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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPENAugust 11, 2014Taylor TownsendCINCINNATI, OHIO T. TOWNSEND/K. Koukalova THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Another main draw; another pro win. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah. Q. At this point, is this not new for you anymore? Is it getting to where you almost expect yourself to get past the first round? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I mean, for sure. I definitely feel really good. Just having to qualify really just gives me a sense of entitlement when I get into the main draw. I earned my way into here, and so now I got two matches, good matches, underneath my belt. Now just gotta keep the ball rolling. I do expect myself to do well and win a couple of rounds because I know I can. I reached third round of a Grand Slam, so I know I can do whatever. So, I mean, hopefully go farther than that. So, yeah, it's positive. I'm just moving in the right direction and learning from every match. Q. Heading into the US Open, you have been third round obviously like you say. What kind of expectations do you have? Are you trying not to put pressure on yourself? What's the frame of mind? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I'm going into the Open confident. I think playing these matches and being able to play here and playing in D.C. kind of gave me some really good ‑‑a lot of confidence leading up into the Open. I'm still not done yet. I'm getting some doubles play here so when I go to the Open as well I'm going to be fresh and ready to go. As far as expectations for myself, I mean, I just want to continue to do my best, lay everything out on the line, fight as hard as I can, and learn, you know. I mean, I'm put in a position in matches where I'm like, Oh, I have been here before. How can I improve from the last match or something like that? I'm just trying to take the step to continue to learn and do the right things. I know that the results‑‑ if I continue to work hard and keep learning, the results will take care of themselves. Q. It seems like you're working hard. A lot of matches that you're winning are 7‑5 in the third or 7‑6 or 6‑4. Is that a good thing, getting yourself like time to stay in the point and pull it out? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I mean, I think that you've got to do what you gotta do to win. Really, that's what I'm proving to myself. It's like, you know, it comes down to the wire in these matches or a point here and there, and, you know, I can win that point and that can change the match. It came down to one or two points today. So, I mean, these last couple of matches ‑and especially in D.C. ‑ have given me just a lot of confidence to know that, you know, when I get put in these situations, number one, I can come out of it; and number two, if I get in that situation again I know that I have been there before. I know that I can come out of it and I know what I can do and how to make myself click in those moments. Q. What did you like most about the way you played today? Was it the mental thing you just talked about? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, for sure. I definitely don't think that I played my best. But at the same time, I did what I had to do to win. She's a very tough person to play. She hits really, really flat. Her serves, she mixes it up. Goes from slow to pops an ace on you. You really have no rhythm. So I just tried to really focus on myself. It came down to a point here or there. Like I said, for me I just tried to fight and stay in the moment. I had two match points and missed two returns. Instead of getting upset at that I just tried to focus on the next game and holding my serve and having another opportunity to take it. Q. Is that the hardest thing to learn, that mental part, for somebody starting out trying to make a name for herself? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I think so. I mean, for different people, different things, for sure. Some people have to work on technique. Some people have that mental edge. Some people understand the game at a younger age or understand their game. For me personally, I'm having to learn myself as well as the game of tennis. So it's a lot. But at the same time it's so much fun because I'm just constantly learning, not only about myself, but every single match I play, whether I win or whether I lose, I learn something. That's the fun in it, because I know it's like ‑‑I was just talking to my coach. Like, Okay, I know what I have to do or I didn't do this or I didn't do that. So even though I won, it's still stuff I want to continue to work on. Q. What did you learn today? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I think for me I just really put myself out there today. I mean, I played her at Wimbledon and lost to her first round at Wimbledon. So first of all, I tried not to think about that, because it's easy to get caught up into that and try to do something that‑‑ or do more than what I have to do. But today I just really tried to fight as hard as I could. I tried to stay in every single point and not give her too many free points. Really, really focused on the return of serve, because that's where I got in trouble in Wimbledon. So I really, really tried to put a huge emphasis on the return of serve and making her play. Most of the time I did it; sometimes I didn't. But when I needed to, it came through. Q. It sounds like as your confidence builds that you're able to kind of dismiss little moments of insecurity. Do you find yourself still having to deal with that, that you're insecure about where you are or what to do? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: What do you mean, insecure? Q. Doubt, I guess. What do I do now kind of thing, or does that kind of go away as you keep playing better? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I think it's just a learning experience. For every single match that I play, like I said, I'm trying to learn and grow from it. So if I take positives and negatives from the match and then go and practice and work as hard as I can on those things, then I know when I get put back in that situation I will hopefully do something different. As I continue to play these matches on tour and get acclimated against the girls and playing against the high‑level people, the more that I do feel like I belong and the more that I do feel like, you know, I can win these matches and I can tough it out and, you know, I belong here. I think that it's just a matter of experience. The more matches that I get to play, the better. Q. I'm guessing you might think that World TeamTennis needs to have a few rule changes. I have never quite seen anything like that obviously observing it, but what is it like playing doubles by yourself? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: It was awesome (smiling). I was like, I have to do this in honor of Liezel. No, but it was really awkward at first because I thought that I was going to be able to return on both sides and I couldn't. I can only return on my side. So I was like, if I can return on both sides, this would be a lot different. So giving away a free point on every deuce, on the deuce side sucked, but at the same time, we had like rallies and stuff which was surprising, because no one poached. So that made it easier for me. But one time I forgot we were playing doubles, I swear, because we were just‑‑ Martina and I were just rallying crosscourt. I was like okay, 2 on 1. Okay, crosscourt. And the Rodionova hits in the alley. I'm like, Oh, right, doubles (laughter). So it was fun, though. It was something I have never done before. The fact I was able to do it and the Washington Kastles fans were cheering for me, I was like, Okay, it was worth it. Q. Do you think that they should change, like have extra bodies, bench warmers, or forfeit a match? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No. I thought that it came down to it, and I was just like, you know what? I'm just going to finish. Whatever happens, happens. I had no expectation of winning whatsoever. But, you know, I think that it's fine. You know, it doesn't happen often, so, I mean, that was very, very, very rare. So I don't think it's worth a rule change, but it was fun. For me, at least. Q. Setting aside like mental over experience, from the beginning of this year to now, what have you learned, like the one thing that you learned about your game tactically or technically on court? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Tactically, for me it's just understanding that less is more for me. For my game, less is more. Just trying to keep everything really simple. Because I can do a lot, and so sometimes it gets to be overwhelming and you have, you know, a split second to make a decision. You know, a bad decision can cost you a match. So really, for me, I'm trying to keep it as basic as I can and really just understanding that and understanding that when I keep it basic it's fine. I don't have to do so much more than what I think I have to, you know. Q. Is it still fun though? I know obviously you can do a lot of shot making, and if you keep it simple sometimes it's a quote/unquote boring way to win. Is that any tension at all? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Sometimes I think it, but then I'm like, You want to win or you want to have fun? Okay. (Smiling). So I have to put that aside and just say, Okay, what do I have to do in this moment, this situation, to come out to be victorious or to do the right things, you know, and not try to go for too much or not try to do something fancy, like what is the right shot. It's a learning experience, for sure, because sometimes we make the wrong decisions. Like I said, it's a matter of learning. Q. Are you a major fisherwoman? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: It's all about the illusion. Not at all. (Pointing to hat.) I actually just wear it like the trucker hat style, but never fished a day in my life. (Laughter). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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