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WUHAN OPEN

September 23, 2018

Caroline Garcia

Wuhan, Hubei, China

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to come back as a defending champion?
CAROLINE GARCIA: It's only couple of hours I'm here. Yeah, of course it feels great. I have some great memories from last year, but it doesn't really feel like 12 months ago, you know. Everything goes so fast in one way. In another way, I felt I had a lot of experience this year, not always positive, but it was a lot of experience I've played and lived on court.

It felt like when I'm at the restaurant here and everything, I felt like it was, I don't know, only weeks ago. So it's very nice.

I had a very warm welcome when I got at the airport and at the hotel. It was definitely nice to come back as a defending champion.

Q. How much of a game changer did you feel the couple of weeks in Asia last year were for you? Did they not carry the same weight? In your mind, how big was it for you?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I think it was definitely big, but it's not like huge and, like, I have played amazing for a couple of weeks. I have been struggling my way to the final in Wuhan, the final against Ashleigh was such a drama. In Beijing, it was a fight. It was not like I was killing everyone 2-2 every day.

It was, of course, very important. But it was not like I was playing on the cloud or everything. It was important because it gave me confidence, because I achieve some part of my goals, because I made top 10, I made Singapore. I won titles. No one is going to take it away from me.

It was not like, wow, you know. Of course, it was really nice. I'm happy to do it again every single year. But it's not, like, I don't know...

Q. Talk about the last 12 months. You said it went by very quickly, some highs, some lows. Can you talk through a little bit the highs and lows? What has been the story of the last 12 months for you?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I can talk a little bit about it, but my season is not over yet. The end of last year's season was very intense. After everyone got very excited about it, so it was a lot of new things for me when I started the year in January, in Australian Open. I was not feeling comfortable at the beginning.

I got some experience about more outside things you have to manage and everything. When you reach the very top of your sport, what you are doing, it's not always very comfortable at the beginning. You need time to adjust. Maybe took me some time, maybe too long, I don't know. It's still a great experience.

For now, I have played solid. It's no great performance so far. Like the race, I'm 17, that's probably the rank I have played this year so far. Can I play better? Yes. But it's an adventure and you have to go your way.

Q. What are the mental and physical challenges of this part of the season, because obviously a lot goes into the stretch for the US Open, what is it like to get yourself pumped up again after the US Open just from a physical perspective and mental perspective?
CAROLINE GARCIA: You know, I think physically we are all very fit athletes, we are able to do it. After US Open there is a very small break. Depends of some players, but some take a break, some go practice. It depends when do you start in Asia.

But I think we are all fit and we all can do it. In Wuhan, the condition can be very humid, so it can be tough. These two tournaments, Beijing and Wuhan, are very difficult physically because there's, like, lot of matches in very few days. It's almost like a slam, but in one week.

You have to be ready and to fight your way until the end. You know, mentally it's the last goal of the season, and you can reach some great goals. So I think if you don't have motivation here, you will never have it.

Q. What do you make of Naomi Osaka's win, also making the final in Tokyo?
CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, it was a great performance for her, for all the tournaments. Like, she killed everyone. I didn't last year, but she did. It was very impressive matches. Two sets, 2-2, 0-0, 1-1. Against Sabalenka was a fight. I didn't really see her match and her performance on TV or anything, so I don't know how she played, but I can only imagine.

You know, it's always funny to see her at the trophy ceremony. Most of the time I look like overexcited, over the moon. She's like, It's okay (laughter). It's her personality. She's like this. I'm sure inside it was different.

But she still carry on and playing great tennis in Tokyo. I think if she's doing what she's doing, that's means she work out for it and she deserve it, so it's great.

Q. Do you get the sense that the locker room knows her, Naomi? She's a bit of a shy personality. I don't know if she talks to anybody or a lot of people. It seems like when I talk to other players about her, a lot of what you know is based off of watching her play her matches or following her on social media. Is she a mystery at all?
CAROLINE GARCIA: I think we are all different in a way. She's, of course, different. She looks shy, but I don't know if she is really shy. She just don't talk much. It's her way to do her things. I totally respect it.

She's nice. She can be friendly if she want, I guess. She just a little bit shy. Of course, we all know her even before she won US Open. She had a good year so far.

Everyone knows everyone anyway, so...

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