	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

APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEY

January 11, 2017

Eugenie Bouchard

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

E. BOUCHARD/A. Pavlyuchenkova

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How were the conditions out there?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: When I got on the court, it was really hot. It was, yeah, pretty brutal, but luckily the match before us was so long that by the time we were out there, there were some clouds. By the end of the match, it was okay. It started very hot.

Q. You looked quite fresh, from watching you. Did it feel that way for you?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Not at all (smiling). I'm glad I can show that.

No, at the beginning, I mean, all I was thinking about was, you know, the next changeover and drinking water and the ice towel, and wish we had ice baths on the court.

Q. Semifinals? How long has it been?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: A long time, probably.

Q. Do you know when it last was?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No. You guys probably know, but I don't.

Q. Kuala Lumpur.
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: All right. Okay.

Q. Your thoughts on that?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It's a good step. You know, I don't want to get too happy after a win or too sad after a loss, so, for me, it's just a good step in the right direction. I know there is a long way to go to achieve what I want.

But, you know, to match up against solid players like I have this week, it's a very tough tournament here. So I'm proud of that, for sure.

Q. What has experience taught you? You have been doing this now for a few years. Everyone comes out there kind of enthusiastic and everything is great and whatever. So what have a few years of experience taught you about the tour?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I have learned a lot of things, of course. You know, in regards to a week like this week, it's definitely just keeping my head down, staying focused. You know, kind of seeing it more as trying to get better instead of, you know, winning the tournament, being the be-all-end-all of everything. Just kind of keeping things more in perspective and in check. Yeah.

Q. You seemed to have a few moments, concentrating and regrouping. What are you telling yourself in those moments?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Try not to pass out, try not to pass out. (Smiling.)

Yeah, I think it's important to try and keep your focus. I think I'm more aware now, if I'm out of focus, so I think that's something I have improved on and, so, when I do realize that, I need to take the time.

I have also noticed that if I rush a bit on my serve, just because I'm so eager to play the next point, that's when I kind of lose the rhythm on my serve. So for those reasons, when I notice that and I feel that, I try to take a couple of seconds.

Sometimes I even close my eyes just to kind of try to feel like I'm back in my bubble.

Q. You've got Konta next. I know it's a different tournament and different condition. How important is the Wimbledon match you guys played six months ago? What will you learn from that and what will you take out of it?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, it will remind me that it's going to be a huge battle. I won that match, but it was really, really tough. I'm not going in thinking, Oh, yeah, I won the last one.

No, I barely got through the last one. She's a top-10 player. She's playing her best tennis right now. I know she will be pretty aggressive, I think.

She hits a big ball. I will be ready for that and try and play some good tennis. Yeah, just be grateful for another day in Sydney.

Q. (Question about her level a couple years ago.)
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm not really comparing to a couple years ago, because, to me, first of all, that's the past. I'm tired of thinking about 2014. I'm tired of being asked about 2014.

Also, I don't want to be as good as that, because that was already, gosh, three years ago now, so I need to be better than that. Everyone improves every single year. So being that good is not even good enough for today.

I'm just trying to become a better player in 2017, and that's all.

Q. When you hear the story about Petra and everything, you go around the world a lot, are in hotel rooms, are by yourself, do you think about safety and security? Or don't even give it a thought?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, it was frightening to hear what happened to Petra. I hope she can recover really quick.

You know, I think all of us are sending her positive vibes. It does, for me, give me a reality check, like, how important security is. I have always been pretty aware of it, but, you know, my team and I take precautions every week about little things like that.

Yeah, it's not a joke, you know. It's your life.

Q. Has anyone ever said, Oh, you should do this or -- any experts from Tennis Canada or anybody give you ideas of how to stay safe?
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I mean, I have a personal, like, security guard in Montreal, and, so, sometimes he travels with me, as well, for weeks where I feel it's important, or depending on the area I go to.

And when not, you know, we always depend on security at the event. We usually always ask for more and these things. You know, tennis is a sport where fans can get very, very goes to the players compared to any other sport in the world, so it's almost shocking how close fans can get. I take it very seriously.

Q. (Question about her personal safety.)
EUGENIE BOUCHARD: In the moment, no. But, you know, there have been issues all my career, things my team maybe thinks happened where I wasn't even aware about but it was taken care of but I've just been informed of after, and it just makes you grateful for the people you have around you. And, yeah, you've just got to be aware in this day and age.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297