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ROLAND GARROS

May 27, 2018

Jelena Ostapenko

Paris, France

K. KOZLOVA/J. Ostapenko

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You never really seemed comfortable out there today. Was it a bad day at the office, or were the nerves too big to handle today?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it was terrible day at the office today for me. I mean, in general I played maybe like 20% of what I can play.

Made like 50 unforced errors and so many double faults. Like couldn't serve today. Everything together just brought me really bad result.

Q. What were the emotions, and how were you feeling on the inside as you walked out on the court? How nervous were you then, and did nerves kind of play into things as the match played out?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think in the beginning it was okay, but then it just got worse, like, I felt that I'm not myself today on the court.

Yeah, I was just trying to manage and fight until the last point, but she was playing very defensive, and I was just making so many unforced errors, which I, like, normally don't do.

Q. When you have a day like that, do you get a sense that it's not your day maybe from the morning or from the warmup? Did you expect a day like this?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Honestly, today my, like, the day began not like in a nice way and I knew that something like that can happen but I was trying to be positive and to think positive, but in the end I couldn't really do that.

Q. The last few days, did your trainings go okay? Did you feel like you were hitting the ball well? Was it just today you felt, like, I maybe rolled out of bed on the wrong foot and things didn't pan out? The last few days, the training, did you have a feeling, okay, maybe I'm not hitting the ball as well as I want to?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think, as you know, after Rome I was injured so I didn't really play for, like, four days. So I just played, like, couple days before the match today, and I think that was not enough.

I think if I was scheduled on Tuesday, I think Monday or Tuesday, at least one extra day would help me a lot, but unfortunately yesterday I didn't feel that I was in a great form.

Q. You mentioned that today did not start well for you. Can you tell us what happened, or are you able to share with us?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it's more personal, but, I mean, just in general, like, just woke up, you're like, your mood was not amazing, you just woke up and kind of some things went wrong, and then you are kind of pissed off, in the practice you're pissed off. And then you go to the match and try to be positive, but everything goes not your way, and you still try to be positive, but then you lose the match, and of course you cannot be positive anymore.

Q. When I spoke to David, your coach, in Rome, he was saying that you have done so well in general since you won here last year, that even without the points from Roland Garros you're probably top 10 or close to top 10. Are you able to at least to say when you walk away from here you're still, it's not as huge of an impact on the rest of the season for you?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course there are another tournaments and another opportunities, and if you always remember you lost first round in a Grand Slam, then I think you have to finish your career.

I will just try to forget it as soon as I can, just still playing here in doubles, and then the tournament is over and just going to come back stronger next year.

Q. In terms of how you're feeling now, how much of it is down to lack of form and how much do you think is lack of fitness or is it a mixture of the both?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: As I said, after Rome I was injured so I couldn't really prepare that well for this tournament, and I just had couple of practices which were not bad. But, yeah, in general, I wasn't feeling 100% today.

Q. Was this the knee, or was it the thigh in Rome where you just struggled with your movement also in the doubles later on? Was that the same thing that made things difficult for you while you were back at home in terms of just preparing for this in terms of the injury you had?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, yeah, it was the same one. Like, when I played against Maria, I did a split and I got injured, and then when I went back home I went to see the doctor, and, yeah, I tried to recover my leg as soon as I could but unfortunately I didn't feel that great today.

Q. When the game is not going your way, like today, and you are very offensive player, and the girl on the other sides starts playing defensive 100%, do you have a plan B or do you just stick to your guns until the very end?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, normally I do try to, like, as I did today, I think from 5-3 I did, like, 5-1, but I was struggling with my serve a lot today and it didn't help me.

But in general from game, I think, of course, I did a lot of unforced errors but I was still trying not to just hit every shot. I was just trying to get the ball back in play, but, I mean, nothing worked really well today.

Q. Did you ask the tournament not to play today or play tomorrow or play later if they asked you if it was okay to play already on Sunday as defending champion?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, for them of course today is very important day and they wanted to put me today. Of course I asked, but, I mean, it is as it is.

Q. Are you in doubles or in mixed, or are you all done for the tournament?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: No, no, I'm playing doubles this week. Hopefully better in doubles (smiling).

Q. What are the emotions right now for you? Are you angry? Are you sad? Try and give us some insight.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I'm really disappointed and so angry. I mean, I'm, just, like really angry and I just want to turn back the time (smiling).

Q. Obviously this was your first title defense, first time you have ever had to defend a title on the tour level. Was there anything that was part of the process of doing that that surprised you? Because it's a new experience.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course, when I went on court today, I was, like -- I had this unbelievable pressure, because also the fans, they were so supporting me a lot and I really wanted to play and to show them that I fight.

And, you know, yeah, but I had this unbelievable pressure. I felt that I'm not myself today on court.

Q. Taking into what you've learnt today, how do you bounce back for the grass season?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I think the pressure should be over, because I had to defend a title here, and the grass court season, I have to do a good preparation and then just, yeah, just enjoy the season.

Q. To control your emotion, as well?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I don't think there will be more pressure than I had here.

Q. We have seen a lot of first-time slam champions find it difficult to adjust, all the demands that are made on their time, especially as they lead up to a title defense. You seemed to cope with it quite well. Was there anything that surprised you about the intensity and focus from the start of the clay court season to today?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I didn't really get the question.

Q. Were you surprised at how much attention you were going to have in the leadup to your defense? Because we have seen others crumble.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, this week of course I had to do a lot of things, and maybe if I had more rest maybe I would be -- I mean, here, at the French Open, I had to do a lot of things.

Yeah, but in general also, as I said, I was injured after Rome, so all that together probably didn't give me the great preparation.

Q. Is there a reason why she gives you so much trouble, she in particular, or do you think it's a stylistic problem?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: You mean the opponent?

Q. Yes.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think today didn't really matter who is on the other side, like, any player who could hit like five shots back I think probably could beat me today because I didn't really play well and didn't really matter who was on the other side, because she was just waiting for me to miss. And if I did 50 unforced errors, I think it says, like, everything.

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