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ROLAND GARROS

June 7, 2017

Caroline Garcia

Paris, France

K. PLISKOVA/C. Garcia

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Just about the match, talk about how happy or unhappy you were with your level? What do you think was the difference out there?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I'm happy the way I enter on court, and I played the match sometimes on the big moment. In the past, in the big tournament, I was not playing. So I was getting out of the court frustrated because I didn't know what to improve because I didn't play. I didn't give 100%.

But today I walk on court it was not always easy. The condition was difficult, windy, and a little bit colder than usual. But I didn't play the best I can, but I played. I know what I want to improve for the next match.

For sure it was different. I mean, she's a good player even if it's not her best. She can serve well, she can be aggressive in the key moments.

Of course, yeah, there is always some disappointment and everything, but I played and I give everything I had and I fight until the end. So that's what I remember.

Q. You said you know what are the things you want to improve. So I wanted to ask you exactly what do you think you're more concerned about after this match?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I mean, there is always things to improve, but when you give -- when you're already in the match, you are focused and everything. At the end of the match, you know what you want to still improve.

But it's always the same thing, not nothing new. I just have to keep working on the things I'm working, actually. Sometimes on the rally I got some short ball, but I was not ready for them. So I took too far and I gave some mistake or gave her too much time and she came back in the rallies.

So I have always to be careful. Against top player, it's even more important. But you have to be aggressive and be ready for the short ball and go for it when you have it.

Q. Apart from this match, if you look back on what has been quite an impressive week for you, how do you look back?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, for sure, it's been a great adventure, great ten days here. Actually, I was feeling comfortable in the day in my routine. So it's quite disappointing when it's ending and you have to come back to the basics.

But for sure it's my best memory in Grand Slam, best memory in French Open. And to be on court, enjoy the moment and give the best I had every day and fight.

It was some good emotion with the fans and the crowd on the court today and the past days. So I really enjoy every single minute. I'm looking forward for the next one, for sure.

Q. In the past, you would seem to be able to play your best tennis under pressure when you were playing Fed Cup, back then, and everybody was wondering when are we necessarily going to see that pressure played on tour. Do you feel you made a breakthrough maybe these two weeks in terms of how you have been able to handle the very tricky pressure that you have had to play under here in Paris?
CAROLINE GARCIA: For sure it's different, completely different circumstance. I played sometimes in the past French Open. I was not even playing, I was just so tense. I was doing nothing on court. And it was just so much frustrating after the match.

But this year it was completely different, even today or two days ago against Alize Cornet with the match a lot of pressure. Errani was very weird, and today quarterfinal.

But I walk on court, of course you feel a little bit tension, but it's only positive stress. And it's maybe all what happen and all I learned these couple weeks ago. And just tried to focus on the game and not what is wrong, what if I win, what is going to happen and everything. Just focus on myself, focus on the team, and don't really pay attention of what the people around saying and just play and enjoy.

Q. You did have a couple of difficult weeks or months this year. But is it nice to look at this in a bigger picture and say after a couple of tough weeks there are also a couple of good weeks every now and then?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, for sure. Sometimes you learn from everything, I think. And these difficult weeks I had and physically, yeah, just human being, it was tough. That's it.

And sometime it just -- I will not say it was worth it, for sure. It was not worth it. But it's good to learn from it, take the experience, and, yeah -- I mean, when you have tough week, you have to say you have to keep going and try to practice everything and change -- things will change, but you never know when it's going to change. The faster it is, the better it is.

But some days it was really hard and I was really down after a couple of days, but I like the way I arrive to come back. And my team help me a lot to stay positive and keep fighting, keep practicing hard, even if was not paying off right away.

For sure today I can say after quarterfinal in French Open, I can say all work paid off. But I just want to keep going. All these wins give you even more appetite to keep it going.

Q. Against Pliskova, she's one of the most offensive and aggressive players off the ground. Like you said, it's not her best surface. When you played against her, you were able to hit a lot of winners, be aggressive in your own game style. What makes her difficult still on this surface? Were you surprised by her consistency?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I'm not surprised by her anymore. We know she's top 3 in the world. She's a great player on every single surface.

And that's the point of the best player. When they go far in the tournament, into the quarterfinals, they are able to play a little bit better than the couple of first round of the Grand Slam. So her serve, even maybe it's easier, kind of, to return, it's still difficult because she hits from various heights. So you don't see at all where it's going.

I mean, I felt like in the important moments she was able to be a little bit more aggressive, and she went for it. She catch couple of lines in the good, important moments, but she went for it. So she deserve it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. This quarterfinal is not something you could have even hoped for two weeks ago and doesn't it give you a little bit of bitterness because you were not able to win today?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Well, there is always a little bit of bitterness, the feeling where you think you could have done it and you didn't do it.

But it's like that in tennis. You know, it was difficult. This was a great journey, and I wish the journey could have continued. I was in my routine. I had my little daily habits. Every day was very organized, day after day. All of a sudden, the adventure comes to an end.

As I said before, I played my match. It wasn't perfect. By no means there is room for progress, but when I came onto the court, I was prepared to fight hard and I did. There were difficult moments. I had to come back and keep up with her. That is important.

In the past, after matches like this, I felt frustrated because I was not able to give 100%. I knew back then there was so much room for progress. Today I still have room for progress, but I do have the feeling that I gave my very maximum. It wasn't perfect, by no means, but mentally I was able to be there all the time.

Q. This is your first quarterfinal in a Grand Slam tournament. Kristina yesterday talked about a trigger. Do you think this could produce a trigger in your career?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yes, I think so. I think it can help in terms of confidence. During Grand Slam tournaments you have to be very, very focused. It's not just one week. It's two weeks. Every single match is extremely complicated.

So I think it will boost my confidence for this year and probably going forward.

It's not that I never experienced this before. This time I felt that I had come such a long way. Grand Slams are so difficult. And when you make it to the next round, you want to go as far as possible, as quickly as possible.

I'm really excited, and I'm so much looking forward to the next tournament. I want to be so ready for the next Grand Slam tournament, as well.

Q. How would you compare the November match to this one? What would be the difference?
CAROLINE GARCIA: There are a lot of different parameters. I think the circumstances are different. Fed Cup, Paris Open, the surface is not the same.

I think I served a little better back in November. Honestly, I can't really remember much of it. I think I served a little better. I know that today on my forehand I had some real opportunities to pass her, and I missed a few. So I wasn't able to really hurt her as much as I wanted.

But from what I can remember, these are the small differences. I think the two matches were quite different.

Q. You said you had difficult moments over the past months, the Fed Cup and then your back. When did things finally start to change? Was it in Alicante when you prepared? Was it Strasbourg or here?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I think the week of training I had in Alicante was good, was very positive. My dad kept telling me I was doing well, but I wanted tangible results.

In Rome, things were starting to look better. But I think it's really in Strasbourg that I realized that I was feeling so much better physically, and my game play was just getting better and better.

You know, you make incremental steps, and little by little things get better. But you have to be very focused. Never give up. It takes a long time to make progress. You can lose what you build in no time.

For several weeks now, there has been a positive momentum and that was very important. Physically, especially, that is really important for me.

Q. How high is your confidence?
CAROLINE GARCIA: It's higher than a few weeks ago. I think my confidence is solid. It's robust. It's still not what it could be. I know where I'm coming from, and I know where I want to go.

In Grand Slam tournaments, they are so long. I have won four matches and I'm only in the quarterfinals. So it's a long, long journey.

Holding a Grand Slam tournament trophy is amazing, so you need to go far. So far I have not been able to make it far enough.

As I said, I'm very satisfied about the ten days here, but I don't want to leave it here.

Q. Thanks to this, you should, I think, reach the best ranking of your career. Is that important for you?
CAROLINE GARCIA: It is. It is important to get better in the ranking. I don't really know where this puts me. I don't really know in terms of points where this puts me, but each week is important, you know. Each week I have wanted to progress, I made progress. This week again.

The ranking, at the end of the day, is just a number. I prefer to focus on the quality of my game. Grand Slam tournaments are very important, because you want to play really well during a Grand Slam tournament, because this is how you can make it up in the ranking. I think it's also important because it shows tangible results of your hard work.

Q. You said this in English, but this is your first quarterfinal in a Grand Slam tournament. Don't you think one of the big achievements also is you were able to manage your stress and play well on large courts, which you never really managed to do before in Grand Slam tournaments.
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yes, I think that is certainly one of my biggest satisfactions, being able to come on the court, be myself without worrying what people saying, what people were thinking.

I think I had somewhat lost myself over the past weeks. I wasn't really fighting. Not that I didn't know how to play anymore, but something wasn't just right.

What I'm really proud of is that finally I was able to play. I was able to enjoy being on the court, take pleasure. That's what my team members have also told me. They said, When we see you on the court, you are having a great time.

You know, things haven't always been easy in the past, and hearing that from them is -- you may think it's just a detail, but for me, it really, really makes a difference.

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