24/01/2011 16:46 CEST - AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Kim Clijsters (24 Gennaio)

Q. What did you do in the second set to pull away from your opponent?
KIM CLIJSTERS: I think she made, you know, a couple more errors. I think I was also to just read her game a little better, was able to move in forward onto her shots that she was hitting down the line.
I think she's unpredictable in that kind of sense in the beginning because you're not used to that. Okay, you can expect some balls down the line, but she does it more than she hits cross courts. So in the beginning I just kind of had to get a feel for it.
Yeah, I just kind of felt that I was reading her game a little bit better and also her serve, started being a little bit more aggressive. She made some double faults where I felt, you know, I had to just stay focused and try to really step it up and finish it off there.

Q. Was it hard to play the late match?
KIM CLIJSTERS: No, it's not hard. I mean, it's a schedule. My daughter's life, I try to keep it very routine, but our life isn't.
So, no, it's not a problem. I was very happy that Rafa finished it off in three sets. I started at a decent time. No, I mean, it was a fun night. I was just happy to still see a lot of people out there after the men's match.

Q. When you called the trainer, what was wrong?
KIM CLIJSTERS: I just felt my left adductor, hamstring, tighten up a little bit. I kind of felt it get a little bit worse and worse. Especially after I sat down during the change of ends, I felt it getting tighter and tighter. I said, if it would go to a third set, I didn't want to take something and then, the match almost being over, by the time the medicine was working then, so I decided to do it then. Luckily I didn't need it then.

Q. What was it, antiinflammatories?
KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, I think so (laughter).

Q. Do you feel like you're playing consistently well enough to win the tournament?
KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, I'm happy. I mean, it's been tough. I felt in these last few matches, I always played players that I kind of never played against. It was always a little bit hard to kind of find that rhythm. They were definitely players with a very different type of tennis, different type of style.
It was hard for me to go out there and, you know, play good tennis. I think, you know, my first match against Safina, and tonight's match, was definitely a lot better. Yeah, so I definitely felt a big improvement compared to my previous match.
 

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