	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2015

Garbine Muguruza

PARIS, FRANCE

G. MUGURUZA/F. Pennetta
6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You hadn't had maybe great results in the last few months leading up here, but something about big tournaments always seems to bring out your best. Why do you think that is?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, it's true. I think that in big tournaments I like more motivator, or I don't know how I play my best tennis. I'm just really happy to be in the quarterfinals again here in Roland Garros. I think it's going to be my favorite Grand Slam. I'm just really excited.

Q. Just talk about your next match and the matchup. You just stepped off the court, but have you managed to think about it at all?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I was in the locker room just looking the last few points, and I saw that Safarova won. I have never played against her. You know, it's the first time we meet. But she's playing good. She's lefty and that gives her a lot of, you know, help. She's playing great. That's what I saw. I didn't think a lot more.

Q. Have you had any other contact yet about your win today from any of the other Spanish players? Have they been in touch to congratulate you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I didn't have time. I just came from the locker room here, ate something, and, no. I don't think there is a lot of Spanish people here, though. Well, maybe Rafa and David, but I didn't see them.

Q. Arantxa is here today.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Oh, yeah, I saw Arantxa. She said to me congratulations. Yeah. Arantxa, yeah.

Q. Is she an inspiration to you at all?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, the other day we were talking in the locker room because she was there. She was giving me some advices. You have to listen to a champion like Arantxa. I was like, Yes, tell me everything. So, yeah, I tried to learn from them.

Q. Is she actually able to share some advice with you that really helps you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah. Well, she was explaining to me like when I was her age -- no, sorry, when she was my age, saying that, you know, you have to control your life outside the tennis, also, it's very important. She was telling me about that. Because at the end, in the court is where you know what to do, but the problem is outside. Just like typical advices from like a mother.

Q. This is the first time you were defending a lot of points at a Grand Slam, making quarterfinals last year. Did you feel pressure coming back here or just excitement that this was a place that you liked?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, obviously I'm going to say the truth, I felt pressure when I came here, because I didn't have this experience before like coming to a Grand Slam when you did quarterfinals last year. So I was like, you know, I didn't know what to expect. I was like, okay, come on, let's play the first match. And then I'm just happy that I, you know, here again get in quarterfinals. I was really nervous, but I get through this. So, you know, happy.

Q. Does that mean that the pressure is off now?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No. I remember yesterday that last year I was in quarterfinals. Come on, this year you have to do it better. You have again the opportunity, you know. I just learn from the last year that I was like really excited and, you know, was new everything. This year I'm trying to concentrate more and use this chance more than last year.

Q. Do you see it as especially a big opportunity, playing against Safarova and having other players left in your part of the draw that haven't won a ton of Grand Slam titles?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No, I think Safarova won to Sharapova in two sets, and that makes me feel she's playing good. I saw her this year, and she's doing great results. You know, when you play someone the first time, it's, you know, a little bit, and more if it's in quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. I'm just going to see how it goes.

Q. When we spoke in Dubai and I asked you if you felt ready to win a Grand Slam, you said that if many things come together you feel that maybe it can happen. Are you feeling that things are coming together for you this tournament?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I don't have this in my mind. Is true that you have to believe you can, because if not, there is no point, you know. So in, like behind of my brain I have, you know, like the light of, Oh, maybe you can win. But there is like a lot of matches to play, and a lot of big names. I saw the match today a little bit with Sharapova and Safarova, and it was tough. Is going to be difficult.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. Well, we know that you probably wanted to play or you thought you would play against Sharapova, but you're going to play against Safarova.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I thought against Sharapova maybe I could take revenge, I thought. But frankly, I must say that Safarova plays so well at such a high level that she's impressive. Anyway, it doesn't really matter who I'm going to play against. It's going to be a tough match.

Q. I think you said this in English. However, the draw is different now. We don't have Halep, we don't have Sharapova. You're going to play against Safarova. And then the other match is Ivanovic against Svitolina, but I suppose you want to win the Grand Slam?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, you know what? Two-and-a-half years ago I stopped watching the draw, and now you're telling me who's playing on the other side, that is, Ivanovic and Svitolina. But you know what? Each time I look or watch a tournament, I think, okay, No. 4 lost against, I don't know, No 17. And the conclusion is that the level of game is more or less the same irrespective of the seeded players. It's more or less the same. It's a high level.

Q. A quarterfinal match, that's your second time, and it's going to be against Safarova. Is this, would you say, a great opportunity for you to make a quality leap forward?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: A leap forward? I don't know. It's yet another match to play, which is going to be difficult. But here again, I have reached quarterfinals. It's a great leap forward already. It's Roland Garros. There's a lot of pressure. So I'm very happy to have gone that far already. And therefore, anything that comes then will be an improvement in a way. My objective, of course, is to reach the finals. I will do my best to reach the finals.

Q. Do you like Paris? What will Paris give you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, you know, I thought to start with, I thought, okay, I might lose my first match, or who knows? And then with time, I thought, ah, okay, I'm going to play on clay. And, you know, in Spain when we are on clay we are at home, in a way. So I thought that, okay, this is going to be Roland Garros. It's also on clay. And therefore, I feel good.

Q. Somebody said that against Safarova you will have perhaps a better opportunity, because Sharapova mentally is stronger, so it's a good thing that Safarova played well.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, maybe, if I have to choose between one who has already won five Grand Slams and the other one who has not won any, of course I know which one I would choose. But in any case, I have to play against an excellent player. But on paper, that's true, we might prefer someone who's had a lower level of performance than the other one.

Q. What have you learned when you played last year against Sharapova?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I learned that what really matters is what happened during the third set, that is, she proved that mentally she was strong. So this means that when you go really deep in the tournament, what really matters is your mental condition, your mental strength. This is what I learned.

Q. Let's talk a little about the match against Pennetta. Maybe you started really slowly, and then the beginning of the second set was tough?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, the second set was okay, but I couldn't really -- I couldn't really play the way I wanted to play. The results were not good enough. But then as the match was continuing, I was more competitive. Yet I was a bit stressed. I was not totally relaxed. How can I say? I'm looking for the words. I was perhaps hyperactive. I was thinking, okay, now the time has come for you to start. You shouldn't get off to a poor start. But I was too stressed. And then I calmed down, and I managed to win.

Q. You have an attacker's type of game. A long time ago Sharapova was saying she was not patient enough. Maybe this is your case enough? Would you say this? What are you going to do now as far as this is concerned?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, you know, on clay you have to be patient; otherwise you're going to be hysterical. You can't win a point after three shots. It's not the case at all. You can slide. You can do all types of things on clay. So the rallies are longer. On the tour, most of the surfaces we play on are quick surfaces. We don't have much time to get used to playing on clay. But you know in Spain how it is. We have been playing from Alonso period. We have always, always, always played on clay, so we feel really good and comfortable on clay.

Q. I think you said something in English, but could you tell us more about your meeting with Arantxa?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yes, I met Conchita, as well. But Arantxa, she gave me tips and advice. It's great that she did that. She asks me questions like, Oh, I saw that, be careful about this, focus well, and on this and that. You know, they give you tips that help you. She's a champion. I remember. She said when I was your age, she said, I remember what I did, and we have things that we share, things in common. I feel relieved and good. I feel I'm not an extraterrestrial type of person. I feel like her.

Q. Alejo said that you have worked on your game. Can you tell us more about this?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Correct. My point is that I should dictate the game. I should command. I should be in control. I should have the upper hand. My objective is to take time, but also to dominate, to dictate the game. Well, to try, to try and do this through and through. I should be aware of each point that I'm going to play.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297