V.RAZZANO/T. Garbin

7-5,7-5

Aninterview with:

VIRGINIE RAZZANO

THEMODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You know Samantha Stosur. What do you think of your next match?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: I've already been asked thisquestion today. First of all, I
wouldlike to say that I'm very happy to have played today and that I won.
That's what counts. And to talk about what I did today, I'm veryhappy today.

And for yourquestion, I haven't thought about it. It's not the issue today.
It'stwo days away, so I still have time to think about it, to prepare myself
toplay Samantha. I don't want to projecttoo far. Yes, it's true that I'm
goingto face her in two days. You know, it'sneither today nor tomorrow.

TodayI'm very happy about my match, and that's what counts. I want to enjoy
this victory. You can ask me the same question aboutSamantha tomorrow. Yes,
why not.

THEMODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. Congratulations. You frightened us during this match. There was turbulence
in the first and secondsets, and then you reversed steam. Howdo you explain
it? Was this simply anoff moment, or was the Italian simply playing better at
that time?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, it was not easy for me today, becausethe conditions
were more difficult. Thewind was swirling. Sometimes you wouldhave the wind
with you, sometimes against you. Yes, it was blowing quite hard.

Maybe thepeople out there, the crowd on the stands, didn't realize. But then
if you're down there on the court, Ican tell you that it's difficult for both
of us.

Sotoday, that was it. I had to be morepatient, and I had to better negotiate
these points, because I played against aplayer who played really well, and I
said, Be careful.

It's notbecause I played against Tathiana Garbin that it's going be easy. On
the contrary, it's a pitfall, because shedefeated Marion Bartoli. Maybe that
wasnot an excellent match for her, but still it was the third round against
metoday, so it was not something to be taken lighthearted.

I didn't dothat, by the way, because I knew she could play excellent matches.
I mean, Tathiana, she showed that today. Today I can tell you that as far as
I'mconcerned, my game was not perhaps extraordinary. Perhaps not my best game.

If I lookat the past two rounds when the conditions were more difficult, you
know, it issomething that bothers me, something that bothers me when I serve.
For instance, my first serves were not asgood as usual. I was a bit bothered,
andI think it's the same for my opponent.

We have thesame conditions, I mean, both of us. Sowe had to be mentally
strong so that we could both overcome these trickymoments.

Q. Was it different types of wind comparedwith the wind you have in Nîmes?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: Well, you know, in the south ofFrancethe wind blows a lot
more strongly. It'scalled the mistral wind. But here,what's different is that
we are in a bowl. You know, the wind goes swirling around, and each time the
balls aredifferent.

You know, todayagainst Tathiana, I can tell you that her game, like,
neutralized mine. Not to start with, because I was up 5-0, andwith my game
she couldn't do anything.

Thenthat's when perhaps I started playing not as well as before, and that's
whenshe seized this opportunity to do what she does best, and that was
toneutralize my game. I made more unforcederrors or errors, you know, the way
I played.

Andtherefore, that's when I thought to be more patient. You should remember,
as well, that today theconditions are different, I thought. SoI didn't want
to rush in for anything, but I remained serene.

Q. Was that a problem for you when it was 3-0? You asked for someone to come
in, and youdiscussed.

VIRGINIERAZZANO: No, I didn't ask this person tocome in. I was starting to
think, can'tshe stop for a while? It was somebodyfrom the WTA. I had a patch,
you know,on my polo shirt, and it was not positioned correctly. The problem
was this woman wanted me tochange my shirt. It was 3-0. We had started the
match, so I was a bitpissed off.

I said, I can'tchange my polo shirt, because all my T-shirts are patched
exactly thesame. It's sewn on the T-shirt. She wanted to use a pair of
scissors toremove it. I said, You're going to ruinall my T-shirts. I had my
three white T-shirtsin my bag, and they were all with the same logo at the
same place. It was sewn this morning.

It's mymistake, I know. I knew I couldn't placeit exactly here. It had to be
placed onthe side, on the shoulder, almost. Shesaid, Well, you have to use
another T-shirt, otherwise you might be fined. I said, Please try and find me
a T-shirt,because I said I have no other T-shirt. Either it's bare chested or
naked or this way, and never mind the fine.

You knowwhat she said? Well, she went away. It was 3-0 and I had something
else to thinkabout, I can tell you. I was thinkingabout the match. I didn't
want to botherabout this. I didn't want to get angryabout this. I appreciate
thiswoman. She's kind. I was well into the match. I was playing okay.

The onlything I wanted was to be on my own, and this is when I was up 5-0,
and I wasstill, you know, how can I say, thinking about this. It was at the
back of my mind. I said, Never mind the fine. I'll have the fine. I'll play.
I'll play. It was not easy, youknow.

And thenafter playing the match she came back to me, and she said, Well, you
know, it'sa near miss. You're not going to befined, but you could have been
fined. You have the right to have this logo, but not at this place. I said,
Well, sorry. I didn't know.

Andyesterday evening people said, Do you mind wearing this badge on your
T-shirt? I gave to Cedric and Stephane and I said, Canyou have them sewn on
my T-shirts? And Igot ready. I said, You can place themhere and there. I
didn't know the rule,I can tell you that. Sorry about that.

I was thereplaying on the court. I thought, I'm notgoing to let it bother me
for two sets, no. She was great with me, because I was not fined.

Q. Why were you not fined?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: I don't know. I didn't ask that many questions after
thematch, you know, because, well, I won this match. It was not easy, as you
know, today. And in addition to this, had she beenstricter with me, she would
have fined me. I would have paid it, of course.

But, you know,she didn't give me this fine, because I think she knew I didn't
do it onpurpose. It was not my intention toplace the logo where it shouldn't
have been placed.

Q. How often have you already played on thecentral court or equivalent courts
in your career with that many people?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: How many times? Let me see. It's the 11th year I've played
here in Paris. I played Anke Huber, Justine Henin once or twice, Mauresmo
here atRoland Garros, the French Open. Icouldn't really count. I think I
playedmostly on the Suzanne Lenglen, like against Zakopalova last year first
round.

Otherwise, thecentral court, I didn't really know the central court before.
The landmarks are different. The atmosphere is different, too.

You see,I have the impression that on the central court, the atmosphere is
specialcompared with Suzanne Lenglen. It's different,or different from No. 1.
They're allreally great, but this one, you feel like in the arena, like for a
corrida, fora bull fight.

Q. I have another question concerning thematch point. Everybody wasstanding.
Could you tell us more about this? The Italian kissed you just afterwards. It
was a great moment.

VIRGINIERAZZANO: Oh, yes, match point. This match point was the best I've
everplayed, ever. It was extraordinary, andshe was well into this point.
Shereturned several times. She would runhere and there. She would return all
thetime. I had to volley.

I was almostlike jumping onto the clay, to the ground, I mean, and then I had
this nicevolley at the end. But it was somethingvery difficult I had to fight
for, and I was very happy. I don't know how long it was, how manyvolleys we
played, but then she lost after many volleys. It was extraordinary.

Then thewhole crowd decided to stand up and put their hands together for me
for thismatch point. It was something I deserved,really. We deserved because
we foughttill the very end, and to end with such a match point, this is like
a dream.

Q. Cedric has said that you didn't feel anystress when you got on the court,
and then stress is something that you feltlittle by little because you
started realizing you were on the central courtwith the crowd around you.

VIRGINIERAZZANO: Well, I was a bit excited, likeit's been, you know, for the
first two rounds and today, as well. It was tension like anybody else. We
always have this in our stomach before westart playing a match, otherwise it
would mean we're too relaxed and we don'tgive a damn about being here. It's
notnormal.

I was a bittense before I got into the court. Youknow, it's my job. After
this, I managedto unwind a little to relax until 5-0, and then maybe I was a
bit tense, that'strue.

I don'tknow if the conditions were more difficult as the set was developing,
but Ithink I was slightly taken aback by these conditions. It was difficult
for me to keep my focus andto be accurate enough not to give points. Tathiana
played well.

On thecontrary, it was always the same type of game. She had moon ball shots,
and also kick points. She did whatever she could. I'm not used to playing
with these playerswho have such a variety of shots.

AgainstMedina Garriques, it was not an easy game. She varies so often, and
she's also very much an attacker. Today it was different, because she
attacked. But not always.

Also, sheplayed not too quickly and a bit too soft, so not much weight in
theballs. I had to be careful not to rushphysically, I mean, so that
afterwards I could negotiate the upper hand. It's not always easy when you
have a verysoft type of ball that's not strong enough to adapt your game and
react.

Also, shewas quite surprising, because her forehand, she would move around
and then shewould hit really strongly. I couldn'tsee the ball. I can tell you
it's thepace, the rhythm, and to adapt my physical condition, I had to change
all thetime. That's what's difficult, not to bealways playing fast or to have
the same tempo, the same pace.

Sometimes Ihad to go slowly, to adjust. I had tochange my position, and it
was more difficult to manage.

And Cedricis most certainly right. I didn'tdiscuss this with him after the
match, but I think that - well, yes,afterwards you're a bit tense, which is
normal because the other girl was goingup. That's when you have to win
thesesets and remain aggressive.

Q. Do you know the name of this woman from theWTA or not? I'm curious. I'd
like to know this woman's name. I have nothing against her, and I haveanother
question, which is: TathianaGarbin said that you played a lot better when it
was important, because you hadmore courage. Do you think she's rightin saying
this? She said, I was too weakwhen it was an important moment. I hadnot taken
as many risks as Virginie.

VIRGINIERAZZANO: I think she's right. I played well at the most
importantmoments. At the right time I was moreaggressive, and I won these
points. That's when I could stand out.

I think that asTathiana has said, maybe she was not bold enough. She was not
daring enough to win the game orto surprise me with something she wanted to
do at important moments; therefore,she was always trying to neutralize my
game.

Sometimesshe would aggress me a little. That'sher type of game, and I could
stand out because I used a more varied game and Imanaged the important
moments better than she would. Yes, absolutely. That's how I could stand out.
That's very important.

There wasthis, and then...

Q. (No microphone.)

VIRGINIERAZZANO: I like this woman. She's really kind, but...

Q. Will you tell me who she is?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: I don't know her family name,but her first name is Pam. Oh,
poorgirl, she'll see she's going to be in all the papers tomorrow. She's
going to be angry against me.

Q. Well, for the general public, French women'stennis is all about Alizé
 Cornet, Mauresmo, Marion Bartoli, and the othergirls. Do you think this year
this is abit of a revenge for you, or do you consider yourself as the French
No. 1?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: Well, as far as the media areconcerned, I think it's a bit
of a pity. Because when we have many women players, it seems that the papers
onlyfocus on No. 1 or No. 2 or No. 3, the French No. 1, 2, and 3.

Because, yousee, we have young French players. Wehave George Goven's young
player. Sheplays well. And even, you know, peoplelook at Arravane and others,
as well behind her in the ranking. They are the newcomers and they playwell.
These girls play well, so it's apity.

Wecan't, unfortunately, focus enough on them. Maybe it's the results that
count. I think it's all very nice to focus on one player, like Arravane
ormyself. Okay, so far we've playedwell. Our matches have been really good.

Well, youknow, we had to fight for these matches, and it's covered by the
media,okay? But we deserve it, to someextent. We are French, okay? We play
here at home, so why shouldn't we becovered as much as other players in
France compared with Mauresmo,Bartoli, or Cornet?

Unfortunately,they have lost already. It's apity. Everybody is not on
equalfooting. I don't mean that we should allbe, how can I say? We shouldn't
be onequal footing, though. Amélie is betterranked than me, Marion as well,
so is Alizé. But I think that when your results are good, when you win a
match, it'snormal that we're covered by the press. It should be deserved.
Weshouldn't be in the shadows.

If you'rein the shadows it's a pity, because you might have won a match. It's
a bit of a pity, as I said, not to becovered by the press, because we work
hard, as well. We practice a lot. We spend time on the court. We want to do
even more. We want to be amongst the best, whether weare the best or not.

But themost important thing is to do our best to succeed, and then I don't
know ifit's going to be covered. I don'tknow. Everybody has his own job. I
think it's important to focus on the otherFrench, not just the top three
French. You should also give importance to these players and look, of course,
atthe results they've had.

Q. (Off microphone.)

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, Idon't know. You should look at theirresults, these
statistics of all matches. I can't tell you anything else. The most important
thing for me is to focus on what I do and what I haveto do during my
tournaments. Then ifit's No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, okay, okay. I'm not jealous,
you know, compared with the other French.

The only thingI would be jealous about is if a girl steals my man. That's
when I would be jealous. Frankly, if anybody goes close to my man, no,I
couldn't stand that. That's when Iwould be jealous. That's all. Don't get
close to my man.

Jealousabout Amélie or others? No, I have otherfish to fry, you know. I have
otherconcerns and problems. Life sometimes isnot easy, so let's look at the
bright side of things. That's all.

Q. It's your second week now, because you'llbe playing on Monday. Is it like
a newtournament for you?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: Well, yes. It's not over yet. That's only the beginning.
Okay. Round of 16. Wonderful. Great. It's only the beginning.

We're going tostart again, week No. 2. There are manymatches to be played.
That's all. I'm not making projections. I will take each match as it comes.
In two days it's going to be difficult. It's Stosur. I don't want to boast
about it. Iknow Stosur can play really a nice type of tennis. She defeated
Dementieva.

I'd sayit's still a danger again. I have to dothis. It's always been the case
withme. That's the way I am. I shouldn't take things too
lightheartedly,especially in a Grand Slam.

Q. You've said you don't understand why somegirls or women players or female
players are in the shadows. Do you mean that you think it was your casefor a
while?

VIRGINIERAZZANO: Well, yes, maybe. That's possible to some extent. I can't
tell you when, though. Maybe a little. I was not saying this just for me,
butArravane, as well, and all the other girls who are behind in the ranking.

Frankly, as faras I'm concerned, it's not changed my life. I have other
things to do, as well. I'm very happy about what I do and my success. All
this is something I deserved because I'veworked hard. But all the rest, you
know,whether I'm covered by the media or not, you know, I'm what I am. I'm
simple. I try and be kind with people, and I want to progress in my private
lifeand professional life.

I wasthinking about the other players, the other female players. Even though
their ranking is not as good,even though sometimes their results are not good
enough because it's alwaystough to play a good match, and it's the same for
me.

Therefore,when one woman plays well, you should talk about her because she
workshard. They work hard. They know they work hard all the time, soit's
important for you to focus on these players, as well. We should support each
other. These players should be supported by theFrench press, as well. I was
not justtalking about myself. That's for sure.