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ROGERS CUP

August 8, 2018

Elina Svitolina

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

E. SVITOLINA/M. Buzarnescu

6-3, 6-7, 4-3 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What were your thoughts at the end of the match? Did you get a chance to speak to Mihaela at all during the injury timeout?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it's really, really tough to see. Of course, for her to experience this. I could see straightaway it was really, really serious injury there. I was really shocked. She was in pain. I could see straightaway. Yeah, I was really, really shock. I didn't really know what to do.

I tried to help her, you know, to calm her down a bit. It's terrible to see players getting injured that bad on court. It's always, yeah, really tough.

Q. Is that the worst injury you've seen on a court?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, definitely, it's the worst that I played, that I had in my career definitely. Yeah, it was terrible. The ankle start getting bigger and bigger in, like, seconds. The color of it was just...

I feel really bad for her. Hopefully she recovers quickly and comes back soon.

Q. Was it slippery or raining at that time?
ELINA SVITOLINA: It start raining little bit. I think in that game it was all right. I don't think it was that issue because she twisted her ankle. She didn't slip, you know. That's what I saw. Obviously, you know, I was watching the ball. I saw that she twisted ankle, then she probably stepped on it. I'm not sure it was about the court being wet.

Q. As soon as she got injured, you went to see her. Is that the first time you had to do something like that?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, as I said, it's the first time it was that bad. I could see straightaway that it was really bad. You could see. There was blood, as well, little bit. That's why I saw straightaway that it's really, really serious. There is nothing we could do, me or chair umpire.

I thought it took ages, you know, for people to arrive. The ankle was getting bigger and bigger, like, each second. It's tough to see. It's tough to experience for her definitely. It's, like, the worst probably feeling for any athlete to get injured that bad.

Q. Was it too long before the medical staff arrived on court? It was five minutes, I think.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I mean, for physios it's tough to arrive quicker. But I think in general we should have few people who are medically trained all the time on court because me or chair umpire, we don't know what to do in these kind of situations when the injuries are really serious like that. When there is blood, as well... I have goosebumps. I mean, I don't know. Maybe we have to take courses or something to help this kind of situation.

For example, what if someone gets a heart attack? You need to act in the next minute, not like it was five, six minutes it took them to get there.

Q. There were no medical staff on court or physio on court at that time.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Physio, they're staying in this building, then they go. There should be, like, the person medically trained sitting in the crowd watching. As I said, what if is there a heart attack or something that you have to act in the next minute? Then it's too late. It's very dangerous for players, as well.

I mean, we are playing under such a big pressure all the time, conditions as well. If it's really, really hot, the heat, you never know what's going to happen. I think we have to improve this.

Q. You said there was blood. On the ankle or on the court?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, yeah, I think I saw -- I don't know when she fall down, she scratched on the surface or what exactly happened. But there was, yeah. That's why I was shocked. I didn't know what to do because she was in tears. Yeah, such a big pain.

Q. Aside from the injury, it seemed like you were finding your game in the third set, won four straight games. How did you feel you played? What did you make of the match?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I think it was really good match. She was playing really good. From the beginning, I was putting more pressure. That's why I think I won the first set. We were playing really good level.

It was a good match in general. I think the level was there. That's what I been looking for for my first match. Obviously it's tough because she was on a roll. She won the tournament last week, was playing great tennis.

It's tough to win the match that way, but I think first and second sets were pretty good level.

Q. Playing someone who had beaten you twice in the last couple of weeks, does that add any mental aspect to it? How were you preparing this match?
ELINA SVITOLINA: It was actually quite interesting because we played on grass, we played on clay, and here. I think, you know, I took this challenge. I have to step on court and be ready for her game, do something different. That's why it makes it interesting to see.

I think first set was pretty good. I little bit lost my way in the tiebreak when I was leading. In the end, it's like this. She was quite confident, that's why she went more for her shots and got rewarded. I definitely going to learn something from this and try to play better next match.

Q. When she called the ref to come and test the court for the rain, did it cross your mind maybe play should be stopped, there's a chance you might get injured?
ELINA SVITOLINA: It didn't look that -- there were some drops. Because here is quite humid, the court dries very, very quickly. We already played four points in this game. It was all right, I think. The injury was not this. It was not that she slipped on the court.

It was fine. The court I thought was okay because we had quite few long rallies early in this game, and I didn't feel like it's dangerous.

Q. Up next will be either Azarenka or Konta. Your thoughts on that match?
ELINA SVITOLINA: It's interesting match. I think I'm going to have a look maybe a few games to see. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to play either them. Yeah, we'll see. Just going to try to prepare, be ready for the game.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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