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| Edited By: Gautam Sheth |Source: DNA |Updated: Sep 26, 2017, 08:55 PM IST
Would you say the build up to your French Open title defence could have been better?
It could have definitely been better because I am coming off an injury. It’s very frustrating. Unfortunately, my knee has been hurting over the past couple of weeks and it became worse in Rome. Obviously, I won’t have the preparation I wanted to have before Roland Garros, but I can only do my best.
You were runner-up in 2007 and then a winner in 2008 at French Open. Is this your favourite Slam or is it the Australian Open, which is held in your second home?
It’s very hard to choose. I’ve had so many great moments in Paris; my first Grand Slam quarterfinal when I was 17 and a win against Amelie Mauresmo, my first Grand Slam final and my first Grand Slam win. I also love Melbourne, because it’s such a great city and I have family there. But if we are talking strictly about on-the-court matters only, the French has to be my favourite.
Serena Williams made a strong statement before the Italian Open saying rankings don’t matter and that ‘she was the best player’, what do you think about this?
I also care more about winning Grand Slams than rankings. Of course, rankings are important, and it was always my goal when I was a kid to be No.1 in the world. I want to get back there again now. But instead of thinking about rankings and results, I think most players concentrate on improving their games, because if you improve your game the results, and the rankings come automatically.
Who do you think would be the strongest contenders for the French Open title?
There are many great players. The Williams sisters are always very dangerous at Grand Slams, then there’s Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova and some of the younger players like Victoria Azarenka. There are many players who could win the title.
The rankings in the women’s circuit have been fluctuating like never before. There were five No.1s last year. Is the competition getting stronger or are the players missing out due to injury?
I definitely think that there is a lot of strength in women’s tennis these days. If you look at the Grand Slams last year, many top players were beaten in the early rounds and not because they played badly, but because their opponents played very well. There are a lot of very good players at the top of their game, for example the players I previously mentioned. I think that whoever is No.1 deserves to be there.
Your source of inspiration for taking up tennis was watching Monica Seles on TV. Have you got a chance to meet your idol?
I met her for the first time in Toronto a few years ago. It was an amazing experience for me. It’s hard to describe how I felt meeting someone who had been my idol for so many years. I also had dinner with her in New York one year, and after I won the French Open she sent me a special video message, which was really nice of her. She
is not just a great champion but a great person too.
Did the hectic schedule result in you getting injured?
It was an intense season. I don’t think my thumb injury was related to the schedule. Instead, I picked it up by training a bit too hard after Wimbledon. I was very motivated to keep my No.1 ranking, and I overdid it a bit.
Serbian tennis is on a high… Jelena Jankovic was world No.1, Novak Djokovic is world No.4 and of course you too have been in the top-five for the second year in succession...
It’s an amazing time for Serbian tennis, for sure. I hope everyone can enjoy it and appreciate it as much as possible, because it may be a very long time before the country has so many players near the top again — also Nenad Zimonjic is No.1 in doubles. It feels great to be part of it.
Women’s tennis hasn’t seen any particular player dominating the way a Martina Navratilova or a Steffi Graf did…
It’s hard for me to comment on the past, because I wasn’t part of it, but for sure women’s tennis these days is extremely competitive. There are many great players, and I think you can see that in the rankings and the number of different tournament winners.
