Right now I have more confidence in myself. I grew up.

There were many occasions in my career where I could have given up, where I asked myself whether I would ever make it.

If you are not physically strong, it's difficult. But at the same time, I think you need something more than that; you need to vary your shots, as Justine has been able to do in Amelia or Charleston, where she beat her -- I can't remember where it was on clay. So you need this kind of thing. But of course if you're not fit, you'll never make it through.

Another factor is the education and culture in which you grow up. I didn't grow up in the culture of victory, where you are expected to be or have to be, the best. It was not at all like that in my family. Tennis was really a hobby. If it led to something, great. If not, there were other things in life. I think that was something I was missing at some points in my career, because when I see Hingis or the Williamses, you see how they were educated for this: to win, to be the best, a bit the American mentality. Number one. Number one. Number one. I didn't have this.

My coach told me I had to expect, you know, some long rallies and stuff. So, you know, I was ready for this.

We all had, at some point, matches we should have won and we didn't and that's the game. That's just the way the sport is. Otherwise, if everything was written before, we don't need to play.

Yes, I have had difficult times on court and at certain tournaments but you need to forget about it and go forward because that's the way it works in our world.