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Patty
Schnyder beat Elena Dementieva 6-7 7-6 6-2
Q. You did really well here last year. Obviously, you're
doing it again. Is there anything special about this
place?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yeah, I mean, I like it a lot. I love Australia.
Yeah, it just seems to, yeah, suit my game, also the
conditions. Yeah, I'm having a great run again. Yeah, I'm
really happy about that.
Q. When
you say it suits you, are you talking more about the court
surface and the conditions, or is it more ‑‑
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yeah, it's everything actually here. I think
actually this year it's a little slower, I have to say
also. But, no, I love the atmosphere, being Australia, the
people are so nice. It's relaxing here. The ways to the
hotel are not too far. So, yeah, as a player, you really
appreciate that.
It makes you
feel good.
Q. How
much difference does it make ‑ you've been on tour 10
years, you know, you go to one airport after another ‑
when you can go to a place and you automatically kind of
have a good feeling about where you are? Does it make a
big difference when you come out to play?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yes, of course. It's like the whole mood you're
in. I mean, it just makes you relax off the court. If
you're really happy off the court, on the court, yeah, you
can hang in there better and you feel better also. Yeah,
it's always like that.
Q. When is
the first time you started feeling that way about playing
here?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: I loved Australia for the first time I came
here. I love being here, the people around here. Yeah, I
have a great record in the tournament. I had some tough
years where I also lost first round here.
But, still, I
loved it.
Q. You
seemed to be having some trouble with the warmer weather
today. It's going to get hotter this week. How do you
think you'll go with that in the quarterfinals?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: I think I was not having trouble. Probably her
had more trouble than me. I was okay. Actually, the first
set was tough, a lot of rallies, and I was too tight, it
goes more into your legs (inaudible), relax. But after
that, I was really fine. I have no problem, I love it when
it's hot. That's okay.
Q. 4‑Love
down, take us through what happened in the second set?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Oh, actually I don't know because I was really
frustrated with the first set because I think I was more
dominating the rallies, but I couldn't really get it and
win the important points because I was a little nervous, a
little tight. So I was frustrated up to 0‑4.
Then I just,
yeah, kept going, tried to, yeah, play one point at a
time. Yeah, suddenly it was close again and, you know,
getting nervous again.
Q. Did
that injury timeout slow your momentum at all?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Not really because, yeah, I think I had just a
great run and I was half out of the tournament already,
and I didn't get upset. Just played.
Q. The
first set tiebreaker, even though you lost that, her serve
seemed to go missing in that tiebreak particularly. She
struggled with her serve at times from then on. Did you
get the sense once you saw that if you were able to hang
in there, you'd get your chances in the match?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yeah, I mean, it's a lot of talks about her
serve. But she's a great competitor, and I think she
served ‑‑ really up to the end, she served really good.
She had some worse days with her serve. And for a
left‑hander, what can you do with that second serve?
You're way out of the court. I mean, for me it's really
tough to handle it. Everybody tells you that, yeah, you
can attack it and do something with it. But I really ‑‑ I
try to, yeah, make her play and just be ready for the
rallies.
But I was a
little disappointed in my serve today. That's the only
thing I was not happy about.
Q. What is
it with the cheer squad that you had there?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: They are like ‑‑ they come watch every match. It
started like in the second round last year. They come.
They have to drive like more than two hours to see my
matches. It's a group of Australian and there are some
Swiss that joined them. So it's great having them here. I
mean, it's a lot of support. They never quit. I never
quit. So it's nice to have them.
Q. Where
are they from?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Actually, I don't even ‑‑ it's like down the
Ocean Road. I have no idea really. It's a small country
town. I don't know.
Q. Your
return to form, obviously last year making the semifinals
here, that was sort of the icing on the cake. It was
pretty dramatic. How important has Rainer Hofmann been to
that? He's your coach, but your husband as well. What
exactly is it that he does for you in terms of keeping you
on track and providing that stability?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yeah, I mean, we do everything together. He has
never been a tennis player, so like the feeling stuff, the
technique, I do it myself. But he helps me a lot with
tactics, and just get another perspective, like out of the
court and of my game. We talk a lot about tennis.
We're just
having a great time. Sometimes we argue, we discuss,
that's normal, about tennis or other things. It's a really
healthy, healthy thing. Gives me a lot of energy.
Q. Does he
have any sporting background?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: He was a professional pool, billiard player.
Q. Really?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yeah (laughter). He was really good at that. He
only did it for two years. But I don't know if that helps
me or not. But he knows the big points also. So that's a
little in common we have.
Q. And
your relationship with Rainer, that was well before he
became your coach?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yes.
Q. How
long?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: We are together now I think five and a half
years. We just started doing the thing, the coaching thing
together, like one and a half year ago. I had some coaches
before and was not happy, like overall happy with it. I
didn't want to have a new one.
Q. How
important is that, finding that sort of emotional
stability on the tour?
PATTY
SCHNYDER: Yeah, I mean, it's so much stress situations you
have. If you have someone you can rely on and just, yeah,
very caring person that gives you a lot of ‑‑ yeah, you
just feel good about it. That's very important. |
