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HENGQIN LIFE WTA ELITE TROPHY ZHUHAI

November 4, 2017

Coco Vandeweghe

Zhuhai, China

C. VANDEWEGHE/A. Barty

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Pretty phenomenal serving night, in particular. Did you just kind of feel it, you know, on the practice court, during the warmup? Seemed like it was cranking today.
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I didn't do anything differently. Maybe just a longer warmup today. But my day was pretty much normal. I woke up at noon (smiling), stayed in my room all darn day, played some tennis. That was it. Just another day.

Q. You have gotten better with each match you have played here. Do you feel that's a result of just kind of getting acclimated to conditions, getting used to what the court and the balls are doing, just feeling more comfortable here? What do you think it is?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I think my results through my whole career have always been early exits or I go deep in tournaments. I play better the more I play on the court. I like to compete. I feel more comfortable, more confident with my strokes.

It's repetition. You get out there and play a match and win it, and then you're used to winning. Then you win the second one. It starts to steam-roll from there.

I can't really explain why that happens, but it just happens. I try to not have a first-round exit. But you never know what happens when you show up to a tournament. You try and win it. That's what I'm trying to do.

Q. How does it feel to make your second final of the year? What do you expect for tomorrow against Goerges?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Well, I don't know. I don't know what to expect. Every day is a little bit different. I think I'll just keep rolling with the nonsense I have been rolling with this week, you know, keeping the hashtags live, "I'm just here so I don't get fined," and I enjoy myself.

I'm only playing tennis to enjoy myself. I like to have fun with what I do. Hopefully I'll have a good showing tomorrow in the final.

Q. Just wondering what Pat's brought to your game or how he's changed your game since he started coaching you.
COCO VANDEWEGHE: So many things (smiling). We actually sat down and had a meeting last night, and we were going over all the different things that we have kind of worked on, and it's pretty much everything.

That's not to put it lightly. I think, you know, that's why at the end of the match today -- it's a team effort, so I went over and gave my team all a hug. You know, it's been a long season, a very difficult season for me, and I think Pat came in at a great time where I was probably at a very low point.

I don't know how to describe it besides, you know -- the best way to describe it is a father figure. I think that's the best thing he's put into my career so far in the last six months. I really appreciate the hard work that he's put in on and off the court for me.

Q. He was saying to me that you invited him to the Fed Cup final. What's his role there, given you have a captain in charge? How does he play his part during that week?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Well, normally the coaches are there to help our captain. He'll be there, but I'll be listening to Kathy's voice mostly because she'll be the one on the bench. You know, any insights that he could give that I'm used to hearing will be helpful for Kathy and for myself.

So he's just there to give some insight on kind of me, my game, what I like to do to get prepared for a tournament, as well as how tactically I would prefer to play, even though Kathy knows me really well. But it will be interesting to have him in the female dynamic of the Fed Cup since he was a Davis Cup legend.

Q. At the start of the week you were talking about how there were certain parts of the year that are very important and special to you, and this might have been a little bit different in the approach. I'm curious if making the final here, win or lose, if that maybe teaches you or you come away from this tournament feeling like your game can be effective regardless of the calendar?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: That's a tricky question. I would say, first of all, no (smiling). I don't think I'll ever be as jubilant as I am at the start of the year in comparison to the end of the year.

But at the same time, I think if I set my mind to certain goals in tournaments and certain demands from my team and from myself, I have utmost confidence that I can achieve those goals that I have set in front of myself.

Yeah. I don't think I'll ever be excited to play after US Open, but we have been joking around that it's going to be Singapore or bust next year (smiling).

Q. Your Instagram said "I'm just here so I don't get fined." You didn't want to come here at first, but how do you feel now moving on to the final? Do you feel better playing here?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Well, I think my Instagram I always have silly hashtags. Through every tournament I had, start of the year, "No carbs after 3:00." And I always do like little abbreviations that are maybe internal for the team.

But the hashtag, "I'm just here so I don't get fined," is based off Marshawn Lynch. He's an NFL player, and he started the brand Beast Mode, so I'm, like, really into it, especially after recent events at Beijing.

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