Maria Sharapova
losses to Melanie Oudin at the 2009 US Open
Interview
with Melanie Oudin after her win of her second round match over Elena Dementieva at the
2009 US Open
Melanie won
in 3 sets 5-7,6-4,6-3
Q. Bigger than your win over
Jelena in Wimbledon? How do you compare them?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, this was pretty big, too. So was
against Jankovic at Wimbledon. I think it means more to
me, though, since this is the US Open. You know, I had
the whole crowd cheering for me, so much support. I was
struggling a little with my leg.
And just, I don't. The whole thing was just amazing. I
can't believe I won.
Q. Can you talk about exactly
what the problem is and how it might affect you going
forward?
MELANIE OUDIN: It's I strained my IT band a little bit,
and it was getting better. I think today though, kind of
everything that was going on, the whole first time
playing on Arthur Ashe, I was beating No. 4 in the world,
about to beat her. I think that it just kind of started
cramping a little bit. I should have had the whole thing
taped.
Just a little bit of everything. A lot of things were
going through my mind, so I think a lot of things went
into it. But I think it will be fine for my next match.
Q. No. 4 in the world just was
very gracious in describing the match and said you most
definitely beat her. She did not beat herself. How does
it make you feel to have a player of that stature make a
comment like that about your game?
MELANIE OUDIN: That means a lot to me. I mean, that's
really nice. She was very nice. She seems like a really
nice player. I had to win the match. I felt like I had to
win it. I didn't think she gave it to me. I knew that if
I wasn't going to win that last point, then she was going
to come back.
I mean, I'm glad I did it.
Q. What do you think when you
saw your draw before the tournament? What do you think
about it now?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, when I saw the draw, I was like,
Wow, this is not a very good draw compared to my like
Wimbledon one, which I didn't have, you know, the 4 seed
in my second round. But the thing is, I played with no
fear today. I went out there. She's expected to win, and
I just went out there and played my game and I came out
with a win.
Q. You said you can't believe
that you won, but before the match I think you believed
you could. So why did you believe you could?
MELANIE OUDIN: During the match I had confidence, and, I
mean, I was right there with her the entire time. I
didn't think that she was she wasn't blowing me off the
court. She wasn't hitting winners left and right on me.
We had long points. I was right there with her.
I knew if I could play well and keep being aggressive and
staying in there that I could do it.
Q. Is there something that
happened this summer that sparked all of this? Why are
you having such a breakout year this year?
MELANIE OUDIN: I guess my hard work is finally paying
off. I haven't been doing anything different. I've just
been playing hard like I always do and fight as hard as I
can, and practice hard and give 100% every single time.
It's finally paying off.
Q. Talk about the shoes. They
say "believe" on them.
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes.
Q. Is that your saying or
somebody's...
MELANIE OUDIN: Actually, my boyfriend gave me that idea
to put on it, and I really liked it. So I put that on my
shoe. It seems to fit me well.
Q. You have this specialty of
taking down really good, really famous Eastern European
mega stars. There is a player in the drawer, I think her
name is Sharapova. Would you like to play Maria? And
secondly, at Wimbledon after you won all that money, you
said you'd stick with your old Toyota. Are you going to
stick with it now, or are you going to upgrade?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, first, I would love to play Maria,
but she has to win tonight for me to play her. She has a
tough match against Christina McHale, so we'll see how
that goes.
And secondly, I love my Toyota Forerunner, so I'm not
looking forward to getting another car at all. I just got
it and I'm happy with it.
Q. You said you have no fear,
and you went out there and you weren't supposed to win.
Now as people are watching you and you're making these
upsets and showing yourself that might change, how do you
think you're going to deal with that?
MELANIE OUDIN: I don't think it's going to change at
all. I don't listen to what other people say about me,
like good or bad things. I just go out there and play my
game. When I play with no fear, that's when I play my
best. I don't worry about anything. I just play my game,
and it usually works.
Q. Between Wimbledon and now,
can you talk about what happened between Wimbledon and
now? Were you getting close to winning matches, or were
you having some issues with running out of wildcards?
What was your time between Wimbledon and now like for
you?
MELANIE OUDIN: Between Wimbledon and now? What I've done?
Q. Yeah.
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, I played three of the US Open
Series tournaments, and I qualified I was in qualifying
of all of them. I already used all my wildcards, so I had
to play qualifying. But I felt like it was fine. I
quallied in three of them and lost to some really good
players.
I was just getting ready for the US Open, so I thought I
did okay.
Q. So you were happy with how
that was going? After Wimbledon you have a breakout. Were
you happy with the way things have led up to here?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, I thought I did fine in the US
Open Series tournaments. I was just trying you know, back
in quallies again. I had qualified and I drew some really
tough opponents, and, you know, they were a lot higher
than me and more experience and had tough matches. But,
you know, I knew that I was close with them.
Q. Could you talk a bit about
Justine Henin? I understand she was kind of a role model
for you, what you liked about her game. I assume part of
that was that she is not the tallest person in the world
and had great results.
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes. Well, that's the first thing is that
she proved that you don't have to be six foot something
to be No. 1 in the world. But also, the way she plays,
the way she moves, the way she uses all different shots
and uses the entire court with her dropshot and her
angles.
I mean, her one handed backhand is so good. I don't have
a one hander, but it's still okay. I don't know. I just
really like the way she plays. She figures out a way to
take down these players that overpower her with her
variety and her movement.
Q. How much have you been in
Ashe Stadium in the past?
MELANIE OUDIN: Oh, today was my first day ever.
Q. Been there as a spectator a
few times?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes.
Q. What was it like just walking
out there?
MELANIE OUDIN: Today?
Q. Yeah.
MELANIE OUDIN: It was really cool. I'm glad I got to
warmup on it, so I wasn't like freaked out as soon as I
walked out there. I love being, you know, in big courts
and stuff like that. Wimbledon helped that a lot.
Q. Time and again we've seen
players on the verge of a big upset, and the moment just
gets too big for them. Obviously it didn't today. The
last few points, what were you telling yourself, just how
to stay in the moment? What were you telling yourself?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, when I got up 40 Love, I was like
all right, I have three chances to win this match. And
she played two she had two winners on me the last two
points. Yeah, when I was up 40 Love. Then at 40 30, I was
like all right, this could be my last chance to do it.
So I needed to go for a big serve, and it went in. I just
couldn't believe it. It was amazing.
Q. What did you prove to
yourself today, do you think?
MELANIE OUDIN: Hasn't exactly hit me yet, because I've
been like doing treatment and all that stuff. But when
I'm in the third round of the US Open in two days, I will
be it's just incredible.
You know, the thing is I didn't really do anything
different. I've just gone out there and played my game
and I've ended up winning, so...
Q. Are you familiar with
Marietta?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes.
Q. Would you classify yourself
now as bigger than the big chicken?
MELANIE OUDIN: I don't know, the big chicken is pretty
big.
Q. People have been writing and
saying since Wimbledon that you're the next lady to move
in and take the place of Serena and Venus. I just wonder,
are you paying attention to that? Is it hard not to? Does
it affect you at all? Hey, I've got to move up and I have
to do this?
MELANIE OUDIN: Hasn't really affected me. I told you
before, I don't really pay attention to what other people
say. I think that it's really cool to be called the third
best American behind the Williams sisters. That's just
incredible since I've watched them since I was a little
girl. They've been like my idols. I'm really proud of
that to be the third best American.
Q. Are you going to go ahead and
play doubles?
MELANIE OUDIN: I think so.
Q. Why?
MELANIE OUDIN: As of now, I am. But we'll see. We'll see.
I don't know yet.
Q. Do you have an identical or
fraternal?
MELANIE OUDIN: Fraternal. We're totally opposite, yeah.
Q. She plays tennis also?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes.
Q. Can you tell us about her a
little?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes. She is basically my total opposite.
So if you think of me, like think total opposite and
that's her. Not that she's not she's a nice girl too and
stuff, but yeah.
But yeah, I mean, we both like tennis, and we've played
since we were little. She plays high school tennis on her
team. She's going to go to a good college, a scholarship.
But she's very academic. Always wanted to be an
obstetrician since she was little. So we've both had very
different goals.
Q. There is a certain symmetry
with two 17 year olds playing two Russian powerhouses in
the same day. How well did do you know Christina? Do you
think that this will be an inspiration to her going into
tonight? Do you plan on speaking with her?
MELANIE OUDIN: I know Christina pretty well. I've known
her since the juniors and stuff, and I'm sure that she's
nervous going into tonight because she hasn't had this
kind of experience before. She played a great match the
other day to win her first round, so that's really good.
But if she I mean, if she wants some advice I'll give it
to her, but I'm sure she's ready for tonight.
Q. Have you played her before?
MELANIE OUDIN: Christina, yes.
Q. How did you do?
MELANIE OUDIN: I've beaten her the past times we've
played.
Q. And the bigness of the
moment, she certainly is prepared for it. How did you
overcome sort of the bigness of this place and keeping
your mind so that you didn't let it overwhelm you?
MELANIE OUDIN: Again, I think Wimbledon helped me,
because I haven't been in Arthur Ashe before. Elena was
the highest ranked player I've ever played, so it was a
big deal today.
I think all of the excitement and just everything kind of
did not help my leg at all today. But I was just happy to
be out there, and I'm glad I won.
Q. What's your injury? Just a
strained thigh or what?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, just strained IT band. It's not like
serious or anything.
Q. You spoke before about
writing "believe" on your shoes. Can you
describe what the belief is and what it means to you?
MELANIE OUDIN: For me, it's all about that. It's
believing that I can beat these girls and hang there with
them. If I didn't have that, then there's no way I'd be I
would have been able to win today.
Because believing like in myself and my shots and playing
within myself today, that's how I won is knowing I
believe that I could do it.
Q. Could you talk a little bit
about your team? What's the strength of Brian in your
coaching? Is it helpful going out on tour and having a
boyfriend? Does that help you out in your whole life and
tennis life?
MELANIE OUDIN: Well, I've been with Brian since I was
nine years old, so basically my whole tennis career. He's
like another father to me, because, I mean, he knows how
hard to push me. We've been through so much together. So
I'm so glad that he got to be here today and stuff and
share this with me.
Yeah, it's good to have a boyfriend, I think, in the
tennis business. Because you're like on the road so much
and you're by yourself a lot. It's good to have someone
to talk to.
Q. What's his name, first off?
Have you had a chance to check your phone? And if so,
what were the texts and the messages you got since you've
walked off the court?
MELANIE OUDIN: His name is Austin Smith. He's actually
here. So, yeah, I'm really glad he got to be here, too.
Other News on Melanie
Interview with Melanie Oudin after
her win over Nadia Petrova at the
2009 US Open
Melanie Oudin wins again this time it is
over Nadia Petrova at the US Open 2009
Melanie Oudin will play againts
Nadia Petrova in the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium
this morning at the 2009 US
Open
Interview with Melanie Oudin after
her win over Maria sharapova at the
2009 US Open
Interview with Maria Sharapova
after her lost to Melanie Oudin at the 2009 US Open
Maria Sharapova losses to Melanie
Oudin at the 2009 US Open
Elena Dementieva losses her match against
Melanie Oudin
|
