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APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEY

January 13, 2016

Monica Puig

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

M. PUIG/S. Stosur

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would that win sit in the context of your career?
MONICA PUIG: Well, you know, it's a very important win for me coming through three rounds of quallies and obviously coming through in the main.

I've lost to her twice before, so it was a pretty big win for me today considering the amount of times I played her.

So just really happy with the outcome.

Q. You seemed pretty aggressive overall today; yes?
MONICA PUIG: Yeah, I'm feeling really good about my game and like I know what I'm doing out there. Feeling really happy on the court as well. So definitely able to play my best tennis that way.

Q. Can you talk about last year. Kind of dropped towards the end; seem to be playing much better.
MONICA PUIG: Yeah, of course. There is always going to be let backs and, you know, you have an off-season that doesn't really have to take anything away with what I've done in the past.

You know, I felt like I have those good ones under my belt. I have some good results. A letdown doesn't mean anything. It's just a time for me to regroup and come back even stronger; get better and just have a positive outlook towards this season.

Q. Sam was very glowing in her assessment of your game. You did everything right and you were playing like someone that could be seeded at a Grand Slam.
MONICA PUIG: This was very nice of her to say. She obviously -- I've always looked up to her as she started transitioning from the doubles game to the singles game. She is a very strong person. You can see it. Everybody talks about her muscles and everything.

It's an example of hard work and how far she's come. She's won a Grand Slam. Those words coming from her, they mean a lot to me. I'm actually for the first time in my career starting to believe it, starting to see that I can do this.

You know, it's just a matter of time before I finally do, but it's just about the patience I have with myself to get there.

Q. She mentioned the previous times you played you had erratic moments, good moments and then you sort of fade. Do you think that you surprised her today?
MONICA PUIG: Yeah, well, you know, she does have some points. I actually agree. The past few times we've played I've had some good moments and letdown in the middle of the match. Just tried to stay as consistent as I possibly could today throughout the match. Just tried to think of it one point at a time and keep going.

Again, I'm just trying to enjoy every single moment I'm out on the court. Rule number one for me this season is just to have fun out there. I get to play tennis for a living and that's pretty cool. I'm just trying to have fun.

Q. So you're saying last season you really weren't having fun all the time?
MONICA PUIG: I mean, you know, you always put pressure on ourselves because we want this so bad. Every single one of us wants to be the No. 1 in the word; we want to win titles. We want to win.

It's a really competitive sport. Kind of putting it into perspective. I'm traveling the world and seeing so many new places. On top of that, I'm doing what I love for a living. It's pretty amazing. If I take time to look back at where I've come from and all that I've done to get here, why not enjoy it a little bit more and have some fun while I'm doing it?

Doesn't hurt to crack a smile on the court every now and then.

Q. So the off-season you kind of changed it up? You said, Okay, next year I'm really going to have a good time this time?
MONICA PUIG: Yeah, of course, you know, with my new team. And that's everything. My coach I remember he told me before playing Venus Williams. I was about to go out on Arthur Ashe and I was like, Oh, my God. What am I supposed to do?

He was just like, Enjoy the moment and have fun. You're playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Can't get any better than that. Just go out there and enjoy. I was like, Yeah, you have a point.

So at the end of the day, you know when I put pressure on myself it's not really a good thing. If I enjoy myself I know I'm going to play well. Nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun.

Q. When you walked off the court at the US Open, very close, 6-3 in the third, something like that?
MONICA PUIG: 6-4 in the third.

Q. So were you very happy or saying, Darn it, I really had it there?
MONICA PUIG: Well, you always think you have it. She turned out to be the better player that day and handled it better than me. I knew I was getting closer to where I want to be. Nowadays I think I'm getting even closer.

Always trying to take the positives out of every single match. Even if it's a bad one, there is always something positive to come out.

Q. Big stadium; pretty big crowd; and Australian crowd. How was the atmosphere?
MONICA PUIG: It was great. Obviously knew they weren't going to go for me that much. It's amazing to see how many people back their country people here, especially in Australia. It's not uncommon to have the whole crowd favoring the Australian.

I think it's great. Every country you go to they always back their athlete. It's just nice to see how sport can bring everybody together. I mean, you have so many people, thousands in a stadium, watching a tennis match. You know, it's just -- can't get any better than that. It's really a sport that brings everyone together.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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