LADYDRAGON.COM - Interview with Kateryna Bondarenko after her win over Ana Ivanovic

Wednesday September 02, 2009

Interview with Kateryna Bondarenko after her win over Ana Ivanovic

Questions for Kateryna on Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Q. Talk about how you managed to pull through that match.

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: I start to focus to hit few more balls in the court, and I succeed (smiling).

Q. Just talk about the third set, the tiebreaker. It was very dramatic.

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, it was. Well, I don't know. I don't know what to say. It was really dramatic and emotional.

But still all match was really difficult, not only the tiebreaker.

Q. So were you feeling nervous at the end? What were you telling yourself?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: That I can do it. And my box was screaming, You can do it, c'mon. I believed them (smiling).

Q. So were you tired and was your leg in pain?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, my leg was bothering me. I think I was less tired than Ivanovic - maybe.

Q. On the second-to-last play, did you reinjure your leg at all?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, it start to hurt more. Before the match it was okay. But the end, it was more.

Q. What kind of injury was it?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: I strained the muscle.

Q. Where would you put this in the wins you've had? Is that one of the best wins or the best win you've had?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: I don't think that it's the best win that I had, but it's really good win.

Q. Maybe the best win at a Grand Slam?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, maybe.

Q. When did you hurt the leg originally?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: In Toronto.

Q. Going into the match I know Ivanovic has not had a great year, but she's won a Grand Slam. She was No. 1. Did you have the confidence coming in saying you could do this?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Of course, I had confidence because I played against her already twice: once in the juniors and once in WTA Tour. So I was leading 1-Love in the matches. I still was thinking that I can do it, the same as I did before.

Q. Do you feel like you're going to be able to go forward with the way your leg is feeling?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, I think PHCP will do everything that they can do to heal me as fast as possible.

Q. When you made the double-fault on match point, what kind of thought went through your mind?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: I really don't know what to tell you. I knew that I'm nervous. And when I start to serve, I just was hoping that I will hit the ball in, but I didn't.

Q. What was the atmosphere like? It seemed like the fans were very into the match.

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, I think so. Atmosphere was great. It's always good when they cheer for two players, not only for one.

Q. There were some Serbians behind me. It felt like a New York atmosphere with Russians and Serbs. Were you aware of that or do you try to block that stuff out?

KATERYNA BONDARENKO: No, I heard a lot of the stuff, from the Russians and from the Yugoslavians. It was fun.