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MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 10, 2017

Carla Suarez Navarro

Madrid, Spain

C. VANDEWEGHE/C. Suarez Navarro

5-7, 6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. That was a tough loss because the crowd was behind you, supporting you. Did you see that?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: Yes, the people were behind me all the time. They have been supporting me during the whole week. It's true that sometimes the crowd help you to win matches or win some points. I think that today that was the case.

I wasn't able to win the match, but I managed to win a couple of points thanks to the people that were supporting me. Of course, I have to play my tennis, too.

In the third set maybe I was missing something. I should have been more aggressive. That's what makes you also win matches. I think I was missing my game today.

Q. Did you think you had the match won in the third set?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: No, not at all. Normally I never think that, not even when I'm up in the score or when I'm down, and even less with these type of players that play with a very good serve. She's a very good server. She plays very quick, just two or three shots.

In some moments she was playing really well, and in some moments she was not playing so well. In the third set, except for the game of 2-Love, I think the other ones were a little bit unreal because everything went really fast. At any moment I thought that the match was won because of her style. I'm saying she plays really fast and very aggressive.

Q. Was your coach telling you you should be more aggressive? Is that a subject you'll have to work on?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: Yes, I think that's a subject I have to work on. I have to try to be more aggressive. It's true that that makes you sometimes win more matches.

I was capable of winning a lot of matches without being so aggressive. But it's true that that helps. It's normal that he lets me know all of those things because that also helps me to be more in the match.

Sometimes I feel uncomfortable. For example, today I was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. I was not in the match. I was trying to cause her problems, to hit a good serve, to return well with my forehand also, and then to be able to lift myself up.

I have to think about it. Sometimes it's hard. Like today, I couldn't lift myself up.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the feelings you have about this tournament. What do you think?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: Well, right now it's complicated. I mean, I take the positive things. I managed to play three matches. I think it was a long time since the last time I was able to play three matches in a row in a big tournament.

Well, I think the most important thing is that I managed to play a lot of hours on the court. They make you a better player. I think towards Rome and Roland Garros, it's going to help me a lot.

Q. Physically how do you feel? How do you look forward to Rome and Roland Garros?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: Well, I have a few days to recover. Tonight I will leave to Barcelona. Tomorrow I will be there. I think I have a couple of days ahead of me.

Physically I feel fine. I'm not injured. Maybe I feel a little bit sore after these matches. I have to be careful. But overall I think that I'm feeling fit for having played three three-set matches.

Q. Talking about Roland Garros, do you think you're going to arrive there with good feelings? What would you like to do in Rome?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: I think to make it to Roland Garros with enough confidence. Victories, of course, are always important. They always give you confidence. Day after day it's also important that I want to see I'm playing well, that I'm physically strong. I think that gives you a lot of confidence no matter which tournament.

Whether you have good results, you also play against players that you are not able to beat. That doesn't mean that you don't have confidence. But it's true that till Roland Garros we still have a lot of days to go. I'll try to make it there with as many victories as possible.

I will work hard. I will train hard because I think that on clay court I can play very well. I think I can have a good clay season.

Q. You're one of the shortest players. How do you compensate for this with the powerful tennis that we see nowadays?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: Well, you get used to it. I've been playing tennis all my life. I always have been the same height, always been short, always playing players that were taller than me.

How do you compensate for this? Well, I guess that having maybe a better game, being a little bit faster, playing more from side to side. The height helps you a lot when you serve. Also the wingspan helps a lot.

I think if you hit the ball from side to side, you can harm your opponent, even if you're short like me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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