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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2017

Petra Martic

Paris, France

P. MARTIC/A. Sevastova

6-1, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How does that feel? It must have been amazing sensation.
PETRA MARTIC: Thank you. First of all, yeah, it's amazing. I mean, I cannot believe that my first Grand Slam after a comeback and I'm already -- you know, this is my -- actually, only once I played fourth round before and it was actually here five years ago. So it's unbelievable. I still cannot believe I did it.

Q. Anything about your feelings after struggling with injuries maybe this problem is behind your back now?
PETRA MARTIC: Yeah. They're behind me and I hope they'll stay that way. Yeah, I mean, when I got injured, my only hope was, you know, that I would get a second chance and so I can, you know, play some of my best tennis again. Because I felt like I got -- I felt like I was ready for it.

You know, last year, before I got injured, I felt that my tennis was there. Mentally I got much better. And I thought, okay, I think my time is coming, and then I got injured. I was like, Jesus, please, you know, I need one more chance. And here I am.

Q. Can you just talk about the time that you were off the tour? How hard was it and did you struggle with motivation? Did you think about quitting or were you always motivated to come back?
PETRA MARTIC: I was always motivated. I was just afraid that it might not happen because when I got injured I thought it would take maybe two, three months the most. And whenever I got to that point, it was like, okay, one more month. Okay. One more, one more. And then, in the end, it was full year.

And I started doubting if I could ever play again and that was the toughest part for me because, yeah, if I knew at the beginning, okay, it's going to take one year and you'll be back, it would have been easier. But all this, yeah, just uncertainty, it was really, really hard for me.

Q. As you said before the injury, you thought your level was there, was nice. It actually was. Maybe the injury changed your approach to the game?
PETRA MARTIC: Definitely. I think it's helped me a lot because now every time I wake up I check my back. Is it hurting? Is it not?

And once I feel like, okay, everything is good, I already feel, you know, I already won, you know, everything I had to win that day. And the feeling just that I can be on the court playing free is for me the best thing that can happen. All the rest is secondary.

Q. You played a couple of 25k's in the lead up to this and then you played quallies here. Had a very tight match in quallies in the last round. How do you feel this has gone, that jump from a 25K, and then here to quallies, and then to the fourth round of the main draw. Can you just talk us through that a little bit.
PETRA MARTIC: I felt already on those 25k's that I'm actually playing a pretty good level. And those girls, they can all play tennis and very good tennis. They just maybe cannot maintain that for two sets.

And that was -- that's why was, I think, winning those matches because I knew that, okay, I have my chance sooner or later on that level.

Here it's much tougher but at the same time, you know, if you -- I think I'm not playing much better than I played a month ago in those 25k's. But, yeah, it seems to be working even against top 20 players, and it was just great news for me.

Q. You're practicing in Germany in Offenbach at the academy. Can you tell us for how long you have been practicing there and why? And is actually Alex Waske your personal head coach or how is your team buildup?
PETRA MARTIC: I went there because of Sascha Nensel. He was supposed to be taking care of my career. And yeah, he's working at that academy, so that's why I went this. I didn't know about it much before I went.

But in general this year when I started practicing slowly I just went for a trial period and I liked it and I decided to stay. So now Sascha Nensel and Alex Waske are actually in charge of my career. They both work with me and they're both here. So it's really, really nice for me to have that support.

Q. So how is your German?
PETRA MARTIC: Not great yet. No, I don't speak any unfortunately.

Q. When you arrived here for quallies, I mean, what was the expectation? What was the mindset? How different is it from that first day to where you sit now?
PETRA MARTIC: Yeah, I mean, I still, like I said, I still cannot believe that I'm sitting here, you know. That I'm in the second week of a Grand Slam. It's going to be the third one for me, but still it's the second.

Yeah, once arrived here, you know, once I got on the court for first time, I just got a flashback of that 2012 when I played my best tennis and all those emotions and everything was just back in my head.

And I just had such a good feeling to be here and I'm so happy. And I think it's obvious on the court to see how much I actually enjoy and have no pressure to play. I think it helps a lot.

Q. I was going to say do you feel completely free when you're out there playing, which is probably, I'm guessing, a different feeling than before the back injury where you felt like you were playing maybe a little bit tighter?
PETRA MARTIC: Well, I feel nervous a lot. I think, you know, coming back or not coming back, you always feel it. Because you always want to win, no matter the situation or the opponent.

But I just, like I said, I just approach it differently. I managed to enjoy more instead of being so stressed about, Oh, my God, am I going to win today? And I think it's really big improvement for me.

Q. Of course you'll be concentrating on this tournament and this clay, but maybe this result you're starting to help you set different goals?
PETRA MARTIC: Yeah. I mean, the first time I was here in fourth round was a huge deal for me. I was so young and I had no idea what is happening. I'm suddenly in the fourth round and everybody is talking about me. And it was so much tension, and I don't think I was ready to deal with it.

I think I'm in a much better position now because I'm just hungry for more actually. I'm not satisfied with this. It's a great result, but I'm going out there tomorrow wanting to win again.

Q. You have at least one more match to play, obviously, but still do you allow yourself to celebrate a bit? Treat yourself with something today maybe? What is the plan?
PETRA MARTIC: Well, it's tradition with my team is to have a glass of wine after every victory. So that's for sure happening once I'm done with you here.

But other than that, it's just focus on the next match.

Q. Red or white wine?
PETRA MARTIC: Red wine. Always red.

Q. And then also just in that time that you were away and you were trying to figure out whether or not you would get back and rehabilitating your back, the sport has had a lot of comeback players, players from injury who've been able to come back and play. Sevastova is one who was out of retirement and came back. Did you look at kind of that trend and think, yeah. You know, plus players are getting older and playing still well. Did that give you hope?
PETRA MARTIC: Yeah, that was -- whenever I was struggling on the court, you know, being impatient this year, my coaches are actually reminding me of this. Take it easy. You know, you saw so many players came back and played their best tennis after being injured or being away.

And definitely it helped and gave me -- you know, seeing Mirjana Lucic at the Australian Open, it's amazing story. And, of course, my big dream was, you know, to be that story one day. And I hope I can play some more good tennis here and, you know, keep on going.

Q. While you were away from tour, what did you do anything special aside from, obviously, all that stuff?
PETRA MARTIC: Well, I managed to spend more time with my family and friends, which was nice. But, you know, as a tennis player you just want to go back on court and just play, because that's my life. I started playing tennis when I was four. And, yeah, I mean, that was all I ever wanted to do.

And, of course, it's nice to be off court and have some time on your own, but you need two weeks for that. And then you just want to get back. And I was basically just focused on my recovery and, you know, when can I actually be back on court.

But the fact that I didn't know how long it was going to take was hard for me to start anything else. I was just waiting and hoping it was going to happen the next week or a month. But yeah, it took way too long.

Q. How does it feel to actually go from playing in those 25K's and, you know, the small clubs just at the start of this month to here, you know, at the Grand Slam?
PETRA MARTIC: Yeah. My fi tournament in Italy, I mean, the courts were incredibly bad, so many bad bounces, umpires. You don't have ball boys, nothing. It was like, Oh, my God, I have to really start all over again.

But at the same time I was so excited to be out there. To me, it really felt like a Grand Slam the first time I went to court to play an official match after this injury. It was a 25K quallies. I was as excited as it gets.

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