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ROLAND GARROS

May 29, 2015

Alize Cornet

PARIS, FRANCE

A. CORNET/M. Lucic-Baroni
4-6, 6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Another tough battle. How important is the crowd to sustaining you in these difficult moments?
ALIZE CORNET: Well, the crowd was amazing, once more, today. It really helped me getting through tough time on the court. Mirjana was playing very aggressive, and I was playing with all my heart. The crowd being behind me like this was helping me a lot, giving me a lot of energy to keep going, not to let go. Yeah, I owe them a lot today, because I think I went over my limits. And the fact that it was in Roland Garros was definitely a big help for me today. It's a pleasure to play here on the center court especially because I love this court. So I'm really glad.

Q. Unlike some French players, you don't feel the pressure when you're on the center court? You rather like it, obviously?
ALIZE CORNET: Well, I feel the pressure of Roland Garros and the pressure of the tournament and the fact that I want to do good, but being on the center court is actually much better for me because I love being out there. I always have good vibes on this court. I cannot explain it. So to answer your question, no, I don't feel any pressure to play on this court in particular. There is a kind of magic on this court and I feel it on every matches, so I hope that my next one will be on this one again.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. There was a lot of emotions at the end. I think it's the first time you made it to the fourth round, so I guess this is why. But is it also because you had a difficult beginning this year?
ALIZE CORNET: Well, these emotions were due to three main reasons. First, a relief to finish this match. I was tired, and she's unpredictable as a player. I didn't play my best tennis, but I showed a lot of courage putting an end to this match, and winning it was a huge relief for me. Second, it's the first time I reached the fourth round, and it's my 10th bid here. I have not played many such matches in my career. So for me it's just great. It's part of the objectives I had defined for my tennis season. And the third reason, you're right, I have not had many wins since the beginning of this year. I never made it a secret. I was a bit disappointed with the beginning of my season. Reaching this level here, that's the best timing ever. All this comes along, and I'm very proud because it wasn't easy today.

Q. Earlier on you said that this court was magic for you and you couldn't feel any pressure. Don't you think at the beginning of the match you felt nervous? You had difficulties managing the match?
ALIZE CORNET: It's nothing to do with the court. It was her game. She put a lot of pressure on me right from the beginning. I was not ready to fight against such a powerful player in the beginning. Despite I'm trying not to listen to what people tell me, but I heard so many people say it's an open avenue for you. Of course I was a bit nervous, but once I managed to focus on my game, everything went fine. I was very much in the game, in the match. The crowd was supporting me. I could have lost, you know, in the third set, but at least I had played my game.

Q. The second time you served for the match, did you forget about the first time, or what did you think about when you changed sides?
ALIZE CORNET: Well, then I thought, okay, that's a second opportunity for you to win on your serve. I killed my first opportunity playing a game, which was a disaster, so I fought to come back, break her again. So I thought, Okay, this is now that you need to win. It's never easy to play a second serve on a girl who is very aggressive on the second serve. So I tried to breathe deeply, and I felt less pressure on the second serve at 6-5 than I was at 5-4, because at 5-4, I experienced something that couldn't be worse. So I managed winning at 40-15 and then game, and it was easy.

Q. Now that you lied down on the court, what will you do when you win your next match?
ALIZE CORNET: Honestly, I don't know, because I don't think about it when I win a match. Sometimes I would jump, sometimes I would yell. This is not something I think about beforehand. But after this two-and-a-half-hours fight, I felt so relieved that I fell on the ground. A bit like Rafa.

Q. Everyone thinks there is a lot going on in your head when you play and you express your frustration, and also in English.
ALIZE CORNET: Yes, in English, as well, because my coach is English, he needs to understand my frustration. I don't express myself as much as I used to. I worked a lot on that, because, well, I had a lot to work on, to be honest. But sometimes I need to express myself to get an adrenaline kick that I need. But at the end of this match, I knew that I had to breathe deeply, to think about what I had to do. So I go by my instincts, and I try and be positive. And before each point I try and encourage myself. I show my fist and I want to progress on this. I think I can do better, but honestly, I think I have already done a lot.

Q. You said it was the first time you used the energy from the crowd.
ALIZE CORNET: No, not the first time. The first year. Because I used their energy during my first match.

Q. Why not before?
ALIZE CORNET: I always felt the energy from the crowd, but maybe I was not capable of receiving, accepting, absorbing this energy in the past. Maybe the energy level was not as high as it is this year. This year I want to remember the good vibes from this support. And I think it all depends on your mindset before and during the match. All my chakras are open to absorb the support from people, and it's very helpful. It helps me go beyond my limits, because I don't want to disappoint them. I want all of us to share this victory together. It's really great, and I have never experienced better emotions than the one I have experienced this week.

Q. Earlier you were mentioning the past. You said it's your tenth bid. What's left of the Alize of 2005?
ALIZE CORNET: She's still here. She's still a fighting girl, still the same player, but slightly more mature with more experience because it's 10 years later. And of course my game has evolved, as well, but I think the evolution went the right way. And in 10 years I'm quite proud of my career, and I hope I still have a few beautiful years ahead of me.

Q. Don't you have the feeling that you missed some opportunities because you couldn't control your emotions, as you said before? And you said you had worked a lot on that. Don't you think this could help us go further because you have defeated many high-ranking players, but you sometimes lost matches that were easily within your reach.
ALIZE CORNET: I don't know if it has to do with my mental shape. It has to do more with the confidence I have in myself. If I have faith that I can play big matches, one after the other, a week like this one shows me I can do that. Although I have not defeated any of the top 10 players this week. But playing long matches one day after the other, it's almost as tough as winning against one of the top 10 players. So I have to progress at all levels, physically, mentally to make it to the top 10. But I think I'm on the right tracks. Weeks like this week will probably trigger something, so I'm working on it.

Q. It's the third time in your career you reached the fourth round. Are you already thinking ahead about the quarterfinals?
ALIZE CORNET: Well, this will be the first match in which I won't be the favorite, because my opponent is in the top 20. So as I thought this morning, I will be thinking, Okay, it's your opportunity. You need to take it. Now, I want to enjoy my victory today, and I don't want to think about a potential quarterfinals ahead of me. I want to focus on everything I have today, take one thing at a time. If I start thinking about the quarterfinals, I will lose the fourth round.
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