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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2018

Julia Goerges

Wimbledon, London, England

J. GOERGES/D. Vekic

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did you expect to make your first quarterfinal on grass at Wimbledon?
JULIA GOERGES: It sounds pretty strange when you saw my record from the last five years here. I didn't expect it, honestly. I just tried to focus on every single round I've been playing here. It worked out very well. I think the last round showed that I really wanted to get to the second week, the same way today.

I played pretty solid, pretty well. Didn't give her quite lot of chances on my service games. I worked out the breakpoints pretty well.

Yeah, here I am. So this is for me something, yeah, pretty special. It doesn't actually feel that special. It's just another round in a tournament. For me it's a new situation, but it doesn't feel that strange.

Q. Is that because you expected it even more?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, I think in every round you have the same chances. It doesn't really feel different than the other rounds. Maybe one step further you've gone. I think you always have a chance in the next round as well, so I'm focusing on tomorrow already.

Q. For the people who are just getting familiar with you, because they haven't seen you here before, how would you describe who you are as a player and a person?
JULIA GOERGES: I'm pretty aggressive player, I would say. Having big weapons, trying to be the one who is dominant in the game, trying to go for it. I don't want to let -- I don't want to hope to get to the next round; I want to take it in my hands. That's something which I was born with. I want to use my weapons to really dictate the game.

Sometimes you lose that way, but you win a lot of times as well, too. For me it's pretty important that it's up to me and it's in my hands. If you want to describe me like this as a player.

Q. How about your personality?
JULIA GOERGES: I'm pretty straightforward. I'm saying what I feel like. I just want to hang around with people who I like. That's something, yeah, what I've been the whole way through. I'm always, yeah, just spending the time with people where I think, Hey, it's worth it. It's just, like, helping me. I feel like I have a good team around me.

Yeah, I would say the same way: I'm just straightforward. That's it.

Q. Where did you think the quarterfinal was going to come?
JULIA GOERGES: Maybe not here (smiling).

Well, actually I've played some fourth rounds in the other Grand Slams already, except here. So for me maybe it's a bit sweeter because I didn't quite expect it here. But it's nice. I figured out probably a lot of times before how to not reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal, so I think I've done it pretty well today. I'm very proud and pleased with it.

Q. What is your approach to changeovers in terms of what you're trying to achieve both mentally and physically?
JULIA GOERGES: What do you mean?

Q. When there's a changeover, how do you stay focused or calm? Do you tell yourself a certain thing in order to maintain that?
JULIA GOERGES: I actually try to calm down from the situations which maybe happened before, just trying to focus on every single game which is coming next. It's not always up to the score. I think it's about yourself, what you want to do, what you want to do tactically-wise. You can't expect that these things are always working well.

I think that's what I've improved in the last years, as well. I'm accepting the circumstances which are there. Sometimes it's not going your way, but you still think it's the right way to play. That's something which I've been working on the last years, to really maintain my level. Even though sometimes it's not working well, but I know it's the right way. It will bring me eventually there.

Q. There have been so many upsets in this tournament. What do you think it is about Wimbledon this year that has caused that?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, first of all, if we look back to the other Grand Slams in the last maybe one or two years, we've always got surprises on paper. I think it's been always pretty wide open who is going to come up on top at the end, who is going to advance to quarters, semis, whatever the stage will be.

It's nothing new for me. I think it motivates every player to work harder, to see every Grand Slam there's another opportunity for everyone in the draw. I think that shows it on paper, too. I think the ranking doesn't really matter that much any more because every player sees their own chances, keeps working harder and harder, so it opens up more.

Q. The forehand on the run you hit in the second set to make it 5-2, that said everything about your improvement on the surface?
JULIA GOERGES: No, I would say more about my physically department, like how I developed body-wise, fitness-wise as well. The way I'm moving on grass definitely changed a bit in the last years, helped me improving my game as well, the way I want to play on grass. I've been always told that I'm a good grass court player. I didn't really believe it up till last year probably.

Also the way we are working off court, I think it shows. That particular ball you're talking about shows that it's working, that I'm able to do different stuff, as well, on grass court, yeah.

Q. Even if you just say it opens up tournaments, never as much as this tournament. 10 top seeds all out. Is there any of the eight players who are in the quarterfinals that surprises you? Camila Giorgi, she has the worst ranking of them all at 52.
JULIA GOERGES: I think she's probably the last one who is really surprising me here. I think she came already to fourth round here.

Q. Six years ago.
JULIA GOERGES: So I think every single person deserve that spot here. It's not really surprising me, honestly, because everybody can play pretty good tennis. It's not for me, if you say 'upset', maybe it's upset on paper, but it's not surprising me that everybody can play great tennis. For me it's not actual -- maybe on the paper it's surprising that none of the top 10 seeds are left in the draw.

Honestly for me when I play those girls, doesn't matter if it's top 10 or maybe the girls who are now in the quarterfinal, it's not a surprise for me. I can feel the ball. I can feel the game when I'm playing them. For me, everybody is dangerous. Doesn't matter which round it is, which ranking they have, how far they go in a tournament.

Q. A coincidence all together at the same time.
JULIA GOERGES: It can happen. We can see it. But it's not a surprise for me, no.

Q. You next play Kiki Bertens. You played her on clay. What are your thoughts about the matchup between you, your styles of play, how it might be on grass?
JULIA GOERGES: Well, it's a completely different story on grass than on clay. We know each other pretty well. We played some doubles together. We go for dinner sometimes, as well. We know each other not only on court, but off court as well.

I think it's a great opportunity for both of us. It's already a great tournament for both of us, coming that far probably with the record we've had here.

Well, I just try to focus on my game. I think that's pretty important, to really know what I want to play tomorrow, how aggressive I want to be, and also how to control my balls, not being too aggressive, but also not too passive, because she's also a great player in dictating the game, creating opportunities on court and angles.

For me it's important for me to set up the tactics with my team, being aggressive, and trying to dominate the game.

Q. What is your friendship like?
JULIA GOERGES: It will stay the same after the match as it did the last two times too, at the same time we played doubles.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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