	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

ROGERS CUP

August 15, 2015

Belinda Bencic

TORONTO, ONTARIO

B. BENCIC/S. Williams
3‑6, 7‑5, 6‑4

Q. You played a beautiful game, and we're very proud. And you did come through today.
BELINDA BENCIC: Yes, definitely. I can't describe the feeling right now. I was very overwhelmed from the situation on the court, but I'm just so happy the forehand landed in and she couldn't reach it anymore. It was an incredible feeling. I have no words.

Q. At what moment in the match did you say to yourself, okay, she's just another player on the court and I can win this match? Was it during the second set? Was it during the first set or even at the start of the match? When did you realize this is what it is and I can do this tonight?
BELINDA BENCIC: I mean I always go to the court, and I believe that I can win the match somehow, but of course, it's very different against Serena Williams, especially I got killed in the beginning. It was 5‑1 in a very short time, and I was a little bit‑‑ I was not nervous, but she just didn't let me in the match. And then I just tried to fight for every point.
I called my dad for on‑court coach, and he told me the same. And I just tried to hang in there, and in the second set I think I did very well and to just somehow close out very tight. And I had 5‑1. I was‑‑ it was so tough to close it out, and I mean every match is so tough, but especially against Serena Williams, it's something else, and yeah I'm just very proud that somehow I could recover myself and at 5‑4 to close it out.

Q. What did you tell yourself when you had that double fault and it became 5‑4? What did you tell yourself on the changeover that settled yourself down and was able to have you be calm and you hit that great backhand to setup your forehand? What did you tell yourself to get you in that mindset you could close her out then?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. During the double fault I was very nervous in that moment, but I told myself today is my chance and I really have to stay focused and be mentally tough, even if I didn't do it on the first try.
But of course, I think it's normal. I think everyone would be so nervous. And yeah.

Q. Belinda, you're talking about a lot about fighting on the court and taking everything one point at a time but a lot of the other players have said you're very smart on court, that tactically you know how to change tactics and read the game. So just from a tactical perspective, how did that match play out for you, and did you make any adjustments in the middle to kind of change things around?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. I of course tried to have always a good tactic when I go to the court. I think it's my weapon. I may not have the most powerful game or something. But I try to find the weakness in the opponent's game. And I think today it was for sure just to keep my game‑‑ in the first set I was focusing too much what I have to do, and I forgot to play myself, you know, and then I tried to serve her to the backhand, obviously.
I mean her forehand is amazing. Yeah, just to move her around and keep hanging in there. Obviously she wasn't serving as great as she normally does. But I think I tried to read her serve also‑‑ I mean I read it better in the end, and I was returning sometimes very good return on the big points. So I think that helped me a lot. And yeah.

Q. How aware were you in the third set when Serena was really pumping herself up and getting into it? How conscious were you when she was clawing back point by point?
BELINDA BENCIC: I always told myself it's Serena Williams. I'm not going to expect she's going to hand to me the match. I expect that she's going to put up a great fight. Obviously she did a lot of turnaround like this.
I remember watching the match where she played in the US Open against Azarenka. I was actually in the stands, and Azarenka had 5‑3 in the third, and it was kind of similar to today, so I remember that it's totally normal that she would come back, and I just have to push through somehow and just try to win.

Q. Belinda, how would you assess your level today in terms of matches? Is it one of the best you've ever played, and in terms of just competing and hanging in there?
BELINDA BENCIC: I have no idea how I played, actually. I can't remember. (Laughs). I don't know. I just‑‑ you know, in that moment you really don't think about that. You just want to win point by point even if it's really ugly. And in the end it was just so loud, and I didn't think anything. So I think I was mentally very good today to fight through. I'm very proud of that, and I will see a video of how I played.

Q. How different is it you playing her when she's not serving well compared to when she's serving well?
BELINDA BENCIC: Well, of course, she doesn't ace you all the time, so it's good for you. I think I read her serve also very good sometimes, so she was kind of maybe not‑‑ not as comfortable as she was in the start. I mean in the start she served very good, and then just came out of the rhythm. My serve was also very so‑so today, I would say, and yeah, I mean it's a good advantage, of course.

Q. You talked about nerves. Are there obviously you would be pretty nervous, about to close out Serena. And then when it was 5‑4 you slammed the racquet on the floor. How much did that‑‑
BELINDA BENCIC: But she did too; right? (Laughs). I just slammed it. I didn't break it.

Q. Okay. You didn't break it. So how much did that like sort of relieve you and sort of maybe calm you down for that next game?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. I mean I'm not thinking when I do it. It just happens. Just my automatic reaction. I have no idea. I have no explanation. But just sometimes the anger needs to go out, and I know it looks very bad on court and looks bratty and everything, but somehow it just happens, you cannot hold it back. I mean I have to try, but yeah.

Q. And you're in the finals tomorrow. Just want to get your thoughts on playing Halep.
BELINDA BENCIC: Obviously Halep is No. 3 in the world. She's an amazing player. She's so consistent all of the year and definitely going to be a so hard match, but I think today I have to enjoy this victory and tomorrow I will look what I can do against her, and as I said yesterday, just keep enjoying and fighting, and I'm in the final and everything that comes is a bonus. I mean I'm saying always the same, but yeah.

Q. Congratulations on the win. If somebody told you a week ago that you would beat Genie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Sabine Lisicki and now Serena, what would you say?
BELINDA BENCIC: I would ask him where to sign the paper. (Laughs). I mean obviously it's‑‑ I wouldn't believe it. I mean, you know, I'm trying to believe that I can really beat the top players now, but it's crazy that I've beat all of them now in this week.

Q. And you touched on it earlier in the week, but can you weigh in a little bit on when you were first getting into the sport what players like Serena and Ana meant to you as a young player?
BELINDA BENCIC: Obviously a lot. Especially Serena is like the role model for every little girl. I think everyone knows her; and also Ana, I had all the‑‑ you know, from the Yonex I got these posters, so I got Ivanovic, Kirilenko and Martina and a lot of players on my wall. And yeah, it's just‑‑ I mean I couldn't believe it now that I‑‑ when I put the forehand, I just tried to think like, oh, did I just beat her. And yeah, that's my thoughts.

Q. Kind of a simple, or maybe complicated question, I don't know, but what does this win mean to you? What does it mean for you?
BELINDA BENCIC: That's a complicated one.

Q. I thought so.
BELINDA BENCIC: Everything. I mean this is why I worked for 15 years. I mean the practice is not always easy. It was hard; it was tough. Sometimes I didn't want to. And sometimes you feel very motivated, and all this work paid off today, I think, and this is just‑‑ this feeling is indescribable.

Q. You always had great natural anticipation on the court, but do you feel over the last year you got an extra foot speed around the court and that has enabled you to now play against the top players many regards to when they go on the offensive that you can turn around the point in one shot? Do you feel that you've gotten quicker and your off‑court training has helped that?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yes, definitely, and we were working on it very hard in my quickness and just the speed around the Court. I'm not a very athletic person from nature, you know, like some other players just have it. I have to work hard to get it and I think that's what we did with my fitness coach. So big thanks to him also. And I feel much quicker, and also with anticipation, I think I'm much better player on the defensive, and I think it's so important today as tennis is just so physical.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297