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ROGERS CUP WOMENAugust 5, 2014Eugenie BouchardMONTREAL, QUEBEC S. ROGERS/E. Bouchard THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. Your first match since Wimbledon. Obviously that probably played a little part in it. Spraying some shots, a couple double‑faults. Was it nerves or adrenaline? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think I was feeling the pressure a bit on the court. I felt a little, you know, match rusty kind of. But I knew this coming into the match, so I can't use that as excuses. I knew it would be kind of a difficult situation. But I'm happy I was able to at least prove to myself that I could turn things around and not let the match run away completely. That's a positive from the match. Q. How strange were the conditions, late start, no power, no scoreboard? Was it difficult to focus? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I mean, it was a little bit distracting because, you know, to not hear the umpire as loud as you normally could, you know, I didn't hear him sometimes. We had no scoreboard or anything. Of course, it's the same for both players. But, you know, just doesn't help the situation. It was just kind of a series of unfortunate events a little bit. Q. Like you said, you turned your game around. How was she able to do the same thing in the third set? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think she was pretty solid the whole match, you know, so... She never really sprayed too many balls, and she was always there. So, you know, whenever I let up a little bit, which I think I did in the third, she was all over it. You know, she definitely took the match. Q. Sometimes when you have a big break, you practice some things to try to improve your game. Did you practice some things after Wimbledon that you were hoping to execute? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: After Wimbledon I took two weeks off, so I really in practice wanted to first of all get back to my level, try to improve after that. I feel like I wanted to work on a little bit of everything, consistency, you know, trying to take the ball early, a few things like that that I do well, but I wanted to keep improving those things. I just felt a little, yeah, not great on the court. But it's a situation where I'll learn a lot, not so much about the tennis, but everything else but the tennis. Q. The way you were able to turn it around in the second set, finish it off, standing ovation, at that point do you say, Now I'm here and I can win this thing? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I was trying not to think ahead too much after the second. But, you know, I didn't really start off strong in the third, which probably would have been an important thing to do. Felt a little bit like the first set again. It was a little up and down, which definitely is not how I want to play. I definitely want to be a lot more solid than that. Q. A career is full of highs and lows. Is this the biggest disappointment of your career? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't think so. It's just a match. I feel like I've been playing really well this whole year. So it's normal to have a few ups and downs. I'm going to learn a lot, but still be happy about life. Q. Is this the kind of match you can get motivated by and learn from or just put out of your head? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think it's one I'm going to be motivated by. Even late in the third I played a few good points, I felt good with my shots. It just kind of motivated me to want to get back to playing matches, get back into tournaments. That's what I'm going to do. Q. As disappointing as this may be, being your home tournament, it's still one match in preparation to the US Open. How confident are you with your plan to get to New York in top shape? Does this change anything in what you're planning to do? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't know. You know, I think the plan is to play next week. I'm going to do that, hopefully get more matches in. I'll definitely try to prepare for the US Open. It's the big one. But I still want to do well at every tournament I play. But, you know, it's good maybe that this happens earlier than the slam, so I'll be able to learn from it and kind of adjust going into the US Open. Q. I'm wondering also, given the off‑court things that have changed in the last year, what effect has that had on your ability to focus on training and playing? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I've definitely noticed a change in my life a little bit since the beginning of the year, even more so since Wimbledon. It's just something I'm going to have to get used to, especially coming to Montréal is definitely a little crazier than any other tournament. But I felt like I was dealing with things well. But I still have that sense of the pressure and things like that. It's a good position to be in. It's one I want to be in. But I'll just have to deal with it better. Q. Managing that pressure and the expectations, is that what you need to focus on going into the US Open, for you to make the next step and maybe win a Grand Slam? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think so, yeah. I think as you get a bit more successful you're going to have to deal with more things as you go up. As I said, it's where I want to be. It's just about kind of getting used to it and focusing on the tennis and remembering that's the number one priority. Q. You seemed to have some problems with your first serve today. Is your knee still bothering you at all? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: The problems with my serve were not related to my knee. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. Can you tell us what part the pressure played in this match for you? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, that's for sure, I've had a lot of pressure. I need to get used to dealing with the pressure in a match like this. There's a lot I can learn from this particular match. Q. But you were able to come back after losing the first set 6‑Love. Can you explain how you were able to turn it around at that stage. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I knew I needed to get back into the match after that first set. The situation was difficult for me then. The least I could do is try to really get back into that match, and I did for the third set. So this is one positive thing I can take from this. Q. After that you let go again in the match. Can you tell us what happened? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, this kind of thing can happen in tennis. I wasn't playing my best tennis during the whole match. I might say that during the third set I lost a bit of my concentration. She was solid during the whole match, and she was there to take it. Q. Were you 100% fit physically, no injuries? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I felt good. But this was my first match after the Wimbledon final. I was not really ready to play a real tough match, so it was difficult for me. Q. Can you tell us the level of your disappointment. Did you feel responsibility towards the organization, towards the crowd? Everyone was expecting a lot from you. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I always want to do my best, and I tried to do the best I could on the court. It doesn't always turn out the way I want it to. I would have liked to have done better here in Montréal. And, yes, I am disappointed because of that. Q. You said you were not ready for this kind of match, but you played a lot. Can you tell us what you should have done differently maybe. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, there's a difference between playing matches and practicing. My last real match was in the final of Wimbledon. It was tough playing here. I knew it was going to be tough from the beginning, but this is how the schedule was and I had to play. This is the way it is. Q. Can you compare the stress of playing a Wimbledon final and playing here in front of your home crowd. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It's similar, yes. Wimbledon was a very important moment for me. Here it was a second round, but I knew there were many expectations from many people here. Also, becoming a top‑10 player and reaching the final in Wimbledon played a part in the extra pressure I felt here. Q. When you walked onto the court you had a long ovation from the crowd. Although you played poorly, the crowd was still with you. Can you talk about what you felt from the crowd. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I was really surprised because I played that first set very badly, and still the crowd was behind me. They stayed behind me for the whole match. It was something very good to feel. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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