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Here is our Sara Errani’s press conference following the most important victory of her tennis career at 2016 Dubai Duty Free Championships over Barbora Strycova (6-0, 6-2).

Q: Congratulations.

SARA ERRANI: Thank you.

Q: We saw you run to your coach and you were very emotional. Can you just talk us through what this title means to you and why it was such an emotional win.

SARA ERRANI: Yeah, that’s an unexpected title for me. I was suffering a tough moment, it’s been a tough year so far. I need to say I have to thank my coach for staying with me and helping this much. We both know how hard it has been. So to win here is amazing. I mean, this is such a great tournament! To think I wasn’t even sure to come here.. I was thinking that maybe I should have stayed home, recover and get better. But at the end of the day we decided to came here, even thought we knew every day was going to be really tough. Every match, from the beginning, from the 5-1 down in first round against Zheng, and even in the quarterfinal with Brengle, lots of tough moments. But I guess it is quite normal when you get to the point to play for the title overall.

Q: Were you surprised you won so comfortably today?

SARA ERRANI: Yes, yes. Maybe it was not her best day. But of course I was just trying to be really focused and not to miss balls. I expected her to serve well, to come to the net, and maybe to change her game a little bit. I just tried to be focused. I was trying to not think too much about the fact it was a final, play my game, stay there every point, even in the 5-1, 5-2. I’m really happy.

Q: Why do you think you played so well this week, winning every match?

SARA ERRANI: I don’t know (smiling). There is no explanation. Of course you always work to be ready for the matches, but you never know which days you will play better or worse. The only thing I know is that I was ready to suffer, to stay on the court also in bad moments, or whenever I was not playing really good. This is my attitude, always. It doesn’t matter if you play good, bad, or whatever. To me the most important thing will always be to stay there and give my best.

Q. You’re still young. What are your next objectives in 2016?

SARA ERRANI: Well, when you ask me these things, I always say the same things. I just want to give my best because I don’t know what will happen next. I could have come here and lost in first round, but as long as I will be able to try, everything will be good for me.
You never know what might happen. Even in 2012, I never thought I could reach a final in Roland Garros but then it came. So you cannot have true objectives before, because anything is possible. I just try to be ready for whatever comes.

Q: You’re saying you may not have come here? Were you considering taking like a break this month or just this tournament?

SARA ERRANI: Yeah, I was thinking about taking two or three weeks off to just relax, try to recharge the energy and everything. But in the end we said just “C’mon, let’s go”. He told me “You are ready to suffer. You are ready to fight. This is important. Doesn’t matter how it goes”. Like I said before you are never 100% physically ok so what you want is just try to be ready for whatever comes.

Q: You normally play well at a tournament you like. You have been in the final here twice now. What do you like about being in Dubai?

SARA ERRANI: Yeah, I love here. I mean, first of all for us players is amazing, to sleep here and have the courts this close. It’s really comfortable. Even the conditions for me are favorable here. I like a lot the type of court. The balls bounce very high, which helps me a lot my my game.

Q: Can I just ask you, it’s a great time for Italian tennis and experienced Italian players. Flavia won the US Open. Roberta did well in St. Petersburg. Why do you think there is this renaissance in Italian women’s tennis?

SARA ERRANI: I don’t know. It has always been us four, Schiavone, Flavia, Robi, and me. We have always helped each other to go further each time. We all had unbelievable results, all four.