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ROLAND GARROSJune 7, 2015Bethanie Mattek-SandsLucie SafarovaPARIS, FRANCE MATTEK SANDS‑SAFAROVA/Dellacqua‑Shvedova THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. Not a bad week here for either of you I think it's fair to say. You guys been feeding off of each other's winning? LUCIE SAFAROVA: She's been on fire. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: Yeah, I think so. We have talked about it. I don't think either of us had a day off this whole French Open. I think the two days we might not have played matches we still warmed up or practiced. I mean, it was ‑‑it's been a whirlwind, but I have been here almost three weeks because I got here pretty early before the tournament started. What an amazing event. I mean, really, to win it with Mike and then win it with Lucie after the Australian Open, it's been so much fun. We have had a lot of fun in the locker room... LUCIE SAFAROVA: It's amazing. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: On and off the court we are still soaking it all in. Q. How much have you guys fed off of each other's success? You both had deep runs in different draws. LUCIE SAFAROVA: I think we complement each other. I think we have been both doing great, playing great, each day here all three weeks. It's amazing, and it just helps ‑‑ BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: Yeah, it's like a positive attitude. The whole team just has got a positive vibe, good energy. There is a lot of times, a lot of times where ‑‑ even today we were down a little bit and we just kept the energy up. That's really a big part of it. Even if you're not playing amazing for a couple of games, you keep each other in it. You can even do it on the singles court as well. You keep the energy up and you can always ‑‑I mean, we have practiced enough, we have hit enough tennis balls in our life, I think, so it's a matter of just relaxing and going out there and having fun. LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah. Q. So two down; maybe two more to go. Are you going for the Grand Slam? BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: I'm sure everyone is talking about that. (Smiling.) No, I just want to drink champagne out of this trophy, and then we will work our way to the next one. Actually I want to go home before I think about playing tennis anymore. No, we are taking it one match at a time. Really that's the only way you can go about it. LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah. It's already amazing we did two in a row. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: We are excited about it. Obviously we are going to go forward and get back out on the practice court at some point and get on the grass and go for it there, too. Q. For both of you, what was it like playing here every day, especially Friday when it was over two hours and 90‑degree heat? LUCIE SAFAROVA: It was a little fun, actually. I have so many nice memories of just you keep winning and doing so well. We have so much fun. It's just amazing, I think. I mean, that's what you work for, so to achieve it here on Grand Slam and get another title in the same season, it's amazing. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: Yeah, I think there was one game in that match on Friday when it was hot. I was serving in the sun. I had turned to Lucie and I said if, I have to die on Suzanne Lenglen right now, I'm going to hold my serve. I think it was like a 15‑minute game and I ended up holding. That was like the win of the day for me there. No, I mean, you get tough matches like that where you grind it out, and some matches you play amazing from the start. You can't always guarantee ‑‑there are plenty of good teams and players out there. I mean, every day is a new day. I really think Lucie is probably one of the most positive, happy people on tour. LUCIE SAFAROVA: I can say the same about her. Like I am a little bit nervous before my singles match, and she appears there like all smiling. I'm like, Okay, day is good. Everything is fine. (Laughter.) BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: I think it helps a lot, because I sometimes actually maybe get too excited. Lucie is like, Hey, it's okay. You're good. I'm like, Okay. I think we balance each other out. But it's really positive vibes and really made this whole kind of journey a lot of fun. LUCIE SAFAROVA: Yeah, we are already known that we have the most laughing corner in the locker room. Some girls are like, You again? Q. You seem to get along very well together off court as well. Do you think this is one of the reasons, the chemistry? You just started to play together this year. Lucie, was it difficult to recover from yesterday's disappointment? LUCIE SAFAROVA: I start? BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: Go. LUCIE SAFAROVA: Well, I recovered quite ‑‑I mean, it was ‑‑of course I was a little bit sad, but it was exciting for me to be here in the finals. I have had some great wins throughout those two weeks. So I was on one side a little bit sad, but also really happy about my game here. I was actually excited about today's final. I was very pumped to at least get one title out of those two. I'm really happy it happened. About the relationship, I think if you are not friends off court and you don't get along well, I don't think you can really do well on court. I think it's important to have good energy and being friends. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: Yeah, no, it makes a big difference. We text each other obviously during the day. LUCIE SAFAROVA: Warming me up for two weeks. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: I think I missed one day. I was like, Am I going to throw off the rhythm here? I have to play mixed. LUCIE SAFAROVA: Rob was little off. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: Was he? (Laughter.) No, but like our whole team really gets along. Only here we kind of stayed far apart so we didn't have dinner together. We normally have dinners together and stuff like that. It makes the tour a lot more fun just to have friends as well, because you're traveling and gone from home a lot. If you can't enjoy it on the road it's going to be a long season. I'm really grateful I have a great friend like Lucie to hang out with and talk with. As much as we joke around, we can be serious. It's really nice to have a friend like that. Q. The first player here to win mixed and women's doubles I think in 14 years, Bethanie. Can you put in perspective what the last few weeks have been like for you? Is this what you would call your most successful tournament ever? How do you sort of walk away from this experience? BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: I mean, definitely result‑wise it's a big success, you know, coming in here and not losing in doubles. But, you know, I really feel healthy this year. That's been a big thing in the past few years is I actually wasn't playing doubles for a little bit. I think I was ranked 350 in doubles beginning of the year. LUCIE SAFAROVA: I call her rocket of the year. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: It's just nice for me to be out there playing and feeling good, being able to play singles and doubles and mixed. It was kind of a last minute thing with Mike. He asked me at the beginning of the week. We weren't sure if I was going to play mixed. It was kind of a last‑minute decision. But I had a blast playing with him. I mean, greatest doubles team of all time. I think I have a lot of energy; Mike has more energy than me. (Smiling.) But it was such an honor to play with him. I actually learned some stuff, too, from him. Yeah, I mean, what a couple weeks. I mean, I don't think it's completely soaked in until I get my champagne in my trophy. But, no, it's been amazing. Q. It's been pretty rare for anyone to win the first half of the calendar Grand Slam, and now you guys have it. Serena has it and Novak might be very close to getting it today, too. Is there something people have figured out about how to take five months off and win another one? How do you explain your part of it or in general how there are a bunch of people still in the race for this. It's pretty rare. BETHANIE MATTEK‑SANDS: I don't know that anyone's really got that, you know ‑‑I mean, I'm not going to speak for Serena or Novak, but we are really just trying to take it one match at a time. I mean, to think, Hey, I want to get a Grand Slam or Olympic medals. That's so far in advance. So many things could happen before then. So it's really, you know, working on staying in the present and enjoying the moment. But, you know, I don't know. Maybe we should all hang out together and see if we can get some secrets or something. I will ask Serena and Novak. (Laughter). Q. There is a picture of you guys jumping with a bunch of people. That's a fantastic picture. Whose idea was that? LUCIE SAFAROVA: It was my coach's talent. (Laughter.) BETHANIE MATTEK SANDS: It's like his second career. We did a little photo op. We did one for Australia where we were jumping, so we said, We have to do it again for French Open. We let him be the creative director for our little post‑match photo shoot. He normally comes up with something good. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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