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ROLAND GARROS

May 23, 2016

Yanina Wickmayer

Paris, France

Y. WICKMAYER/A. Dulgheru

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. Could you sum up the match?
YANINA WICKMAYER: Good match. I think that I was ready to play well; I knew that I had to be aggressive on the court to take the upper hand. From the very first point I did that. Mentally and physically I was ready to fight.

So that's it. It's quite positive.

Q. In the second set you were a break ahead, even two breaks. What do you think of that?
YANINA WICKMAYER: In the first set and second sets each point matters. You have to fight; you have to hang on.

My opponent played well at the end of the second set; very solid on the backhand side. I had to be aggressive; I had to aim at her forehand, because with her forehand she made many mistakes.

So I tried to be crafty and intelligent in the important moments. I fought hard; I remained focused. I didn't want to play too fast, and I took my time between the points.

Q. So you played quite well today. Even during practice you put pressure on her with heavy balls. You wanted to make an impact, to put some pressure. Was it your tactics at the very beginning?
YANINA WICKMAYER: As I told you, before the match I know her game, so for me it was important to dictate play. From the very beginning I wanted to show her that I wanted to play with aggressiveness; I was on the court to win the match. I think that my opponent felt it quite quickly.

So I tried to be ready and to play aggressively from the very beginning. I was quite confident at the start of the match.

In the second set I was confident as well. I felt great, and this helped me to close out the match very easily.

Q. So before the start of the match, I mean, you waited for her. Did she apologize? Do you know the reason she was late?
YANINA WICKMAYER: No. I put the question to the officials, but I didn't get an answer.

Q. You were listening to some music. What type of music?
YANINA WICKMAYER: I will tell you very shortly. Do you want to hear it? It's a little bit hard. (Plays music. ) That's it. This is the music I was listening to.

Q. Got it.
YANINA WICKMAYER: DMX.

Q. The minutes before the match were long I think because you didn't know where your opponent was.
YANINA WICKMAYER: Of course. I mean, you can start warming up, but I was ready to start the match. I couldn't stay there for 20 minutes. I had been waiting for 15 minutes. It was enough for me.

When I sat down she arrived, so...

Q. We were talking about heavy balls because of the weather. It's wet. What about the court conditions? Are they wet?
YANINA WICKMAYER: No. It's slower because it's wet and cold, but on the whole it was okay. The court is quite fast if you compare this court to other clay courts in the world, so it doesn't change much.

Q. What about this win? Do you feel more confident with that win, with your game?
YANINA WICKMAYER: Yes, of course. I felt relatively confident at the start of the match. I mean, I felt good. I was not hitting a rut.

I always enjoy winning a match. It's always better to win match here at the French Open in comparison to other tournaments. So it's a win, it's a victory, but it's not a big thing.

There will be other matches to play in the future so I'm proud of what I've done, but life continues.

Q. Sam is with you; Kim as well. You have a coach with Patrick. How do you work now? What about your team? What can you tell us about it?
YANINA WICKMAYER: It's very simple: Most of the time I practice in Bree with Kim, with Sam when I'm at home in his academy in Belgium. This academy, there are a lot people that help me physically and mentally.

It's very simple. For quite a long time I wanted to get a tennis coach in Belgium. It was hard to find one, to find someone who could travel with me for the tournaments.

I decided to keep in touch with Patrick. I've known him for quite a long time. I trust him. He knows my game. He knows me very well. So I wanted to work with him. I wanted to get his advice.

And now, well, working with Nico, he helps me quite a lot. We are doing good things. Things are going according to plan. When I'm at home it's important to do something else, I mean, to know new people. So far so good.

Q. Kim is with you. Does it help you a lot? I mean, do you look at her between points or can you tell me if she gives you advice? Elaborate on that.
YANINA WICKMAYER: So Kim is pregnant, so she's not always with me. She doesn't have a lot of time. When she has some time she's pulling out all the stops to help me.

We get along quite well. We have a specific relationship. We don't talk to one another every day, but I know that I can count on her. I can phone her. I can send a text message to her, and she will give me an answer.

She is always available. She will be always available to me. She's a source of inspiration. She's next to me. She's great. It's always nice to have her on my team.

Q. Your next opponent we don't know yet. Makarova or Lepchenko. These are two lefties but two different players.
YANINA WICKMAYER: Yes. Two lefties, but they have a different game. Lepchenko, she has a sort of specific game. Last time I played against her was on grass at Wimbledon, so I can't remember exactly that match. She has a heavy forehand, but I haven't played her for quite a long time.

Regarding Makarova, she's a strong, solid player, a good player. She's a lefty who fights hard. She doesn't give you lots of free points. She has a sort of flat game.

So this is what I know of each opponent. We'll see what's going to happen tomorrow. I will prepare accordingly.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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