Times of India interview

Ana was this week interviewed by The Times of India, one of the world's biggest selling newspapers.An extract from the interview, conducted by Saibal Bose, follows:

How serious is your knee injury? Is it a setback ahead of your French Open title defense?

It’s for sure a setback. I haven’t had the preparation I wanted, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Injuries are the most frustrating thing about being a professional tennis player, but you just have to accept that they are part of the game. But I have to stay positive. I didn’t play many matches before the French Open last year either.

Almost one year after winning the French Open, how do you look back at the victory?

It’s for sure the highlight of my career so far. It was amazing to win my first Grand Slam and become No.1 in the world for the first time in just 48 hours. It was an amazing experience and something I look back on with a lot of joy and pride.Tennis has seen a number of early retirements/burnouts, the latest being Justine Henin.

How do you counter the stress of a top-flight tennis player?

I think it’s very important to have the right balance. I cannot comment on other players because I don’t know about them and everyone is different. But for myself, I can say that I have some interests away from the court, for example studying finance and learning Spanish, and I always make sure I have some time to relax and recover. At times I feel like I don’t have enough time to myself, but I’m working on that!

Ana Coming to India

Coming to Indian Wells is always a pleasure. This is one of my favourite tournaments for a few reasons. First of all the organization is great, the stadium seems very new and everyone is so welcoming. The crowds are great too, even for practice. Then you have the breathtaking views of the mountains and the fresh desert air. I find it very relaxing.It's a lot different to the other cities we play in: so quiet and peaceful. I'm sure it helped me last year when I won the tournament, and obviously my goal is to win it again.I also very much enjoyed my time in New York two weeks ago. It was nice to have more time to look around the city, and it was my first time visiting in the winter. I enjoyed it more in the snow than when it's so hot and humid in the summer, during the US Open.I trained in Las Vegas last week. I had never visited the city before and it was a very interesting experience! I didn't know that much about it, but people had told me that it would be a unique experience and they were not wrong!It was fun to walk through this busy area known as "The Strip" and check out all the themed hotels. I went on the rollercoaster at New York New York and I also went to the famous 'O' show at the Bellagio.I am not sure how soon I will return to Vegas, but it was definitely a fun trip.LoveAna

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