	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AEGON CLASSIC

June 19, 2017

Elina Svitolina

Birmingham, England

E. SVITOLINA/H. Watson

6-2, 5-7, 6-3

Q. How does it feel to finally advance into the second round here?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah. It feels amazing actually because I've been struggling a little bit on grass for the past few years, and yeah, it feels good, and I like the way I played today, the way I handled the game, the tight moments as well. So of course I was expecting that she would come back and play well because, she always plays well on grass and can be very dangerous player. So yeah, I was very happy that I could finish in the third set on my serve. It was actually a pretty good game.

Q. What do you think has been your problem on grass the last few years? Why do you think the struggle?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I think I was not strong enough physically, and also just everything came together. And this year has been a good year for me, and I think also on grass will be much better. And today I think it was a good performance from me. So just everything, a little bit.

Q. Is it an adjustment getting down low for shots on grass, different from other surfaces?
ELINA SVITOLINA: There is a little bit of everything. I tried to not do anything that I'm playing on grass that it's such a difficult surface to play on. I don't put this kind of pressure on myself. So just go out there, I play my game. Of course there will be small adjustments, but I don't really put difficult things in my head.

Q. You have ice there. Is it just from transition from the clay to the grass?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah. I had some issues when I transitioned from clay court, but it's normal. Everyone was a bit struggling. There was a lot of withdrawals from this tournament, it's quite expected to have small things, and the body is -- it's quite normal. So I try to recover, and for me to be injury free during throughout the grass court season is imperative.

Q. Do you think you've improved in your confidence from the way you've played this year? Do you think that's what's getting you through tough matches like this that perhaps you might not have gotten through last year?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, of course. There was a big difference today. I have confidence with me, but still I was very happy that I could play my game in the tough moments, in the third set, even though I lost second set in very tough moments, I came back strong and didn't let the negative things go in my head and was fighting, this was very good today.

Q. Is that something you've worked on getting ready mentally?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah. I worked on it, but these small things can make a big difference. Fitness as well gets better. Yeah. Mental also is a big part of the game. Just small things, everything technical as well as working a lot with Thierry for the last months in Paris. So it worked. It's also both being confident. So yeah, I'm happy for the moment the game I was showing. Of course it will be up and down, but I tried to recover quickly.

Q. Have you looked at your next possible opponent you might be playing? The finalist last week. Is that expecting another tough match from that one?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah. I think there is also Natalia Vikhlyantseva.

Q. Tough match either way.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, yeah. It will be a good match. They both play very flat, and I try to not really focus on opponents, you know. It's going to be tough anyway. I need to go out there and be very tough and play my game, do the things I have to do. Of course, first I need to recover and be ready for everything. It's going to be a tough match, but I'm ready for it.

Q. It's a long stretch, the European season, but it's a short grass court season. In the past have you always looked at it as, okay, it's four, five weeks out of that big 13-week stretch so who cares if it doesn't go well or have you wanted to improve on grass and it's just never clicked?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I take it as a challenge because for me last few years haven't went great on grass, but this time, you know, I spoke to my team and they told me like, "you are much stronger player now." I think it can go well. But I try to don't think so much about if it can go well or bad. I just try to take the challenge and then see how it goes. I'm much stronger. I'm stronger mentally as well, so I try to put all together things that I did well this year in all these tournaments that I won and tough matches I went through. So I try to take this and go on court and do the things over there and be tough and see how it goes, don't put so much pressure because then you are not there on the court.

Q. Which is your favorite surface?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I don't really have one, because it always take time to adapt. Like, for example, on the clay court, you know, I took four weeks off the tournament before ^ Charleston and all other tournaments. And it was a good preparation. I was two weeks completely off and then two weeks' preparation with my team. So these kind of things that helps a lot for a transition.

For grass court also I had one week off, and then one week preparation. But it was a bit shorter, but for me I think it was enough because grass court can be very tough on the body, and yeah, for me the priority is health first.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297