It was tough but I tried to run easy. I have blisters from my shoes and I didn't sleep because of the joy I felt. I have not celebrated yet.

[Then came Sydney. Crushed by the weight of expectations (] When I arrived here today, I was crying and my coach had to calm me down, ... I have lived with this dream for four years and it lies in tatters at my feet.

It is finally complete. Four years ago in Sydney, I cried with sadness. Today I cry tears of joy. I'm living a moment of glory.

Tennis is simply not affordable to many in the Arab world, ... They should have public courts like they do in the United States and France. One of my dreams is to fill Morocco with public courts and offer practices to kids who cannot afford to belong to clubs or have coaches. But that's in the future. For now, I am competing. No Arab player has ever won a grand slam event. My dream is to be the first.

She accepted the travel and living in hotels for 11 months, ... With a child, she could have said she wanted to be home, and that would have been difficult. After a match it's 10 p.m., and then you have dinner until 12 - all the inconveniences of a pro athlete. Tennis was my first priority, and she accepted it. She gave advice and supported me.

My father told me it was not a job, that I wouldn't make a living at tennis, ... The toughest part was trying to explain to him that I could be the first one from Morocco to do it. But he didn't want me to play. We didn't talk for a year. That was when I knew I couldn't fail. I had to show him it was the right decision. It was a great motivation.