TENNIS US OPEN – 1st of September 2014. E. Makarova d. E. Bouchard 7-6, 6-4. An interview with Ekaterina Makarova
Q. Second straight Grand Slam quarterfinal this summer. To what do you attribute this great run and form?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Well, I’m feeling pretty good. I don’t know. I’m just actually enjoying to go out there, fight. I’m really enjoying my game now. I’m feeling good physically, technically, and really happy that I’m in quarter again.
Q. What was it like playing in the heat and humidity?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Yeah, today was really tough condition definitely. So humid, and sometimes I think because of that the game was going like up and down. Against Bouchard it’s always tough because she’s running good. She’s also really — like physically she’s hard. So I think it was really good match, and I’m really happy that in the end of the first and the second set I was a little bit more aggressive.
Q. What went through your mind when you thought she took an injury timeout or a medical timeout in the second set?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Well, actually, I thought, thanks (smiling), because I also was tired. It was really help for me also because I had some time to recover and also to use some ice bags. It was actually kind of good medical timeout.
Q. Would you like to have gotten iced down like she did?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Yeah. I’m using all the changeover the ice bag.
Q. You’re also very successful in doubles. What aspect in doubles do you translate into your singles game?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Well, doubles, we play with Elena long time already, so it’s kind of, I don’t know. We are really good friends and we going really enjoy to go out there. It’s a little bit fun, yeah, for me, and I have some chance to practice some returns, some serve. Also, I’m like thinking how to practice something for singles. Sometimes volleys, you know, because in singles also I need to go more forward sometimes. It’s really helping me with the volleys from doubles. So we enjoying to play doubles. We really want to qualify to Singapore. It’s a great tournament. We have been there last year and we really love this atmosphere, so we really want to go this year again.
Q. Do you get nervous before matches? And if you do, how do you control those nerves? Do you have anything like music or food or anything that helps you control the nerves?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Well, of course I think everyone is nervous, and it’s normal, because you want to go there, win. If you don’t nervous is kind of you don’t care, yeah? So of course I’m nervous a little bit. Sometimes more; sometimes less. But all the time when I’m nervous, maybe more than normal, I’m all the time try to speak with my coach about this. Like just to talk, you know. And then this situation she told me some things and this situation just let it go, you know.
Q. Doubles tomorrow. You’ll be playing doubles against the Williams sisters. Could you give us an idea of what you think might be key in that match? Are you looking forward to playing them or face somebody else instead?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: Well, of course I’m looking forward. I don’t have any other choice to play against someone else (smiling). They are of course great team and they won so much Grand Slams. We actually beat them with Elena in Dubai. It was a good match. So I think with them we need to serve and return good, you know, and try to be aggressive a little bit more in the net than they are.
Q. Have you gotten any congratulations messages from any of the other Russian players now that you made the quarterfinals?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: I didn’t receive it yet, but normally, actually, yeah, some girls with who I am a good friend, they are sending the messages, yeah. Like Svetlana Kuznetsova all the time sending me.
Q. You have been becoming more and more consistent every year. Not just some sporadically great week, but quarters, quarters, so on. Do you like the way you’re treated by the media? Would you like to be more sort of in the spotlight like certain stars, or you like to be in the shadow? What is your attitude? Do you think that someone is not considering you enough or not?
EKATERINA MAKAROVA: I think I prefer to stay in the shade (smiling). No, I don’t want to say that I don’t like it. Of course it’s all the time nice to hear, yeah, from someone, some congrats. But I’m kind of, yeah, want to stay in my world maybe. I don’t want to be so, I don’t know. It’s just my personal thing. Yeah.
