Australian Open Tuesday, 9 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Press Conference

S. STOSUR/D. Aiava Q. What about playing in front of fewer fans? You have played so many Australian Opens. Did it feel 6-4, 6-4 different?

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, it definitely felt very different out there, especially in a big stadium like John Cain Q. I know it's not ideal to do it against a fellow Arena. I don't even know what it was, barely full, really. Aussie but you still must be thrilled to get through to It does feel different in a big stadium when it's like that. the next round? Unfortunately that's just the way it has to be at the moment. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, unfortunately the luck of the draw sometimes playing a You know, you can still use the crowd. There was still, fellow Aussie. But, you know, I'm really happy to get you know, good support out there, which was nice. through tonight's match, very happy with the way I Hopefully I'll get that again for the next match. played. And, yeah, moving on to the second round for the first time in a while. So it's exciting for me. Q. You told us you didn't even know you had Destanee for a day or so until Rennae told you. Do Q. 2015. Did you realize it was that long? Did it feel you know who you've got next? that way? Had it been a monkey on the back? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I do now because the court SAMANTHA STOSUR: I didn't know, but then I read announcer told me when I was on the court. Yeah, so I something about it from one of you guys so then I knew. play Jess. We played a couple of times. She hits a good It wasn't like, Oh, my God, it's been this long or anything ball. Flat, hard. Obviously had a very good win today going into the match. against Vika. Yeah, I'll have to be on my game and have a plan again. I really stuck to my plan well tonight so I'll But, yeah, it's just a nice feeling to get a win on the board do the same thing against her. again. Yeah, be into the second round. Yeah, hopefully it's good enough. Q. How did it feel out there? Q. Did you talk pretournament about not having SAMANTHA STOSUR: I actually felt pretty good. You expectations this year? know, obviously we both losing serve the first four times or whatever it was, but it felt like it was kind of the easy SAMANTHA STOSUR: Uh-huh. shots letting me down. So I will start making those and if I started winning the first point of the game occasionally, Q. Did it help? Did you feel different out there than then I kind of felt like I was going to be able to hold serve. you have in previous Oz Opens?

That's just kind of the mindset and what I was trying to go SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, probably. I think tonight I into each one. Then thankfully serving for the set I was felt a little bit different than maybe previous OZ Opens, a able to get myself out of a bit of a hole with some good little bit different to some previous matches. They have serves and then get that and then held a lot more easily been obviously very few and far between in the last year throughout that second set. and a half or so.

Look, there were certainly some ups and downs and But that's what I'm pleased about, that I was able to, you some shots I wish were better but that's part and parcel know, have what happened last week after a couple of with playing and all that. days of being in a bad mood and moping around then I got myself out of that and had a couple of good days of So, yeah, look, a win is a win. really good practice going into today's match and knew

104486-1-1063 2021-02-09 10:10:00 GMT Page 1 of 2 that I had to change that attitude and put that aside and know, trashed every week (smiling). go into today feeling good and, you know, knowing that I have done everything I possibly can. That's what I did. That's kind of the way I have looked at it, but it certainly was -- it was really hard, you know, getting back into kind So that's the most pleasing thing I guess from whether of tournament mode, match mode, focus, and all of that it's Aussie Opens previous years or just last week, in the last couple of weeks. whatever it was, just to be able to bounce back from a match like that, yeah, I'm very happy with. So it's certainly a different kind of situation, no doubt. Yeah, it's just the way it is, so you've got to, you know, Q. How much tennis did you play in the last year or deal with what you've got. so, and how did you spend the time when you weren't playing tennis? Q. What did you make of Destanee? At 18 she was top 200 and looked like she was about to burst into SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I played the 125 in Indian the scene. Couple tough years. That's a tough Wells, I think it was late Feb., we got home as soon as journey on the tennis tour especially at that age. Indian Wells was canceled, and, yeah, didn't hit a ball for What advice do you have for her? two-and-a-half months when my daughter was born, and then started hitting a little bit kind of September. The last SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it's tough. I think couple of months was in full, you know, normal sometimes when you're, like you said, 18, top 200. I preseason kind of training. So it's a steady, slow remember she had a good match against Halep here a progression after many, many weeks off that I haven't few years ago and, yeah, talk about expectation and had for a very long time. expectation rises from probably herself, from, you know, everyone. Yeah, it was certainly a very different year for me, but, you know, an exciting one, as well. Sometimes it's hard to then make that breakthrough when people then, you know, know who you are, know Q. Getting close to get back into high-level what your game is like, you've got to do it again next competition after missing what a lot of these women year. And often the second year after a breakthrough is experienced from August into November? harder than the first, because then everyone knows you and you're kind of the one to beat. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, sure. Playing competitive tennis, it's not easy to, you know, step out on court and So, yeah, look, I mean, she can play well obviously. She play those first matches sometimes. That's kind of the can do good things out there. But, yeah, I think it's really way I ended up looking at it last week was kind of important for someone like her and probably a lot of the blowing the cobwebs out and doing that. Aussies, you know, you've got to play against the best players in the world more often and regularly, and, you Yeah, look, there were certainly some times through the know, get yourself into a better-ranking bracket so you preseason when you start playing points again after such can play WTA tournaments even if it's qualifying, a long time. It was hard against all the girls who just because that's where you need to be playing the best played French and US Open and all that. You know, it players in the world. wasn't always a good feeling losing set after set, but knew that, okay, I've still got another month to play until it But, yeah, it's a tough journey. It's not easy for anyone really matters. out there.

And that's kind of the steady progression that I was able FastScripts by ASAP Sports to give myself I guess, knowing that you've got so much time not to kind of burn yourself out and go too hard too early.

Q. Does that feel like a nice break you have had in your career? Obviously not playing, but everything felt that way and be refreshed?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, that's certainly the way I tried to look at it. Yeah, I kind of thought, okay, well, this is the way it is. Take it as a break, refresh, feel good and healthy in your body again.

Yeah, just enjoy that kind of feeling of not being, you

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