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ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2017

Garbine Muguruza

Paris, France

G. MUGURUZA/A. Kontaveit

6-7, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. The start of the game was very difficult for you. Why? You were so nervous or Anett played very well?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: I think a combination. I think I started a little bit more nervous and also she went for it. Honestly, she was playing good. She took her chances. She was playing very aggressive and very accurate, as well.

Yeah, she took the lead very fast.

Q. It looked like you were figuring things out a lot as you went. It was a great fight back. Does it actually help in this regard not having your coach and having to work it out yourself to be able to find the strength to come back that way?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Well, I think it's different here. The team is very far away, so you're kind of out there. Sometimes you need the help, you don't need it. Here you already set in your mind you're going to be alone in the court. Not alone, but just you don't have the on-court coaching, kind of. So my mind was prepared for that.

Honestly, I was expecting this kind of match because I played her recently, and I saw her a little bit in the few tournaments before. She was just playing good, a lot of confidence. I knew it was going to be a battle out there. I knew that losing to her not long ago I did something different this time. I think something different in a good way. So I won the match.

Q. You said you did something different. What do you feel you did different in terms of applying maybe different strategy, trying to go with more depth or did you go with more width? Where did you feel you were able to just outmaneuver her in terms of her tactics?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Well, today I think we both were playing pretty good. The level was very high, so it was just kind of who was going to keep it for a long time. Even though I was losing a set 3-1, I think, I didn't gave up. I was, like, hey, she's going to have to really beat me here. I didn't let myself go down. I kept fighting and turn it around, and then, you know, I just kept doing the same thing until it worked.

Q. How do you assess the level of your tennis so far in the tournament?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Good. I have been playing the last few weeks pretty good, actually. I came here and it's kind of a tricky tournament. You never know how it's going to turn out out there, but I'm happy. I'm happy with the level. I think I played a very good match today, long, as well. Good with the performance.

Q. How difficult was it to prepare for this match, considering Tsonga's match only lasted one game before? Like did you know when to eat? Were you expecting that to be longer or was that difficult coming into your match not knowing how long that would be?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: No. I didn't know how much is gonna last, but I'm, like, I'm just gonna be ready even though if it's Tsonga serving. You know, I'm, like, I don't think it's going to be 40-Love, but then when I check, it's, like, 40-Love. And I was prepared. So I didn't do anything different.

Q. You talked about how happy you were with your level. How happy have you been with respect to like your attitude and how you have taken to both of these matches, difficult openers, defending champion, all these sorts of things, dealing with all of that. How pleased are you with where things at there?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: I mean, I am pleased. I cannot not be. Come on. It's a very difficult tournament for me but good at the same time.

But out there, I wasn't really thinking today, oh, I'm defending champ. I wasn't. I was actually very into the match and thinking, how can I turn this match?

I'm happy. Once you go in the center court and you have a match with somebody that is not the favorite, kind of. She doesn't maybe have a lot to lose out there and she's playing with a lot of confidence. I'm, like, it's gonna be a tough day.

I'm happy the way it turned.

Q. Do you think Anett Kontaveit can be the new future of the next year, possible top player, or not?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Well, today she showed me yes. I cannot -- I don't know how is every week. I mean, the last matches that I played against her, she definitely put me in trouble and was a good fight.

So far she's having a breakthrough. I don't know if that's the name. Very good weeks. If she can keep it up, yes.

Q. In the next round you've got Yulia Putintseva waiting for you. How do you assess that as a match? Because she's also a bit of a tricky player. Gets a lot of balls back. What do you make of that coming into the third round?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: I'm going to try to go for her. I'm not gonna change my game. I'm going to be, you know, looking forward to play the match. Not be afraid of a new adventure out there. That's it. Right now let me enjoy for a moment (smiling).

Q. You said you want to enjoy this win. How will you enjoy this win?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Yeah, for sure. For me, a win is something, the best feeling you can have, especially in a tournament like this, the Chatrier, in a two hours' thriller. You have to enjoy these moments, because otherwise it's so hard. You're always thinking competition, competition. Once you win and you're proud of how you played and all the work you put into it and how it comes out, you have to be happy, otherwise it's very hard.

Q. Are going to do something in particular?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Oh, no, just feel good and just forget about second round and then keep looking to the third round, but happy for today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. You managed to turn this match around. At a certain point you managed to get the upper hand.
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Yes, I think today's match, which on paper it looked like I was losing it. And it's true I had a very aggressive opponent.

But as you said, I refused to feel I was being defeated. I knew I could turn things around. I knew that if I insisted with my strategy I could succeed.

Q. Sometimes you need to be pushed all the way before you bring out your very best tennis. I don't know if it was your best tennis.
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Well, I think I was a little bit nervous when I started off, because I knew she was going to be a tough opponent. She was very quiet, very relaxed, and I had to calm down. I had to think about things.

So it took me a while to get things back under control. It did take a while for me to focus properly.

Q. After the first match, you said that sometimes you thought about defending your title. Did you think about that at all?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: The first match is the first contact with the venue, with the court. So you don't know how things are going to go. But when you start playing, you calm down. You can focus better. And things improve over time, and you stop thinking so much about how is the first round going to go.

And as you move forward, you already really are in the tournament. So things are easier.

Q. You can be really proud of your serve today, because in the tough moments, instead of doing double faults, you served really well.
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Well, all of these long rallies, it's really important to have a robust serve, to have a little more robustness and don't rush things indeed.

Q. Before you started the tournament you said it was a little bit shocking if you were to have a second title. Would you still say so?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Well, yes, it was a manner in which I would say I would be elated if I could win a second title here. So, true, I'm defending my title. I have the opportunity to go to the next round. So I'm really happy.

I don't know how long the feeling is gonna last. When I said it would be shocking, I meant that would be awesome.

Q. What do you think about Margaret Court's latest messages? Did you hear about that? And then yesterday there was a young tennis player who kind of overstepped with a young player, and Nastase recently made slightly sexist comments. What do you think about that in the women's circuit?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: What was that? What went on with Margaret Court? I heard a couple of things. But I really don't know what to say about Nastase, because his comments, his comments were really strange. As for Margaret Court, I really don't have any idea.

Q. What she did was that she boycotted an airline because the airline supported same-sex marriage, and she also talked about an Australian female player who married another woman, and they have children. And Margaret Court said that tennis was full of lesbians, and she said that again yesterday on radio.
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: Quite honestly, I really don't give a damn what she says.

Q. Could you explain why last year, when you went through a difficult time in the third set, it was different and this time you go through a tough moment and you win?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: I don't really know what changed, but what I can tell you is that I am learning to manage these three-set games, because when you have already played two, you know there is only one left to go.

And I think that experience and the fact that I have lost a great many matches, that I have been in this situation quite often, is a new experience. And experience helps to learn.

Q. I would like to know if, at any given point, you have ever pictured yourself losing? And could you make a parallel with another recent tournament?
GARBIÃ‘E MUGURUZA: No, I didn't see myself losing in this tournament. Quite the contrary. I often feel that if it's a difficult match, I really need to go the extra mile.

Last year it was the first round. The weather was dreadful. I wasn't familiar enough with my opponent.

But today I knew it was going to be a good game, because she plays great tennis. She's very confident. I knew she was going to give us her best.

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