course that is not easy, because if
you have such a bad loss against somebody, you know, you come into this
match, you know what happened in the past and you cannot forget it.
You just have to, you know, go against it, you know, to be stronger than what
happened before. So Wawrinka, he beat Djokovic last night. There was
something also what happened to me in the past.
Q. How important was your win in California at Stanford in terms of your
confidence in your game?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Last year, it wasn't the best year I could tell. But
especially that week, it was the best week, I would say, of the year. I
needed something like that.
I knew my game is good, but I just didn't show it on the matches and on the
court. So that week was really something that year I needed to hold on.
Q. Equaling your best appearance today, best result at a Grand Slam, do you
try and embrace the vibe around the park in terms of the pressure placed on
you in a semifinal?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, I mean, in the semifinals, still enjoying the
moment that I beat Simona like one hour ago, so I cannot tell.
We're going to play tomorrow. As I said, you know, I don't want to play
different tennis than what I came here for this tournament. I was playing
aggressive. I was playing free. I really enjoy my time on the court, you
know.
That's what I want to do. If I put pressure I play nervous, and that's not
what I want to do.
Q. You've had big slam runs before. You've made quarters at all four slams.
You haven't been top 10 yet, which is unusual. Why do you think you've had
these big results but not the consistency?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, that was the thing, the consistency. I could beat
big player and then to lose to not such a good ranked players. That's what
we were trying to work on with my coach, also to be able to play under this
pressure that I have to beat this player, so I'm going to beat her.
This is something what we really work on. We work on my mental thing.
Everything keeps getting together, yeah.
Q. What are the good things and maybe the not so good things about coming
from Slovakia?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: What do you mean?
Q. About your home country.
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: We are really small country. We are just five million
people. I really love to play for my country. I think the people are really
so proud that the rest of the world will now know we're from Slovakia, not
Slovenia.
Otherwise it's not such a big difference.
Q. You were watching the match last night?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, I did, but I have to turn it off 4 All in the
fifth set because I know I have to go to sleep early and I knew I was going
to keep watching. It was 4 All. I said to my boyfriend, Just turn it off; I
cannot watch it anymore.
Q. Did you find yourself pulling for Stan because he was the underdog?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yes. I don't know if I can tell you like this, but I
was cheering for him. I know what does it mean to lose such a match like he
lost last year. I never play on five sets, but I lost matches like this
before. I know what does it mean to be on the same spot against same player.
You just want to prove it to yourself that you can do it, and that's what he
did it.
Q. Did we interrupt you watching Aga/Vika?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: No, I was doing my recovery, my stretching. I watched a
little bit. But basically I know them really well. My coach is watching.
Q. What are your preferences for the semifinal, which player?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I never say who I prefer to play because then sometimes
it doesn't need to turn up well.
Who's going to win, that's going to be my opponent. We'll see.
Q. Who do you think the tallest woman you have a win over has been, and who
in mixed doubles, the tallest man, do you have a win over?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I have no idea. I don't know.
Q. There's been four straight matches now with the men and women combined
where the lower ranked player won. Do you think when Maria and Serena go out
there the underdogs get more confidence and it becomes contagious a little
bit?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: It's not easy because many times before on the big
tournaments I beat top 10 player, you beat such a names, then you have to
play against somebody you should beat and it's completely different story.
That's what I'm trying to now work on. I think also it was not easy for Ana
yesterday, to come out after such a big win, Serena, to play. Because she
was favorite in this match against Bouchard. So I knew how she was feeling
on the court.
Q. Martina Navratilova talked about the age of power tennis, height is a
real disadvantage. You're overcoming tall players. How do you do it?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: How? Obviously I'm not a tall player. I would say I'm
the smallest on tour.
But, you know, I would say I'm pretty quick on my feet. I do a lot of good
footwork. I'm really powerful on the court. I have very good groundstrokes.
My forehand is pretty fast.
Yeah, when I play my great tennis, I'm really aggressive. I don't know,
that's what I do the best.
Q. How confident are you that you'll be able to play as aggressive as you
did today against Agnieszka or Vika?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Every match I play against of them, it was me who was
doing pressure on them. I was the one who was dictating the game, the one
who was going for bigger shots.
So they both are great players. I just want to keep my focus, you know, to
stay aggressive.
今天靠經驗取勝；昨天五盤大戰是支持Wawrinka；被問了幾個矮子的問題；還有四強對手
兩位都很熟了。