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ROLAND GARROS

May 25, 2018

Garbine Muguruza

Paris, France

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Another year here at the French Open and another time that you start against a slam champion in the first round. How do you approach that first match, as far as you have looked ahead to it, against Sveta?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I mean, it's a good first round. Last year I remember I started with Schiavone. Is good right away. Tough match.

It doesn't really matter, you know, who you're going to play because it's going to be a difficult match. We have a lot of battles together, so it's going to be good.

Q. How does it feel coming back this year? I can only presume it feels different than how it felt last year coming back to Roland Garros. Can you kind of contrast the two experiences?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, it feels different. Of course being the defending champion for the first time, it adds a lot of pressure and expectation, and for sure this year you think different. But even though I learned from that, even if I will be a defending champion, I'm sure I would have a different mindset, also.

Yeah, it's more relaxing, I guess.

Q. In terms of your game and the confidence you're going to bring, how do you feel was the practice session? Is everything going well? What have you brought from the clay season? How do you feel tennis-wise?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I feel good. I have been training a lot. I have been, you know, playing. And it's true I didn't play lots of matches maybe in Rome, but I feel like I always had a chance, and they kind of slip away, all the matches somehow, so even if it's a little bit disappointing, I feel like I was there and I had my chances. Eventually they will come to my side.

Q. Serena Williams is back here. You obviously shared a final in 2016. Same half of the draw. Could it happen again? Quarterfinals, I mean, that's where you are projected to come if you both do well.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Uh-huh (smiling).

You know, it's so far, the quarterfinals. I mean, we didn't even start the tournament. If that happens, it will be the best match for quarterfinals. You know, it's always good to play her, to see her in the draw, and that's it.

Q. More generally, what do you think about Serena's return to tennis? Do you think it's good for the game? What do you expect her level to be at this tournament?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: It's always good. I think she's the best in history, so it's always good when she's around as a great competitor. I think Serena Williams is Serena. You never have to underestimate if she's not competing a lot. I think she has the talent and the confidence. So it's always a tough opponent.

Q. I just want to know if you were aware of your draw before going --
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No.

Q. -- into this press conference?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: He said it, the first round.

Q. Looking back to the match against Daria in Rome, I'm wondering how long do you take these losses with you or how quickly do you forget about them or how long do you spend analyzing them, how do you evaluate those matches, which are like a complete roller coaster it felt like from the outside?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, of course it's difficult when you spend a lot of time in the court and you feel like you had match points, and it slips away, like I said before. It hurts, of course, because you felt like you had the chance and it didn't happen.

You know, the next day you think different. You know, you start thinking about, okay, my next tournament, how I'm going to prepare, what I'm going to do to not happen this again. It stays less in your system like before, for sure. You move on faster. There is no point to be sad about what happened in Rome, because now it doesn't really matter.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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