Q: Jelena, what made you decide to come to Paris and play the 17th Open GDF SUEZ?

It was a little bit of a last minute decision. This year, I have only played the Australian Open and the Fed Cup against Japan last week-end, and it's not a lot. I need to play more matches, to feel the spirit of the competition, to put myself in situations where I can feel pressure and where the opponent is at her top. Practicing is good, it helps a lot, but there's nothing like a real tournament to feel my game better and to know how good I'm doing. That's why I came here and I' very excited to play the Open GDF SUEZ.

Q: Are you satisfied with how you played at the Australian Open?

No, I didn't do well at all there. You know, I got sick in Hong Kong before the start of the Australian Open and it made things very difficult for me. Also, after two and a half months of break, it's never easy to get back in action. And I can already feel I'm doing better. I move faster than I did in Melbourne, my reaction on court is quicker too, and I'm able to see the ball earlier, which is very important.

Q: You've said your goal is to win a Grand Slam Tournament? How about this year at the French Open?

Sure, that would be great, winning a Grand Slam is definitely my top goal. The French Open would be awesome, of course. I like clay a lot and I've already played two semi finals at Roland Garros, so why not? Also, my greatest dream would be to win there and to deliver my vicotry speech to the French spectators in French. I speak French, I've been to a French diplomatic school, so that would be so much fun to do just that.

Q: Are you very disappointed to have lost your number one spot?

No, I'm not that disappointed. You know, it's great to be the top player in the world but it's important to keep in mind that it is just a temporary position. I'm going to do my best to get back to number one, but that's also the goal of all top players this year. just like I did last year, it would mean a lot to me to end the year at number one, but Dinara, Elena and Serena have exactly the same goal in mind.

Q: Tell us a bit more about your Fed Cup experience this past week-end...

I think I can say it is the greatest moment in my career so far. We have played pretty much everywhere to get to this level of Fed Cup competition, and it was so great to finally play at home in Serbia. And there's nothing like what we felt there, you have no idea. A record was actually broken, with more than 15,000 people in the arena to support the team. The vibe, the energy, the strength we felt then, there's nothing to explain or describe how amazing that was.

Q: Do you think the French fans in Coubertin will be up to that atmosphere?

I know I have many supporters here and it's great. The French crowds tend to be very passionate and very pleasant but I'm afraid being as supportive as the fans in Serbia last week-end is goign to be a very tough challenge for them! (laughter)

Q: Have you had a chance to get used to the court and the stadium here yet?

Well, I just arrived last night but yes, I had a chance to play on the main court a bit. I like the arena and the surface very much and as I said, what I really need is to play competitive matches and I'm ready for that!
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