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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2017

Elina Svitolina

Wimbledon, London, England

E. SVITOLINA/A. Barty

7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How is your heel?
ELINA SVITOLINA: My heel is okay. Let's say this: It's not perfect, but painkillers are working. I can say that (smiling). I will see. If I can walk tomorrow, then it will be a good sign.

Q. Did the rest between Birmingham and Wimbledon help?
ELINA SVITOLINA: It helped a little bit, but when I started to play game points, it didn't really help so much. But, you know, I decided to do it and to play here and to, you know, just to go on court and leave everything what I have and then see how it goes.

Q. Will you be playing through the pain a bit in this tournament?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Of course. Yeah, I mean, this was the decision. The only thing is that we'll see if I'm not gonna make it worse for future, you know, but for the moment, yeah, I will go and play through the pain and how it was today, as well, because it's like in and out. So that's why it's a bit tricky.

Q. Are you surprised with the level you were able to produce today? It looked quite high, given all your injury struggles and not much play on grass.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I was training well. I think I was ready for the match. Of course, I needed to produce a high level because she was playing amazing in Birmingham and was really confident on grass, and she won in juniors like very confident here, as well. And I remember that because she was so young and always plays well here. That's why, you know, I knew that if I'm going to go out there and play my best level, you know, because I'm -- I can play really good and can be a better player on court.

So that's why I know, and of course it was a big thing for me, big motivation to win, because lots of people are saying, Oh, you know, very tough draw for Svitolina.

You know, now they can, Shhh (smiling). So, yeah. For me, it's a big win and big step forward on the grass.

Q. Do you realize that right now someone is talking about you as a potential No. 1 in the world if something happens? I mean, you're not far away. The situation seems quite encouraging. I don't know what you think about it.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it's encouraging for me. You know, it's a big motivation for me, big goal to be No. 1, to reach this goal, because everyone is, you know, very hungry for this. So no one is going to give you, on the plate (indicating a plate), the No. 1 place.

So that's why I work every day for this, you know, and I wait for my moment. You know, I need to earn this place. So that's why I try to take one match at a time. I try to train well. I trying to do everything what it takes to be there. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, you know, I will say that I did everything what I can and then just move on.

Q. Do you know that the next round you have to play a player who is playing for the 17th time here in Wimbledon. What do you know about Francesca Schiavone? What is your first memory about her? What do you think about her game, her age, everything?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I try to don't think about the age, because, you know, everyone is going on the court and everyone is ready. Everyone is training to win the match, and, you know, kill the opponent.

So my first memory about her, it was for sure when she won Roland Garros. I think it was the same year when I won juniors.

Q. 2010.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, yeah, so that's why, you know, I remember that moment of hers and she was, like, playing unbelievable tennis.

But now it's a different situation. Now I'm fourth seed of the tournament (smiling). We are on the grass court. So it's completely different. You know, I will take it -- it's gonna be a great match, for sure. It's a great pleasure to play against her, such a great player, you know, who achieves so much in her career.

But she's gonna be my opponent, and I'm going to take time to think what she gonna produce on court, and then just make my plan and go out there and play my game. Be really focused on myself.

Q. You talked in Birmingham about having not many wins on grass before your victory there. Now you got another win on grass. Are you starting to feel more comfortable on the surface, like you're able to impose your game on grass?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, the thing that I can say about the grass, that I try to don't put so much pressure that I'm playing on grass and this surface is very tough or this surface is something different.

I know that I need to change couple of things to play well on grass, and I think today they really worked well. And that's it. I take one match at a time to do everything what I can and then move in the next one.

So, you know, I have my next match on Wednesday, so I'm going to have some training tomorrow to prepare, to be ready for my next match. So it's Grand Slam, so that's why there is lots of pressure, lots of different things going on, and I try to don't really think about grass as a, you know, my enemy.

Q. Were you particularly pleased with how you handled the pressure situations in the match today?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, of course. I mean, it was a huge match. I was under big pressure. Everyone was against me, I can say that (smiling). So I was very calm in the same time, because I was down first set and then I came back and played really good tennis.

I was brave in the important moments, and, yeah, went for my shots. Okay, I missed a little bit my rhythm in the second set where I was 4-2 up, but, you know, I can say that Barty, she plays well on grass and it was kind of like I was expecting that she would come back into the match and play some great shots.

So, yeah, I was really happy the way I finished it very strong.

Q. The last time you played at a slam obviously was the match against Simona at Roland Garros. How quickly were you able to kind of move on from the disappointment of that? Did today's good win help maybe erase some disappointment, or are you not thinking about it at all?
ELINA SVITOLINA: No, I don't think about it. If I would all the time come back to that match, probably I would be in the crazy house now (smiling). That match, it was -- of course it was very disappointed. I was like one ball away from semifinal, from my biggest win, and yeah, I didn't do it.

But, you know, I need to look forward. I need to stay in the moment, and these matches, you know, now it's Wimbledon, I'm in the second round, I am playing well, I'm doing the right things.

I will do everything what it takes to be in the third round. I don't go back, you know, because I'm not going that way. I'm going straight forward. It's gone already.

Q. Even if you don't look back, can I ask you if Rome has been the biggest moment of this year for you? The best memory until now? Or there is another moment when you beat, I don't know who, that excited you more.
ELINA SVITOLINA: I think there was couple of moments in my life that changed me and the way I am now. It was beating Serena in Olympics, for sure. Then winning Dubai, because there was so much pressure from everywhere, where it can be, because it was my first entering top 10 and first biggest title in Dubai. That one, for sure. And then for sure Rome. It was something really that, you know, I played good some matches. I was playing well on clay court that, you know, because I took some time off before clay court to be ready to play my game and to be, like, with everything, you know, all together. That's why it just confirmed that I can play well and, yeah, just play on a high level consistently.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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