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NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

June 19, 2018

Garbine Muguruza

Birmingham, England

G. MUGURUZA/A. Pavlyuchenkova

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did you have plans to be in so early?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No, it was a very fast match in general because she plays very aggressive and I play very aggressive. Since the first ball, I felt good in the match. I will play her a lot of times and I know she's a very good opponent. So I'm very happy to start playing someone who is very good and feeling that I am in control of the game.

Q. What in particular about your game were you happy with today?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think I serve and return well. That's very important. I came early here so the movement was pretty good as well. Hopefully it's going to get better. But as a first match on grass, it's good.

Q. After winning Wimbledon last year, do you instantly have a good feeling about being back on the grass?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yes, I mean, every time I come to grass, it feels like so strange because we only play one month in the whole year. And having had succeeded in the past, yeah, I'm happy to come back. You know, once you feel like your confident because you reach very good level of game, and, yeah, it is exciting. I'm probably not explaining well, but...

Q. Do you have more belief on grass, well, then you did before?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yes. Of course at the beginning I couldn't figure really out how to play because I never played before. With the time, I think everybody feels like a little bit the same the first time you play on grass and the second time you feel better, the third better. Then you improve. And I think that's what happened to me.

Q. Out of all the majors, which one would you say is the most difficult to win?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think I'm going to say one in hard court, because I feel on hard court everybody plays very good. I mean there's more options. I know grass is unpredictable, clay and stuff, but I feel like with hard, even if somebody is not favorite, everybody plays good too. I feel it's very equal. I don't know.

Q. Did you feel your success on grass outpaces your belief or comfort on grass? Does that make sense?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, it makes sense. I feel that if you try something and it doesn't work out, you feel like you're not good at it. Of course you try something and it's incredible, you're like, ah, you feel good. So you're confident. It doesn't mean you're going to win every year, but at least you feel like you know how to play. You have it in your mind that I had success. You already have that on your side, so I think yes.

Q. How much time did you take off? It seemed like on your social media, it seemed like you had some time off and you were able to relax. Was it enough?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: It's never enough. No, no, I had a few days because, I mean, after a Grand Slam when you do well, I feel like sometimes you have the feeling of let's go back fast or really relax. There's different situations. But I took my time. I enjoy a little bit the good tournament, the French open, and reset a little bit, you know, and jump into the grass courts. That's it. Nothing special.

Q. You seemed more relaxed on court this year. Do you think you feel that way? Do you feel like you're in a good place with your game?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I don't know. I don't think I'm relaxed on court. It's impossible to relax. I'm competitive. I want to win. I don't think it's compatible to be relaxed, especially when you want to be on the top level. So maybe I have good body work. You know, good body language.

Q. Let's go back to the beginning where you actually had to play on this green stuff. What was it like that first time?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Very bad. It was very bad. I had to play the quallies at Wimbledon which is very different from the actual tournament. I think it is too different, in my opinion. You get to enjoy the best time in grass, but to get there you play in a field. It's true. You play like in really like a field. It is tough. All quallies are tough, but especially that one, and I didn't qualify. But that was my first experience.

Q. Were you, like, I hate this stuff?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: For the first couple of years, I'm, like, I don't like this surface, until the year where I got tired of myself, like, being very negative. And I said, Okay, I'm going to be positive. I don't care. And then it's when I finally opened my mind a little bit to the grass. It's just a process. I don't know.

Q. (No microphone.)
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I'm always thinking to have, like, a short mindset, like a short memory. Like, Okay, this point is over. After three seconds, there's another point. I want to achieve this, this, this the next point. It's constantly like this to have, like, a short term memory, especially in tennis where you play so many points and so many games, just telling myself what is the game plan.

Q. (No microphone.)
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think I've been lucky because my mom is a nutritionist and she's always been taking, like, so seriously since that, you know, since my brothers were little. I mean, to say it is important, everybody knows it's important. But I try to stay very clean with food. I would say chicken, potatoes, rice is the A, B, C. That's what I eat a lot of times.

Q. (No microphone.)
GARBINE MUGURUZA: An advice for juniors, I mean, I'm thinking what I would say when I'm a junior. If you really want to achieve something, you want to put all the hard work into it. There's no little cut. You cannot run faster than the timing. Working hard and patience. It pays off.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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