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ROLAND GARROS

May 29, 2015

Garbine Muguruza

PARIS, FRANCE

G. MUGURUZA/A. Kerber
4-6, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How proud are you of that win? A tough opponent at this tournament where you have done so well last year, too.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I'm very, very proud, because Kerber and I had very tough matches before, and finally I could beat her in a Grand Slam. So for me it's very special. I think it was like 3-0, 4-0 down with her. They were very tough matches, like 7-5 in the third or 6-4, 7-something. So just happy and kind of feeling good now with my match.

Q. Especially at this tournament, did you come back feeling as though you had pressure or feeling as though you had to do well here because of what you did here last year?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, obviously when you had a great result the last year, you come here thinking oh, I did quarterfinals or whatever, you cannot like forget this, but it's a new year, a new tournament. I came here just to try to do the best. I knew I had to play good if I want to do quarterfinals. But for me, it's another year, so just concentrating on my next match now.

Q. I'm curious about your doubles partner, Carla, and her backhand and how rare it is, the one-handed backhand. Does it feel like a different shot than anything else in women's tennis, that one-handed backhand that she has?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, when I'm playing against Carla, I mean, I forget that she has with one hand. I don't know. She has a very good backhand. I mean, to have this backhand and to be, you know, a woman and to be strong and playing against a top player, and she's top 10. I mean, I don't even think about this.

Q. How did you feel about your preparation in the tournaments leading up to Roland Garros?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Nothing different. I tried to prepare as best as I can when I have to come here for Roland Garros or any Grand Slam. I'm happy because I did a good preparation, in my opinion. I'm seeing the results here. So, you know, it's the best feeling you can have when you practice a lot and work and then you come here and things go well.

Q. If you will play against Flavia next, what do you think about your match against her?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I'm going to think the same if Carla or Flavia wins, because it's gonna be a very tough match. They love clay, both players. If they are here it's because they are playing good. I mean, I don't prefer, like, Flavia or Carla.

Q. Can you talk a bit about Rafa as a Spanish player, nine French Open titles, what that means to you when you look at that number, and just what do you think he means to tennis in Spain and everything else in your words?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: In my words? Well, I think Rafa is Rafa. In Spain he's I think the best player, Spanish. I mean, everybody knows him. For me, he's amazing. Every time he's playing, I come and watch him or he's practicing, let's see how Rafa is practicing. I'm always trying to take things from him or, you know, just to see what he's doing, trying to learn everything about a champion.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. Who would you prefer to play: Flavia or Carla?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, to tell you the truth, I played very difficult matches against Flavia and also against Carla. I know them both very well. We have practiced so many times together. In fact, I don't mind. I know that both will be tough players. They are both very comfortable on clay. So I don't want to worry about that. I want to focus on my game, on myself, and not on my opponent.

Q. If you have to play Carla, from an emotional perspective, it's going to be different because you spend a lot of time with her in Spain.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No. I will see her as an opponent. We all know that we will one day have to face a friend on the tour, and all of a sudden, your friend becomes your opponent. You need to be able and make a difference between the two things and focus on competition.

Q. Carla said that you were the toughest opponent for her because of your game. Would you say that you're the toughest opponent for her as well?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I don't know. She's used to playing players like me. Maybe she feels less comfortable playing me than other players, so I don't know. But all I know is that this is going to be a difficult match. That's all I can say.

Q. You were off to a slow start, but then you managed to turn the match around and win. What happened? What did you change?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I didn't change anything, really. But Kerber is very powerful. She has a very big serve, so I lost the first set, although I played fine. So she was leading 3-Love. That was a bad start. But I was waiting for my opportunity, because I knew that if I kept trying things I would eventually find something that would be difficult for her to fight back. But I never changed anything.

Q. Why is your name spelled without the accent on the n?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I don't know, but I don't care (smiling). At the moment, you're right, there is no accent on the n, but I think that's something I need to sort out with adidas. I don't know if they will ever understand there is this accent on the n in my name.

Q. You said you were waiting to take your opportunity. That's important. It shows that you have matured, that you know how to wait for the right moment to attack.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yes, I think I have improved a lot in that respect. And it's important, especially against players like Kerber, because she doesn't give you a lot, so you have to be very patient and you have to select your shots very carefully. You don't want to be all over the place, run all over the court, with Kerber and players, like how you want to be very patient and make very good progress in that respect. She won the match because I was not patient enough, but now I'm patient enough, so I can win.

Q. The match between Cuevas and Monfils might be long. Maybe you won't be able to play a match.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yes, we play after them, and they have not yet started, so if we don't play today, that's going to be a day off for us. It's not a tragedy, and then I will play tomorrow or another day. Doesn't matter.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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