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ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2017

Samantha Stosur

Paris, France

S. STOSUR/K. Flipkens

6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How do you sum that one up?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Look, pretty good. I thought I still played a good, solid match. She's a very tricky opponent. She can do a bit of slice, lob, running to the net. I certainly went into that match knowing I probably wasn't going to get a whole lot of rhythm at times. You know, I had to be aggressive but not play stupid and certainly I think I did that for the most part.

I played pretty well. Got myself in a bit of a hole in the second set but to get through that one in straights I'm very pleased.

Q. How closely do you monitor the draw with Petra and Angelique now gone?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: To be honest, I still haven't seen the draw. I obviously know that Petra just lost and now I play Bethanie.

But, look, I've got to play my next opponent no matter who it is. I know Bethanie is going to be tough, as well. She's in the third round, so she's obviously playing well. And she's going to be another one of those opponents that doesn't necessarily play like most of the girls on tour. She will come into the net, she's going to try and play big, she'll do a few different things. Again, I will probably be focused on what I want to be doing and stick to that and try and do it as best we did.

Q. We all know your excellent record here. How much do you think about like past memories, getting good vibes here as well as also the court? You obviously like the surface.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it's -- I mean, it's nice to come back every single year. I guess you do have certain memories come back. But, I mean, while you're playing it's certainly not anywhere near the forefront of my mind or anything like that.

I really enjoy obviously playing here. It's a surface that I like to play on. These are some of the best clay courts in the world. I feel like if I'm really out there and playing, you know, my good tennis, then I can do very well.

It's a matter of trying to do that every single day against every opponent, which isn't easy. But I'm really enjoying it here so far this year.

Q. Do you think here more than anywhere else the matches are really decided on your racquet?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Maybe so. Maybe a little bit more. Because it's -- again, with my weapons, I can use them maybe a bit more easily on this surface. I don't know. Maybe I just feel a bit more confident this time of year or something. But, yeah, maybe a little bit, but at the end of the day, I know you've still got to bring it every single time.

Q. Your thoughts on Petra's comeback overall? What do you think of her being back here and playing some pretty good tennis?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, to be honest, I didn't see any of her match today or the first round, but I finally bumped into her at Jean-Bouin, gave her a big hug and said, I'm really pleased you're back, and really just excited for her. I think it's incredible she's recovered this quickly and was able to play here. Certainly I wasn't expecting to see her any time soon. I think that's remarkable.

You know, she's one of the nicest girls on tour. She's always got a smile on her face. It's really great just to have her back. She's a fantastic player. Obviously more importantly a great person.

Q. Mattek-Sands, will it be a similar sort of match to Flipkens? How do you break her down as an opponent? She's had lots of big wins at slams in her career, never deep runs that much.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, you're right. I think it's maybe a little bit similar to playing Flipkens today. She's obviously one of the best doubles players in the world. She's going to want to try and be aggressive. We have played each other a few times in our careers but not for a while, I don't think.

I know she always tries to, yeah, be on the front foot, be aggressive, probably move forward a bit, try to make a lot of plays herself. I'm going to have to try and be aggressive, play my game, but be aware it's going to be a little bit different at times. And, yeah, be focused on trying to adapt as I need to.

Q. She had some issues last year, rejected TUEs, Bethanie.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I didn't read any of that stuff when it all came out.

Q. I know you spoke about Margaret Court on Monday but there has been an interview since and she's made some pretty inflammatory comments saying tennis is full of lesbians, they're trying to influence the younger ones, and also about transgender issues, talking about Hitler. What is your reaction on this?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Look, I haven't seen any of that. I literally got told about it 30 seconds before I came in.

I think that's all pretty crazy stuff, and, I mean, like I said, I haven't read anything about it today. I said what I said the other day. Kind of sticking to that. I think it's pretty obvious that the whole tennis community out here has pretty much the same opinion and we're going to all stand by that.

Q. Do you think boycott is a solution?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I've never said I was going to boycott or anything like that. Look, it's not for me to make those comments. I'm going to head down to the Australian Open when it rolls around next year, and we'll get on whatever court we have to play on. But obviously I don't agree with what she's coming out with saying.

Yeah, that's it.

Q. If I can also just have your reaction, this other incident that happened at the French Open with Maxime Hamou. He's a young French player and was doing a live interview, forcibly kissing. As a woman and as a tennis player, do you think the reaction of the FFT revoking his accreditation was justified? Do you think it should be more?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I read one little article about it yesterday. Seems a pretty stupid thing to do. It's not appropriate no matter whether you're a tennis player or somebody out on the street.

I think the FFT revoked his badge and his credential, then good on them. It's not behavior you'd want to be supporting.

Q. What happened to you, like, during Strasbourg and now? I saw you in Doha playing and you were lacking self-confidence, and now you're totally back to your best here. Do you think maybe this year it's like a tournament that could be won by one of the older players like Venus, Kuznetsova, or you? Maybe you're one of the favorites right now?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I don't know. To be honest, Doha I thought was one of the better tournaments I played in this year (smiling). Even though I got a very good result in Strasbourg and now here, won my first two rounds, I feel like the probably five, six, seven weeks I have still been playing well and just haven't been getting a lot of momentum. Unfortunately I have lost to some pretty good players along the way.

I did feel like I was still playing well enough, and I guess to prove that to myself last week, winning in Strasbourg, was a really good feeling. It certainly does boost the confidence when you're winning matches no matter how well you think you're playing in practicing or even in losing matches.

So that's kind of that. But then as far as, yeah, some of the older players, I think there is still a lot of life left in a lot of us older ones who are over 30. I think we keep proving that time and time again that, you know, it's certainly not a hindrance. We can use that experience and, yeah, hopefully I can use everything and have another good tournament here.

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