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WIMBLEDONJuly 4, 2014Eugenie BouchardLONDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Did you wake up this morning, and how long did it take you to realize that you're into the Wimbledon final? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Not long. You know, proud of what I accomplished, but the job is not over. You know, it's a great tournament and it's a great moment for me, so I'm going to try to enjoy it as much as I can. Q. For people who have not seen your game before, what would you most want somebody to appreciate about the way you play? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I think I play, you know, a solid, aggressive game, one that's well‑suited for grass I think. So, you know, I like playing on these courts. I really just try to take control of the point when I can and really go for it. I want to try to take my chances, not kind of wait till someone gives it to me. So I think that's an important thing that I do. Q. Ten years ago Maria Sharapova won here and she became one of the best tennis players in the world but also became a global star. People that don't really follow tennis know her. If you win tomorrow, are you worried something like that can happen to you? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: First and foremost I focus on the tennis. Whatever comes with it, you know, I take in stride. I know it's part of the job. I appreciate everything that comes with it. But I know if I don't perform on the court then there's not much off court. So I really try to focus on my job, because at the end of the day I'm a tennis player. I go to work every day and I work on my tennis. As long as I do that, you know, I'll take anything that comes with it. But, you know, I don't know what to expect really. Q. Your mother's love of the British Royal family is well‑known. Tomorrow you have the chance to become the queen of Wimbledon. What does she make of that? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think she's proud of me, like, you know, my whole family is, my coaches and everything. It's different for them because they know how much work I've put in. It's because of her I'm here really, you know. It's because of her I started playing. You know, she knows all the hard work we both went through, you know, the long journey it took to get here. So, you know, it's extra special for my inner circle like that. Q. How do you think being a Wimbledon finalist and perhaps Wimbledon champion will change your life? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't know yet, you know. I'm still in the middle of a tournament so I'm not really looking at, you know, outside things or, you know, focused on all the other attention because I have a job tomorrow and I really don't want to get distracted. After the tournament I can reflect on it. I'll see what happens. But right now I don't know what's going to happen. I'm just really excited to play a big match tomorrow. It's my dream to play a big match like this. Q. How much of a hockey fan are you? Would this be your Stanley Cup if you get this? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think Wimbledon is greater than the Stanley Cup, so I wouldn't compare it to that. But I am a little bit of a fan. Not a huge follower. I'm more of a bandwagon fan. I kind of follow in the playoffs. I'm not a true fan. But, you know, I enjoy watching games live. But I think hockey season is over, and it's a summer for tennis now. Q. You mentioned your family. How many of them are here? Do you see much of them on days like this? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I have some of my family here. I'm with my mom and my brother and my coaches at a house. So we're always pretty much together. But besides that, other family and friends, they watch my match and support me and I catch up with them after. But I really stay with just a few people around me. You know, I don't want to get too distracted and waste so much energy. It's really important for me to have a boring ritual. I think that's how I keep everything, you know, in check, doing the same kind of routine every day. It can get boring, but it helps me play my best. Q. Beatrice, she's not here? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No. Q. When you went to the Saviano Academy at 12, did you get lonely? Was it a struggle being so young and being away from home? How did you cope with that at that age? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, first of all, I was really excited for the opportunity. I wanted to improve my tennis. My parents and I‑ well, them more than me because I was only 12 ‑ thought it was the right thing to do. But my family was with me most of the time. I had my mom a lot of the time, my sisters and brother, so, you know, it wasn't a sad time at all. It was very exciting. I was happy to play tennis all day long. It was like my full‑time job. Q. You seem to have the British tennis fans behind you. How does that feel and how important will they be tomorrow? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It's very special to have their support here. I even felt it a bit last year and even the year before when I won juniors. It's nice coming back here and people knowing who I am. I definitely feel their support when I'm on the court. You know, I hope they'll support me tomorrow, but I know no matter what, it will be a great atmosphere on Centre Court. Q. Something you said yesterday that's been bugging me overnight, why you said Oprah Winfrey would be your dream spectator in the Royal Box? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: She's a person I would love to meet. I've gotten asked before if you could go to dinner with someone, I've named her in the past. I think her story is really special. She came from nothing and built herself up to this huge empire and the richest woman in the world. I love those stories like that. Justin Bieber is another story like that. I just love the story of making yourself into something. I would love to hear about her experiences and all those kinds of things. If she would watch tennis in the Royal Box, that would be cool. Q. Does that reflect you a bit, you identify with it a bit? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah. You know, I've worked really hard in my life. I appreciate other people who have done the same and have these amazing dreams and actually work hard and go out and achieve them. Especially when they come from really humble beginnings and have this positive attitude on life. Whatever they earn, it's like because of them. They've truly earned it. Yeah, I love those stories. Q. Two things: When did you first imagine or dream you could be an elite level pro player and maybe even lift a Grand Slam trophy? Also, talk about this year. Your results were fine last year, but you really have broken out at Melbourne, Paris, and here. Why the big step forward? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I started playing tennis at five years old. Soon after, you know, it was my dream to become a professional tennis player. I was very young when I decided I wanted to do it. I was nine. Since that age I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam. As for this year, well, it's been a long time in the making, you know, for it to finally come together, all the hard work, the talent I know I have, the effort I put in, you know, for it to produce results on the match court. That's happened this year, but, you know, it's been a long time in the making. I wouldn't say it's an overnight thing. I've just been believing in myself more and more, you know, and meeting the challenges I faced. I played on the professional tour for a year and I was improving as I was playing that year; the same this year. So every time I have a challenge, I just try to get better. It's really helped. Q. We saw the Gangnam style video you made with Laura Robson. You seemed you were really good mates. Are you still pretty good mates? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No, I don't think so. Q. Can you tell us why? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm sure you guys can figure out that one. Q. No, I can't. Why? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'll leave it at that. Q. Who would be your preferred Royal to have in the Royal Box? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm going to have to go with Princess Eugenie. Q. Because she came from the same humble beginnings as Oprah? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Because I was named after her. I mean, it would be amazing to meet someone that you're named after. That's just the craziest thing. Q. On Petra, how well do you know her? Practice with her or anything like that? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't know her that well. I don't think I've ever practiced with her actually. I played her once last year in Toronto. But, you know, I know she's a really good player. I'm looking forward to having my toughest match at Wimbledon yet. It's going to be a big occasion. It's a new situation for me. She's already been in a final and won it. I'm going to go out and really just try to go for it and take my chances. You know, I know I'll have really tough opposition. That's what you have to expect in a Grand Slam final. I'm really looking forward to it. Q. What does a finalist of a Grand Slam title do the day before? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Talk to you guys (smiling). I practiced this morning. I'm just going to get a massage and just relax. It's been a hectic few weeks, and I'm just trying to, you know, relax, enjoy the moment, prepare well for tomorrow. I'm going to try to get a lot of sleep tonight. I think that's a key thing for me. Q. Has Justin Bieber been in touch with you since yesterday? How many marriage proposals have you had overnight on Twitter? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No, he has not been in touch in the past 24 hours. I have not really gone on Twitter to check marriage proposals. I've been trying to keep my focus and not go on social media too much during the tournament. I do my own tweets and Facebook and things like that, so when I don't do them it's because I'm really not on and trying to stay focused. Maybe after I'll go back and respond to some. But for now I'm just keeping the blinders on. Q. Canada is not known for its tennis players. What gave you the inspiration to believe that you could become a pro at such a young age? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I looked up to great players. They didn't have to be Canadian, and they weren't Canadian because there weren't any. I remember watching Steffi Graf, watching her forehand. Watching Maria Sharapova when she won this title. Watching tennis in general. It just looked so cool on TV. I wanted to do the exact same thing. Q. In the British papers today you're on the front covers of a few of them. A lot of talk about not just the tennis you play, but your personal life. Do you read the newspapers? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No, I haven't seen any newspapers today actually. It's a good thing. Don't want to see my face, that's fine. I'm going to, yeah, just stay away from it. After the fact I can reminisce, look back, have good memories of these two weeks. But right now the job is not over. Again, it's boring, but I'm staying focused. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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