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HENGQIN LIFE WTA ELITE TROPHY ZHUHAI

November 5, 2017

Julia Goerges

Zhuhai, China

J. GOERGES/C. Vandeweghe

7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. So 2-5 down in the first set, how did things change so quickly?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, I think CoCo played a pretty good seven games. I was nowhere near finding my rhythm in these games, and she was just hitting the ball so clean and so deep.

Actually, I went away from my line a little bit to give me a little bit of time and go backwards and really have some time to create some opportunities for me. Luckily I get them at 5-3. I was waiting for it to really get into the rally that she doesn't put the first punch on me.

Yeah, she gave me a few loose points there which brought me back into that set. I just tried to hang in there. Somehow you always get a chance, and if you have a chance you still need to take it, but I'm very glad that I could take it.

Q. Even when you were down early in the first set, your attitude and body language was pretty much the same throughout the entire match, whether you were leading or behind. She got frustrated fairly quickly. Could you sense that, and at that point do you kind of ratchet things up and try and get on top of her?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, I know she's very emotional in some parts, in positive and negative parts, but, no, I was just actually waiting for my chance to, yeah, really get back into that first set.

Well, then she struggled for a few games. At 6-5 it was another tough game where she came up with some great shots, great hitting, and I just tried to stay in that game somehow serving good, serving smart. I think it's always better not to give her too much pace, because she controls big pace pretty easy.

So I tried to go a little bit more body on her to really let her move her body a little bit away from the return.

It worked out well. We battled out that first set. And in the second, yeah, I felt I got a little bit more in control of her and her emotions, as well.

Q. You qualified for the tournament in the last moment. Now you win the whole thing, celebrated a birthday, and achieved your personal best ranking. Can you think about a better way to end your season? Please describe your emotion.
JULIA GOERGES: Well, I think there is no better way to end this season (smiling). It's been a great season. I have had a lot of tough losses in Grand Slams this year where I had to get over it, but I still continued to work hard and still continued to believe in my team and my work.

Well, at the end it paid off, and I'm just happy. I think I have not really any words to describe right now. I think I still can't believe it a little bit.

Well, I probably, when I go back to Germany and really have some days off, it start to sink in what I have achieved in that year.

Yeah, it's actually a complete new start for me since I have achieved a new career high ranking with my new team. I got two new titles in, yeah, three weeks. Well, it's just amazing. There's nothing else to say.

Q. Does part of you feel a little pity that the season ends here? Do you want to keep winning? You want to play Australian Open next week? Can you talk about that?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, I don't want to play Australian Open next week, honestly (smiling). I think there's a well-deserved rest now since I have canceled already all of my holiday bookings, and I think now it's time to go on holiday and really enjoy it and then start the hard work again, and then there's a new season coming. That's it. I think no Australian Open now for me (smiling).

Q. The Kremlin Cup for you was the first title in singles since Stuttgart. Now two in a row. I'm curious what is the biggest difference in your game and as a person now from that youngster who won Stuttgart?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, it's a completely new Julia, I would say. You can't really compare that title to the one I just won in Moscow.

Yeah, because I'm much more mature, and I, like, really, yeah, am more developed in every kind of aspect in my game.

I don't get as emotional as I probably have been in the past years. I just try to do my thing. That's it. At the same time, I will try to enjoy it. That's probably what I haven't done as much in the last years, what I wanted to do, but I can only say I'm having a different mindset right now.

I just learned how to enjoy this life on the tour. When you come as youngster on the tour, you always want to have right away success and you always want to win right away everything. But sometimes you forget the positive sides of this life, as well.

That's what I changed in the last two years to get really, like, very positive and not seeing the negative sides. 99% of the tournaments you play you go out with a loss, but once you come to a final, you have achieved something positive. You have to see the positive side of it.

It's nice that I can finish those tournaments only with positive things, but if I would have lost it today, there would have been a lot of positive things still.

Q. And of course by winning this tournament there are still so many more goals I'm sure you're looking forward to achieving. How excited are you for those after a short break? And what do you think will be the next thing to hit that next level for you?
JULIA GOERGES: I think I still have a lot of improvement in my game. It is already quite consistent now this year, but I think there are always things you can improve, and I want to make sure that I keep working on those things in the offseason and to really put it again into matches and really just to battle.

I think every match is there to create some things, to develop some things, and either you win or you lose, but you always develop as a player, and that's my main goal. It's not ranking-wise or something. It's a nice cherry on top, but I always, yeah, was the player who never speaks about rankings. I really need to feel on the court that I have improved, that I keep on improving, and that I can see the results by playing those shots and not always by results.

Q. Not often do people get to get a trophy from Steffi. Talk about how special that must mean to finish your season with that? And also, I think you might have exchanged words, if you could share what you guys spoke about.
JULIA GOERGES: Well, we did speak before the match, because I just quickly saw her. Well, she just wished me luck and she was asking how I am. I asked her how she is.

It was just a small talk, because it was right before the match, but I think she was very happy to give the trophy to a German player (smiling).

Yeah, overall I think for me it was a special moment to win my biggest title and receive, yeah, the trophy from Steffi and share the moment with her and even get her on the picture. It's very rare. I know this.

Well, I think that's probably worth it more than millions (smiling).

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