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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 3, 2018

Elina Svitolina

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

E. SVITOLINA/A. Konjuh

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You seem to have found your good form very, very quickly this season.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah. I mean, I'm playing well and I'm happy that I'm showing good tennis from the start of the year. I try to always find my good tennis out there and, you know, just, yeah, play well. That's the most important thing.

Q. What did you do preseason? Where did you train?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I trained in Paris and then in London as well. Because my coach is based in Paris, so I went there. It's not far from London where I train now most of the time.

But, yeah, it's just -- yeah, was good couple of weeks and I'm happy the way I'm playing now.

Q. Did you do much differently this year compared to previous preseasons?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it was different a little bit. We were focused on different things and it was harder, but as I already mentioned that I was struggling little bit with few injuries here and there. So it was a little bit slower than last offseason. But I'm happy the way I'm playing now. And, yeah, I think it was enough time of training.

And, yeah, I'm happy the way I'm handling the tough moments and, yeah, staying strong and showing good tennis.

Q. And how much rest did you have as you finished last season and then started training here? Did you allow yourself some time off?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I had two weeks off completely, and then slowly I was start training and, you know, being into the tennis mode.

Yeah, I don't know. Was four, five weeks of -- No. Five or six weeks of hard training. And, yeah, it was quite good.

Q. And two weeks of rest?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it was completely rest. I mean, lots of media in Ukraine. And sorting my new place also it took some energy out of me. So yeah.

Q. Has there been a lot more interest in you now in Ukraine?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, was supposed to rest in Ukraine but I had no time to rest. There, it was only two days and the rest I was five days in Kiev where I had to do lots of different stuff and lots of different commitments, and which I agreed, of course. So it was, you know, my kind of thing that I agreed to them.

But, you know, I really like to come back to Ukraine and do different kind of stuff. And now in 2018, like, in the beginning and then in the middle there will be different kind of things which will coming up.

And, yeah, I'm excited.

Q. And your home fans are more interested in you now? The public?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, there is lots of, you know, kids that coming and telling me that they are watching the matches. And even, you know, grown-ups, they are, you know, telling me that they are staying up at night and watching my matches.

And, yeah, sometimes it's good to hear this kind of things because, you know, I don't spend so much time in Ukraine. And when I go to Ukraine and I have meeting with the fans, it's always amazing and I almost, you know, about to cry when I leave the meetings.

So it's extremely, extremely nice from them.

Q. Jo Konta next. What do you remember of your match against her in Zhuhai?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I remember it was tough match, and I was down and then I came back and I won that match. It was good match and she's playing well. And I think we are both playing different now and we are much better players.

So I expect, of course, tough match, but I try to focus on my game. And I try to focus on things I've been working on in the offseason, and this is my main goal for next match.

Q. I think when you were in London you went to see the premier of Battle of the Sexes?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah.

Q. What did you think of the film?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, there's couple of things that I didn't know. So it was nice to see how the tennis started. Of course, I went for couple of meetings with Billie Jean, but it was nice to see from the different side.

And, yeah, it was special. Yeah, I really liked it.

Q. What were the things that you learned from the film that you did not know about before?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, how everything started. You know, I mean, she told us how it was on the meetings, but there, you know, everyone had their own imagination how it was. But now, you know, on the screen, we could see it more clear.

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