TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 27th of May 2014. K. Mladenovic d. Li Na 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. An interview with Kristina Mladenovic
Q. Congratulations for your victory here. In the court you were mentally stronger than Na Li the third set. What is your opinion in general?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Thank you, first of all.
Well, yes, I try I had to actually against Li Na to be really strong mentally and because she’s such a tough player and, you know, an amazing player, she’s a Grand Slam champion. I knew it wouldn’t be easy at all.
But I just tried to believe in myself and working really hard every day just to achieve and believe where she is and try one day to be up there.
Yeah, well, I had to be really calm and take my chances and being mentally strong.
Q. What was the atmosphere like for you on the court today with the crowd and everything?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Amazing. Well, you know, for us French players it can be really tough sometimes to play in front of our crowd. But, you know, once you get at that stage, when it’s really close result against a really good player and if you have great attitude, good game and they enjoy it, it can be really good for us to have the crowd with us.
So, yeah, it helped me a lot today. I use it. I use it with me.
Yeah, I really tried to apply my game and level up also the atmosphere, because I could feel it could make the difference.
So, yeah, it was such a nice feeling to have such a big win here in front of my crowd.
Q. You were pretty emotional after the match. What does the victory mean to you personally and for your career?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Yes, this is really big, like I said. You don’t beat Li Na every day.
I mean, I respect her career and the person she is. I like her a lot. Yeah, I just admire her. She’s example for obviously a Grand Slam champion.
It means really a lot, especially in Grand Slam. Yeah, it just prove me that I can you know, I always believe in myself, but it prove that I’m here and working hard improving.
Yeah, well, just give me some more strength to continue.
Q. You were talking about points and rankings. Now, how come? There is such a big gap between your ranking and the way you play, your level.
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Well, there is one first thing that many of you are not perhaps aware of is that now they have, how can I say this, they have changed the system of points. Today you have fewer points. For example, if you have the same results as last year’s, you would be given fewer points.
So this, to start with, is a big change. With the same level of performance, you have fewer points. So this is changed, apart from the winners. The winners is something different. So that’s the first glitch, if I can say.
And then, you know, it’s also the opponents, the good points. Some matches when I played well, but unfortunately I didn’t necessarily win. And I had good results on big tournaments, and it goes quickly. Both ways, the rankings go quickly upwards and downwards. It’s not something I’m worried about.
What I try and focus on, as you said, is my tennis, how well I can play to be fit and to practice every day so that my average game and level of play increases both in terms of rankings and on paper.
But what’s on paper doesn’t make any difference.
Q. During the match everybody saw that you were very dynamic, you had lots of confidence, and 30 minutes ago during Li Na’s press conference she said she didn’t really feel good during the match with you. She didn’t really know what was happening. In her heart, she was saying, I think it was a bit odd for her. Did you feel this, as well, during the match?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Honestly I admire this player, as I said, very much, because she’s irreproachable. Look at her attitude. You know, this is what she might be afraid of when you look at her. She might perhaps go down a little, but she’ll never give up. It was not a bad day for her. I think she tried to do her best. But I managed to produce what would really bother her. I knew that.
And the crowd, the audience was with me. It helped me. But also when I was given a wildcard in 2010 we played a tough match in two sets, and she knows me, of course. It was not an easy round, first round for her, and I’m French at home. So I think it helped a great deal.
Then she felt I was very much present on the court, and I was not going to miss this one. So it was going to get tougher and tougher. Look at her strokes, her game. It was, as usual, that is what I expected from her is what she played. So I think it was a good match.
