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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 20, 2016

Garbine Muguruza

Cincinnati, Ohio

K. PLISKOVA/G. Muguruza

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Seemed like you were having trouble, especially with your second serve today. What wasn't going right for you there?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I think I had a little trouble I think just serving in general, first and second serve. I don't know. It's one of those days where it was windy and you kind of don't ever don't feel you're striking the ball in the right way; you're hitting in the clean spots.

Well, it was needed today to serve well against her and it was not the case, so, yeah, didn't go that well.

Q. You got break in the second set. Did you feel like you could turn things around? Looked like you were trying to do things, coming to the net?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I wasn't serving that well, and, you know, when I got a break like, This is my opportunity kind of. I think she was com.

Ing with great shots. Even though it was the conditions were tough, I think she was serving incredible and hitting everything really comfortable for her.

So I don't know. It went off, the game, you know.

Q. On a scale of one to ten, how much do you dislike playing in the wind? Thoughts on that specific thing today.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I don't hate to play in the wind, but, I don't know. There are some days where it can go to your favor and you can play with the wind. Today was not the case.

I think she really, I don't know, played very well with the wind. She was finding her shots, and me completely opposite. I didn't feel comfortable at any moment. But I don't dislike to play with wind.

I prefer a normal day, but, yeah, she played well with the conditions today.

Q. She's one of the biggest servers in the WTA. A lot of aces. Didn't have that many against you today. How does it feel being on the receiving end?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, it's hard because it creates a lot of tension. You got to be there trying to return, trying to somehow win the point.

And then you have to serve. You feel the pressure when you have to serve because the other one serves so well. You kind of have to, Hey, I have to keep my serve. I cannot lose my serve kind of.

But I played her -- there are certain days where she finds for than the others, but I think today she served pretty well.

Q. You started to regroup in the second set. After the end of first, what do you tell yourself to get back in it?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I knew that this match was going to be very -- like I don't know what is going to happen.

So the whole match was a lot of tension. She plays really fast and goes for shots that are unreal. Like, Oh, what happened? I was trying to keep fighting, hopefully you have a chance, and if she plays like this, next time, you know.

I mean, I tried.

Q. You played a number of powerful players all week. You said that yesterday. What does Karolina do that's maybe a little bit different than the other players that you played? They're all big, powerful hitters. What makes her different?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I think I started playing like bombs during the whole week. Like ranking start here, better, better, better, and today, well obviously Karolina is one of the those hitters that I think she's a little bit better, especially today, than the other ones. Especially with the serve. That makes a big difference. And then her shots.

I don't know what is her ranking, but she's up there. She knows how to play well that game compared maybe to other girls.

Q. We only see snippets of a player-coach relationship on the changeover. It's easy to judge that from the outside. How would you describe your relationship with Sam?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: It's funny, because every time we are on-court coaching everybody is like, What's going to happen? I feel like all the eyes -- I don't know. He has to come in a very difficult situation and everybody looks at that moment and takes conclusions. Ah, for sure, blah, blah, blah.

It's funny because he has to come and I'm like pissed. He has to somehow find a way to make me better. So sometimes there is like a fight. But I think that's fine. It's normal. It means that I'm there. Well, after everything is different, but that moment is, you know, like that. (Smiling.)

Q. You ever attempt to play fight to give Twitter a chance to explode?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I don't know why it's like this. I mean, not this time. I've always been doing the on-court coaching and I say what I feel. If I'm mad, I show I'm mad; if I'm happy, I show I'm happy. I don't know. Maybe I'm giving a little bit of juicy to the tweeter and to I don't know.

Q. After a loss do you give yourself a couple days, or is that something that you immediately start to take a look at what went well and where the opportunities were?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I finish this match and obviously was not a super good match, but pretty happy about this week. I came into the tournament a little bit not playing a lot of the matches, you know.

I did good practicing before MontrÃ©al. I didn't win there. Didn't feel well. Then went to Rio and couldn't play a lot of matches.

So I came here and was like, Okay, let's try to make a good tournament. And I didn't feel my best, but I fight. My spirit was good. I reached semifinals, which is pretty deep in the tournament.

I'm happy, and for sure it's going to help me to be a little bit better in the US Open. But I'm going to rest for sure today, tomorrow, and then go to New York.

Q. What's your relationship with New York? Do you like it? Is it too much? Every player is kind of different. What's yours?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I mean, I'm very happy when I go to New York, but I'm super happy when I leave New York also. Because I go there and I have to stay in the 55th floor; it's noisy; there are trucks at 9:00 in the morning coming; the site is far.

Then you go inside and it's a great environment. It's like, I don't know, the courts are huge, full of people. It's I think the biggest Grand Slam now. They increase a lot of stuff.

I don't know. I want to really do well there. In the past, I don't know, it has something that didn't clicked. Every time I go there I'm like, This is going to be the year. Hopefully this is the year.

Q. Having beaten Serena in the French and heading to New York, are you anticipating obviously more recognition and what that's going to be like?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No. I don't think about that. I mean, for sure it's a great victory against Serena, but, no. I don't mean to people to say that's the girl that...

I want people so to say, Hey, that's the girl that is good at playing tennis. She's world number something.

Q. But you're recognized.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah. Not, Oh, that's the girl that beat Serena. It happens to me. I don't even know her name, but that's the girl. I want to eventually, Hey, get the recognition in other aspect.

Q. You've had some slower starts to matches this week. A little bit of a concern to you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: A slow start?

Q. Well, you hold serve immediately but some of your other matches the opponent was doing some things before you got into the match.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I don't understand this question.

Q. You fell behind early in some matches.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Oh, okay. No, I don't know. I mean you never really know how it's going to go in the match. I'm just there. Hopefully I can start 5-0, but I don't know. Whatever it takes for me to win the match.

I was watching yesterday and saw the match between Halep and Kerber. She was losing the first set 4-0 and she turn it around. You never know how things are going to go. You're just there waiting to hopefully win.

Q. When you have an opportunity to turn something like that around, how much does that help with you confidence in the next match or tournament?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think those moments are really good because, you know, like for example this week, maybe I'm not playing best tennis, but it helps me a lot for my self-confidence to know that even though I win, I suffer, but it gives you that energy.

Hey, maybe I'm not playing my best, but I can be there, and with my spirit and my ambition I can win matches.

Sometimes winning ugly or giving it all makes you feel better than winning 6-1, 6-1 and you feel like, What happened here? I think those matches are the best.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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