Paris: French Open runner-up Sara Errani says she is determined to get back to the tennis equivalent of the factory belt following her day in the spotlight on Saturday at Roland Garros.
The little Italian took everyone by surprise in reaching the final in Paris and she did not let herself down against odds-on favourite Maria Sharapova before losing 6-3, 6-2.
The runner-up finish means that the 25-year-old will enter the world top 10 for the first time when the new WTA rankings are issued on Monday.
For Errani though, it is time to take a week off and then she will return to the ranks to prepare for the grass court season and the buildup to Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
“I have to just think that it’s not a normal thing for me to make the final of Grand Slam,” she said.
“I don’t expect to make a final now in another tournament. I played a good two weeks. Was incredible for me. But I just want to keep doing the same thing that I was doing.
“So normal things. Just practice, and I try to improve every day like I always do.
“So I have to think that I will lose, of course, in other weeks. So I have to know it, and that’s it.”
Errani said that she had felt nervous while taking to the court for what was her first Grand Slam final and that had proved key as she got off to a tight start.
The Italian dropped the first four games of the final allowing Sharapova to dominate from the baseline with her bigger shot-making abilities.
“I was nervous, of course. In the beginning the court was full, but was very nice at the same time.
“I started bad. That is what I don’t like, because maybe for the tension, for everything.
“And with this player, if you give her some games like this in the beginning, of course they are more relaxed.”
Errani said that she managed to settle down near the end of the first set and produced her best tennis in the second set but struggled to cope with Sharapova’s explosive hitting.
“I couldn’t arrive to play long points like I wanted to play, so it was difficult for me,” she said.
Errani did, however, have the satisfaction of leaving Paris with one French Open title under her belt. She and fellow Italian Roberta Vinci won the women’s doubles title on Friday defeating Russian pair Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The little Italian took everyone by surprise in reaching the final in Paris and she did not let herself down against odds-on favourite Maria Sharapova before losing 6-3, 6-2.
The runner-up finish means that the 25-year-old will enter the world top 10 for the first time when the new WTA rankings are issued on Monday.
For Errani though, it is time to take a week off and then she will return to the ranks to prepare for the grass court season and the buildup to Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
“I have to just think that it’s not a normal thing for me to make the final of Grand Slam,” she said.
“I don’t expect to make a final now in another tournament. I played a good two weeks. Was incredible for me. But I just want to keep doing the same thing that I was doing.
“So normal things. Just practice, and I try to improve every day like I always do.
“So I have to think that I will lose, of course, in other weeks. So I have to know it, and that’s it.”
Errani said that she had felt nervous while taking to the court for what was her first Grand Slam final and that had proved key as she got off to a tight start.
The Italian dropped the first four games of the final allowing Sharapova to dominate from the baseline with her bigger shot-making abilities.
“I was nervous, of course. In the beginning the court was full, but was very nice at the same time.
“I started bad. That is what I don’t like, because maybe for the tension, for everything.
“And with this player, if you give her some games like this in the beginning, of course they are more relaxed.”
Errani said that she managed to settle down near the end of the first set and produced her best tennis in the second set but struggled to cope with Sharapova’s explosive hitting.
“I couldn’t arrive to play long points like I wanted to play, so it was difficult for me,” she said.
Errani did, however, have the satisfaction of leaving Paris with one French Open title under her belt. She and fellow Italian Roberta Vinci won the women’s doubles title on Friday defeating Russian pair Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
