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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALSOctober 19, 2014Eugenie BouchardSINGAPORE, SINGAPORE ANDREW KRASNY: Ladies and gentlemen, Eugenie Bouchard. Q. You've had a leg injury recently. How are you feeling physically? Are you 100% fit? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I had a small issue last week. I've been taking care of my body every single day and been able to put in hours on the practice court this week, which was important to practice on the courts, practice to get used to the new conditions here in a new place I've never played at before. So I'm taking it day by day. It's going well so far. I feel like I'll be ready. Q. You obviously had a great season, played big matches on big stages. But coming here, it's your first time and you're the youngest of them. Do you feel like you belong here, or is there a little bit like pinch‑myself kind of moment? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I totally feel like I belong. I think my year this year has proved that. I feel like I've been able to play well, raise my level in big matches, at late stage of Grand Slams. So therefore, I've earned the right to be here. I feel like so excited to be here. To be part of the best players in the world is a great thing and an accomplishment on its own. But I don't want to be happy with just participating this week. I want to try to do my best and try to end the year on some good matches. Q. When you were here in January, was it possible to look as far ahead as October, and did you think to yourself, I'd like to make it; I want to make it; I'm going to make it here? What were your thoughts about the year‑end finals IN January? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It's the craziest thing, because I was with Chrissy in this exact room at this table in January launching the WTA Finals and the Road to Singapore. So I don't know who believed that I would be here in October, but I kind of‑‑ I mean, being here in January motivated me so much. It was an amazing city, and seeing the glamourous side of what the finals are inspired me so much to try and make it here. You know, it was so far ahead I didn't want to focus on it. But it was of course in the back of my mind thinking that it would be so cool to go to Singapore twice in one year. Yeah, so crazy that I'm back here. Just proud of how I got here. Q. What's the happiest moment you've had on court this year, just pure lost‑your‑mind moment of happiness? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think that moment of happiness would've had to have been after winning my quarterfinal match at the French Open. It was such a tough match, tougher than I could ever imagine a tennis match being. I was down 4‑1 in the third and was able to come back. It was such a grind on the clay, and I couldn't believe almost that I won the match. I think my reaction said it all as well. Q. For the Grand Slams, at Wimbledon you were runner‑up and Australian and French Open semifinals. How close are you? Do you think you can make that breakthrough next year? And which Grand Slam do you think you will have the best chance? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't know if I can pinpoint a specific Grand Slam. I'm just going to try my best at every single one, and hopefully the stars will align at one of them someday. But I feel like I'm getting better every day as a tennis player, and hat's the most important thing. Playing big tournaments like this one this week is so good for me to try to improve mentally on the court and game‑wise and things like that. But, you know, any slam would be great. I wouldn't be too picky. But it's all about just working hard and trying to get better and enjoying it as well. I'm so excited for this week, but also for next year to start. I don't want to have an off‑season. I just want to keep playing. Q. How are you holding up in terms of the grind of the tour? This is sort of your first full year playing main draws all the way through. How is the tank? Empty now or you still feel like you have a lot left to give? Has the challenge of the length of the tour surprised you? Were you ready for it? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, well, that's the only reason I would want an off‑season is for that reason. It is a tough year for sure and tough travel, but it's the same for everyone. I've for sure experienced a different kind of level of intensity, I would say, playing such big matches, playing tournaments for two whole weeks in a row, which I've never done before. So that's an aspect that I've had to deal with this year. I definitely think everyone is a little worn down at this stage and it's kind of like one last push. Being in Singapore has inspired me to try, give it all for one last week. But after, for sure I'll definitely need some time off for the mental and physical side. Q. You were a pretty good junior, but nothing really to indicate that you would improve so quickly and so much. What has allowed you to do that? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't know. If I knew‑‑ I don't know. If there was a specific recipe, I think everyone would try to do something like that. I've just been working hard my whole life. You know, playing my first full year on the tour was probably last year. I saw what it was like traveling every week, playing big tournaments every week. I think that helped me kind of be prepared for this year, for playing big slam matches and things like that. But just being on the court, believing in myself, never giving up. A lot of matches maybe I was down or something and I came back. Those matches have big impacts on your year. I think it's just the accumulation of 15 years of hard work and belief. Q. You're 20 years old and your competitor across the net has maybe more experience and have more Grand Slams and wins. Someone else might feel a little bit more intimidated. You say you feel like you belong here. Is that a part of who you are, or what's required to be a great player or at least be on the road to greatness? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think it's something I've always had. I've always had self‑belief. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so whatever I do I want to do as well as I can, whether it's tennis or my math test when I was ten years old. In terms of experience, I think I've gained some this year for sure. Of course against some older or great champions, they have that advantage probably. I go in maybe seeing it as maybe a bit of an underdog kind of thing and not having specific expectations, but just trying to let go and lay it all out there and see what happens. Q. When you talk to the coach, do he say you have to push, push, push, every single day, every month you have to keep pushing ahead every single time? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Sorry. I missed the beginning. Q. When you play, to your coach, does he say, Yes, you have to push all the time. Your coach, Nick, does he say you have to push, push, push all the time? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah. Q. Because? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: That's what is required I think for our field of work. You just have to keep pushing and going forward. There are so many girls that want to take your place and it's highly competitive. If you're not moving forward you're moving backward. That's how I see every day as a chance to just try and get better and try and be a better tennis player. I think that's the only way to go. Q. When you watch Serena, do you sit there and mentally stack up your game against her? Okay, this is what I think I can do; maybe how I think my game matches up against her. And can you talk about the prospects of playing her obviously in group play and how you think that might turn out? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I'm very excited to have such good matches coming forward. When I watch her I always try to learn, because I think she's probably the greatest female player of all‑time. I look at what she does and I try to learn from her. As a student, I feel like I'm still learning. So I do that, first of all. Yeah, I mean, I played her once and she has a very strong, amazing game. For me, I know I need to do what I do well, as well as I can, to give myself a chance. I think it's about playing my game: trying to take it early, trying to move forward. And then also the mental side: not being intimidated; going out there fully believing. I think with that good mental approach I'll have a good chance. Q. What do you think you've learned from watching her? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I've learned many things. I think one thing that sticks out is that when it's not going well, you can seeing her really try to calm herself down. She does her little hand thing, and that really symbolizes in my head she's really trying to stay calm. Even someone as good as her has tough moments, and you can see her struggle with emotions a bit on the court. But she can always kind of collect herself and put it in the past and move forward. So I always imagine that, and I'm like, You know what? Serena can stay calm, I can stay calm. Q. You spend a lot of the time with the other players at this tournament. A lot of pre‑tournament events. I know you've talked about not being here to make friends, but do you ever let your guard down, or whenever you're around these people you have to keep that competitiveness in mind 24/7? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm friendly with all the players. It's not like we don't say one word to each other. In situations like yesterday, for example, we're all friendly, making jokes. It's lighthearted. I think we're happy to be here in this kind of situation. I think life is pretty good generally. So in terms of that, I think it can be pretty relaxed off the court. I just wouldn't say I have true best friends on the tour. I like to keep those more off the court, outside of tennis, so we don't talk about tennis all day. We talk about more important things, like boys. No, I'm kidding. (Smiling.) Yeah. Q. As a very social media savvy person, how great of an impact would you say that it's had on the world of sport? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think social media has impacted everything enormously. It's kind of like the way we live now. Like if you didn't document it, it didn't happen. You have to document and take pictures of every single moment of your life. I think it's good for news and kind of real time events. You can kind of stay on top of everything. I like social media for news in that sense. Q. Just a quick one. When you were a junior you used to post crazy videos of dancing with Laura Robson all over the world? Any chance that might be revived? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't think my dancing skills are very good, but you never know. Yeah, anything can happen, so that might happen. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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