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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2018

Su-Wei Hsieh

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

S. HSIEH/G. Muguruza

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. That was a very difficult win for you over a very tough player. How does this match compare with other big upsets you have had in your career?
SU-WEI HSIEH: Oh, well, it's never easy to play against top 20 girls. I think for the mental for sure they are much better than us, so when we go on the court we forget who is them, and to focus on our game.

I do a little bit better today and try to hang in there. I know the weather is going to be a little bit tough today because I hear weather going to be over 39 degrees. I was thinking, Ah, I'm from Asia. I maybe can handle it better than other girls.

Q. What is it about your style that made it so difficult for GarbiÃ±e today?
SU-WEI HSIEH: My style?

Q. The style. The way you play the game.
SU-WEI HSIEH: Hmm. Today I tried to be hitting the ball a little bit harder, because my girlfriend told me, oh, she's hitting the ball very heavy. I say, okay, I gonna try to don't let her destroy me on the court. So try to be aggressive, to get the first point going. I was going pretty good when I was hanging there.

Q. You have continued to play singles for a very long time, even though you have had really great success in doubles. Why continue playing both for such a long time?
SU-WEI HSIEH: I was working with Paul a few years ago, and was expecting to win the Grand Slam doubles at that time. And then at the beginning Paul was not giving up on my singles. At the beginning I was ranking 343, around there, and then he pushed me to play some singles tournament. I was thinking, why am I in the court to play doubles? Why is he sending me to play the singles? Then picking out some tournament and get my ranking to top -- I was, ranked 23. Paul was helping me a lot to get into all of this tournament.

Suddenly I just hurt my ankle one year at the Australian Open. So that year, Paul ask me who is your best partner for the doubles. I say, Peng. He worked this out, and then we win the Wimbledon that year, and then we win the Championships.

So that was amazing tournament when I was working with Paul. He was helping me a lot to take care about my body, while I was injured, he put me in another world in doubles.

It was a little bit interesting for me to thinking about this, because two years ago I was hurting my ankle again, and I was thinking to stop a little bit because I couldn't walk for a few months. It was really terrible duration until the last year I play Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the clay court season I was hurting on my ankle. So after that I was thinking, okay, maybe I should play some doubles last year.

So Paul was giving me a lot of good idea when I was working with him. So I try to play both to not stop my tennis.

Q. Do you think your doubles play has improved your singles game? Because you have a lot of shots that are different from the top singles players. You can slice a lot, play well at the net.
SU-WEI HSIEH: I think tennis is more about the mental, because when I play doubles more, and then when I go into the net, even I don't practice a lot, I feel like, oh, the girl, when they hit to me, I can't handle it. It was a mental stuff.

So it was helping each other, like, when I played better in singles, when I go on doubles court, I feel my baseline is better.

Q. We see so many players that you predominantly power to hit up and down the court. Do you see tennis more as a puzzle the way you play? Do you like to kind of set traps? You play with a lot of imagination.
SU-WEI HSIEH: Well, yeah, I was doing a lot of different training. I do the topspin, I mean, the flat balls and slice. I try to practice all the stuff. So against different player, I try to do a little bit different stuff. Not try to play the same game. So it helps a lot.

Q. Seemed like you were quite surprised by the end of the year. What was your mood when you came to the court before starting the game?
SU-WEI HSIEH: You know, against a top-10 player sometimes you get nervous before you get into the center court, so I try to say, okay, I will not be nervous. And I try to hit all the balls back and try to hang in there.

So it was a little bit tough for me, but I tried my best to be good.

Q. Was there a moment during the game when you felt that you can shift your play and you can go and win it?
SU-WEI HSIEH: Today I tried to be aggressive. Tried to be open court, because as we all see, she have a little tape on her leg, so I think maybe her movement has a little problem. So I tried to be aggressive.

Q. Would you say this is the best win in your singles career or top 5? How would you rank it compared to other matches?
SU-WEI HSIEH: I can't say. Like you say, I'm in tour too long, so there must be few interesting match in my life (smiling).

Of course this is one of the biggest players I beat. So it's a great memory for me, of course.

Q. You seemed to be having some trouble with some flying insects at one stage, small creatures that were flying around at the back and you were taking a lot of time to remove them from the court.
SU-WEI HSIEH: I think it was too hot today and every time the bug come into the court they're dead. Most of the time I'm picking out the dead body from the bug. It was too hot on court today (smiling).

Q. I think we know you a very long time and you were training in Japan when you were junior. After, I think you trained also in Beijing with other Chinese players. How are you looking women's tennis in Asia? I think it's big change, and how are you looking?
SU-WEI HSIEH: Um, it was very important for me for the three years I stay in Japan, because at that time I was having family issue and Asian parents can be really tough on their kids.

My friend transfer me to Japan. I had really good time. Japanese people were helping me a lot. I was staying there and I feel like Tokyo is my second home. If I was not in Tokyo maybe in my career probably going to be done, because in Taiwan I couldn't go on the court. I always have some frustrating stuff. I always need to hiding from my family. So it was not easy situation at that time.

But I'm really happy that I was in Japan and the club, the training was very consistent and it helps me a lot to come on the tour.

Q. I think you have many good friends in tennis in China, continental China. How is the friendship or how is your relationship with them?
SU-WEI HSIEH: I feel as I am in happy movement in the tour. I mean, all the girl is quite interesting. They have a different personality. Most of them is very nice girl, like, I mean, like Clijsters or those girls, they're very, very nice, very polite. Not even they winning so many Grand Slam they try to be like this. They always be like this.

This is what I always need to tell myself, to be polite, be nice. So I do enjoy the tennis life.

Q. What kind of match do you expect in the next round against Radwanska? Probably quite different to today. She's a different player.
SU-WEI HSIEH: Yes, I think totally different game as today. I think I will try to be enjoy more on my game and try to play Su-Wei style.

Q. You have about two days now for recover and to prepare yourself. What are your favorite recovery routines, like cold water or active recovery, massage? What are you doing now?
SU-WEI HSIEH: Acupuncture. Needles. Not my favorite -- there is one, I think scary one, but I like to acupuncture. It helps a lot. And also do the massage. And eat some nice food.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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