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WUHAN OPEN

September 30, 2017

Caroline Garcia

Wuhan, Hubei, China

C. GARCIA/A. Barty

6-7, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. 2 hours 45 minutes...
CAROLINE GARCIA: Wow.

Q. ...battling on the court. A lot of ups and downs in that match. Talk through how you were able to keep your head, not let it go in the second set.
CAROLINE GARCIA: I will try my best. I'm not sure it's the clearest moment of my career.

But, I mean, yeah, it was such a battle from the first game. Was already very long. Then I have some opportunity in the first set to serve the first one out, and I couldn't make it. She returned well.

Then tiebreak, I didn't play well. No first serve, and some double-fault in the bad moment.

Then in the beginning of the second set, I was a little bit down. Like, I couldn't get my focus again. So many things were happening in my head. I just tried, like, That's now, you have to keep going. She's maybe going to get tight, you don't know. You keep going, fight until the end.

That's what I did for all the second set. My serve was not very good. I got broken. But I kept trying. I mean, at the end of the second set, I tried to be a bit more aggressive. I could finally find the things on the slice backhand, because that was getting me crazy. I mean, it's not often you get a girl who have such a great slice backhand like this. She was using it down the line, cross. I couldn't find the solution.

Then a little bit she play with more spin on her backhand. I was trying to be aggressive and just go for my shot. Then everything turn around.

Q. Did you feel at any moment in the second set that it was slipping away? Looked like you didn't know what you were doing on the court the first couple games.
CAROLINE GARCIA: Of course, the things were not going my way, for sure. Lost the first set, was very hard, because it was a battle. I was like, You can't let it go, you have to fight till the end. That's why you train hard, to play these kind of moments. Even if you lost, doesn't matter, you have to fight until the end and find the solution. You don't find the solution, fine, you have to keep working.

I just tried to make some change in my tactics, stay always very aggressive. Even when I was break down, I know that tennis is not over until it's over. So I try my best. I run and fight. I did it.

Q. Do you think there's a time in your career after the first set, losing the tiebreak, serving for it twice, you would have gone away a bit mentally?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yes, I was very close to it actually. The first couple of game of the second set was very difficult. I arrived to win it, be 2-1. This game makes all the difference.

Like maybe a few months ago, maybe even a few weeks ago, I wouldn't find the energy to come back and the focus to stay in the match. It makes a difference already against Kerber. In the second set, I was a little bit down and I came back. That's one of the most bigger improvement of the week.

Q. At what point did you actually feel comfortable with the slice?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Oh, never (laughter).

Q. When she brought her coach on, she said she thought her slice was not working at all.
CAROLINE GARCIA: Oh, yeah? Not at all?

I don't know. I mean, my serve was not working. I was not getting any free points. My first serve was always coming back.

Then on the second set, I was getting this slice shot, backhand, middle of the court, very low. I couldn't go on the forehand because I would get on the cross-court, so it was very difficult.

But I kept trying. I kept moving forward, even if I was getting passed. I change a little bit how I was approaching it. I just getting low on my legs, try the best I could. After she didn't do it, it was good (smiling).

Q. Ashleigh said you and her are pretty close. Is it hard competing against a good friend in a big final, or that all goes out the window?
CAROLINE GARCIA: She's definitely a very nice girl outside and on the court. Even today was difficult lost for her, but she stayed very respectful. She didn't show any emotion, even bad ones. Outside she's very nice, always smiling, always call you 'mate' every single time (smiling). She's definitely very funny.

I mean, it's a pleasure to fight against her on court. I'm very happy she came back to tennis. The tour definitely needs someone as talented as her. What she been through is very difficult, I guess, but I'm glad she decide to came back to tennis.

We'll have so many more battle in the future. It will be such a fight. But I will be always pleased to play against her.

Q. Can you compare the feeling of winning a big singles title versus an even bigger doubles title? Which brings you more satisfaction?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Singles (smiling).

Q. By a lot?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I mean, it's different emotion. But when you play a doubles and you won French Open, it's different because you share it with someone. Our sport is very individual. I mean, you can share it with your team, but it's not the same you share with someone on the court who is doing the same effort as you. We also share it with all the crowd. For us, Roland Garros always mean something special.

So it was some great emotion to win a Grand Slam. It's a Grand Slam, and no one will take it ever. So of course I'm a singles player, so singles mean more. But both mean a lot.

When you win a title, doesn't matter big, small tournaments, it's always some emotion the same. Doesn't matter if it's small one or big ones. Yeah, I mean, it's definitely great.

Q. What does it mean for you to win the biggest title of your career?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I don't know. I mean, it's difficult to say what it means. Right now I just feel very happy and proud of my fight of today, proud of all the work we did. Sometimes was difficult for me after some good matches to keep it going. When it was some kind of worst day, not everything great, I was sometimes down and I was feeling negative. That's what I did great today.

It's just, like, difficult when you just win it after 2 hours 45 minutes to say exactly how I felt. But win a title, it's always something very special. Premier 5, it's even better. For me, a title is a title.

Q. Question about the court. This tournament has always been won by people who like a quick court. Petra won it twice, Venus, now you. You're pretty good on grass, as well.
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, I don't know.

Q. There's a joke about how this ends up being a little bit of a grass tournament. The conditions, is it a quicker court, slow?
CAROLINE GARCIA: It's kind of quick court, but like Tokyo is quick also. I think it's pretty close to Tokyo. The condition who makes at the beginning of the week was very hot and very humid. You could see the balls. It was still fast, but it was bouncing so high. These last two days, it's a little bit different, a little bit colder. It was not as bouncy.

I don't know if I can say it's fast or not, but it's a great court.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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