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WIMBLEDONJune 30, 2015Eugenie BouchardLONDON, ENGLAND Y. DUAN/E. Bouchard THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Obviously tough coming back here with all the pressure. Did it feel like a lot of weight on you, knowing you had points to defend from last year? Did that add to the occasion of today? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I knew that was a little bit on my mind, for sure. I definitely felt tight in the first set. But I also felt very unprepared for this match. That's unfortunate. But I wanted to play, no matter what. Q. You mentioned that you were unprepared. What has been your physical condition leading up to today, and how did you feel out there today? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, after Eastbourne, I mean, we did testing and I have a grade 2 tear in my ab. Probably wouldn't have been smart to play here, but I couldn't pass on Wimbledon. So I did kind of minimal preparation to save myself for the match. Q. Out there how did it feel? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I mean, I was taped.  Felt okay. I was, you know, trying not to think about it. But, you know, I just haven't practiced that much. So I felt my timing was very off. Q. Did you know much about her before going into the match? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No, I knew nothing at all actually. I didn't know who she was. So, you know, my coach just talked to me a bit before the match about her. That was it. Q. Were you aware that your bra strap caused concern for the umpire whether it was a violation of the dress code? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I was not aware of that at all. And no one told me anything about my bra. Q. The loss today, because of the problems, the health problems, fitness problems, does it separate from some of the other losses you've had along the way? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I feel like, you know, each time I had a loss, there were different reasons for each one. And today there was a different reason for this one. It's unfortunate that it happened at my favorite tournament of the year, that I won't get to play any more matches here this year. But I'm going to try to put it behind me and look forward. Q. What's the next step for you now? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm going to take some time to heal and maybe not think about tennis for a little bit, then get right back to it. Q. You mentioned earlier, under normal conditions, if this weren't the tournament that Wimbledon is, you wouldn't have been out there. What did you show yourself by battling through just to complete this match, given your physical condition? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: In my head, it was no question I was going to play, even though I was advised not to. It's just the way I am. It's so hard to be forced not to play tennis, especially at Wimbledon. So, yeah, I was going out there to play, no matter what. Q. How do you feel about making it through, completing the match, given that advice not to compete? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I'm disappointed because I lost. And it was probably not the smartest decision. But I knew I had to do it, so there was that. Q. Is there any part of you that is somewhat relieved now that this kind of stretch through Wimbledon, all the conversation is that you have to defend all the points, that this segment of the season is over, there may be a less pressure going forward for the rest of the season? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: In a way I'm going to be kind of happy to put this period behind me, for sure. Very disappointed in my last couple months. So, you know, it has kind of been a stressful time, you know, these big tournaments that everyone was talking about to me, like you said. So, yeah, I'm going to be looking forward to not having people ask me every single day about the points I have to defend. That will be nice. Q. What is the timeframe for getting this right and also possibly at the same time preventing it from reoccurring ever, if you can? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, well, I'll see with doctors and stuff. I'm not exactly sure. But I'll definitely, you know, take the time necessary. There's definitely a longer break now. So I'll try to use that to my advantage. I don't know exactly what it will be. Q. Was the tear in Indian Wells a grade 2? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think they described that one as a 1.5. Q. Are you serious? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yes. Q. Did it affect you most today on the serve? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, in the sense that I felt like my timing was completely off. Before the match I maybe did 10 serves. I was really trying to save myself. You know, it's not a nice feeling, feeling under‑prepared. But I knew that was the case. I was going to try to go out there with what I had and not use it as an excuse. It's not an excuse because I chose to play. I just definitely felt off. Q. You talk about the difficulty of the last couple months, being asked the same questions over and over. How have you coped with that? How have you dealt with it psychologically? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I've learned over these months that, you know, I don't know, I try to answer the question as honestly as I can. I understand that, you know, a lot of people want to talk about that and make stories. If I do well, then people talk about it. But if I do badly, they talk about it as well. It's just to learn that there's that up and down in life, in the media and everything. You know, I'm fine with it. It's the way it is. If people want to ask me about that, that's fine. Q. It's been a rough stretch of results since you started working with Sam. Have you thought about making any changes to your team or say, This might not be working? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Maybe I should. Yes, we've definitely not started well at all. But, you know, I believe in him and he believes in me. As of right now, it's still the plan. But, yeah, there definitely has to be some improvement, some changes, because I expect to do a little better than this. Q. With all the injuries and niggles you've had throughout this season, do you chalk that up to bad luck here or there, or do you think there was maybe like a core issue in terms of the fitness during the off‑season? What do you chalk it up to? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think it's a little bit of both. I think there was a little bit of bad luck in a few things, in a few cases. But also I'm not as strong as I want to be. I haven't been the past couple months. It's something I've realized and I've started to address. You know, I want to find a good trainer who can make me as strong as I can be so I don't get these injuries. So one is definitely being not strong enough, but two, there has been some bad luck. Q. You're very well‑spoken and direct with us. Do you allow yourself to really let out some emotion, a good cry, throw something or break something, when you get into a private space? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I definitely wasn't going to break my racquet on the court, that's for sure. You can't do that at Wimbledon (smiling). No, I mean, not yet today. Maybe something will explode later tonight. I'll let you know if that happens. Q. The last 12 months have been such a rollercoaster. Have you been able to put it in any context or is that still too soon for you? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It's been a huge learning process to have great results and then have, you know, so much attention, then have bad results, just learning about the ups and downs of life and tennis, how things won't always good perfectly like I expect them to. So it's just been a lot of learning. I'm always trying to keep the belief and stay true to myself and do what I need to do to become as good as I know I can be. So it's really just been kind of eye‑opening, a learning experience. But I'm good for the learning experience to be over now (smiling). Q. Is today at all a learning experience where you feel like no matter how disappointing it might be, sometimes you're better off following the doctor's advice than going out there when you can't deliver what you're best at? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It might be. But to me, it was Wimbledon, so I feel like nothing can get in the way of that, in that sense. But, you know, I do realize the pros and cons. Even if you want to go out there, maybe it's not the best decision. I don't know. I said last week in Eastbourne I was going out there on one leg, so I had to stay true to my word. Q. You became an international athlete in the spotlight so quickly. It's a tough go. Talk about the learning experience. What have you learned during this period? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I've learned that the media was really, you know, when I had good results, they were talking about it a lot, it was so positive. As soon as I had bad results, it was so negative so quickly. So I've just been, you know, learning that that's how it is in the world. That's totally fine. They can write whatever they want. But, you know, I have to understand that they want to write stories and they want to have headlines. You know, a couple months ago when I had a loss in Indian Wells or Miami, I didn't feel like it was the end of the world, but to some people it was. We're closer to the end of the world now (smiling). I don't know. I've just learned about this world I'm in, being an athlete, the struggles. I think everyone goes through them. So I think I'm not alone in this situation. Q. In what ways do you think you've grown during this period as a person? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: For sure, I've learned a lot about my world, as I've said. I've tried to really be patient and understand that it won't always go well. That's the biggest thing. You know, it's definitely been a tough time. But if I stick with it, keep going, have the success I know I can have, I think it will be that much sweeter. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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