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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

December 30, 2018

Daria Gavrilova

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Q. Daria, how has prep been? How are you feeling? How is the body and the mind heading into the new year?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, the prep is good. I started pretty early. And, yeah, I've been training in Melbourne, and did pretty much the same things all over again. But, yeah, it's nice to have that time to get ready and to fix a few things on court technically and get fitter.

Q. Daria, as the season ended last year and you kind of thought back on what that 10 months was like, what were the lessons that you took from it and that you're trying to apply going forward?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I think last year -- well, this year still -- was probably, yeah, the toughest season I've had. I was in probably the wrong head space really a little bit. I was not really enjoying tennis that much. Not even tennis. I was just a bit struggling on court just mentally, but I found my way back in probably Asia, started playing really well, and I changed the way I was looking at things. I was like, okay, I've gotta be more positive, and yeah, I mean I was really motivated, but I just didn't have the positive activity, I guess, and I think I'm now in a better space.

Q. What sort of changes did you make to change that head space?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I don't know. I just felt, okay, like you have to enjoy yourself more and not just be super negative, because I was just thinking that, hey, I'm not improving, I'm getting older, and although I thought that I was actually hitting the ball well, but I couldn't show it on court because I was just kind of different me, and played Serena in Cincinnati and I was really struggling. Was that Cincinnati? I think. I don't know.

Q. Yeah, it was.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I'm asking you, like if you're supposed to know that. (Laughs). But yeah, I was like how are you not enjoying playing Serena? Like this is just wrong. And then I went -- probably didn't have the best US Open, although I did get a 6-0, 6-0 win. But after I came back home, I just thought, okay, if that's the case, you're really -- like, you either make some changes and start focusing on the positives or just maybe have some time off. But and now I've found the motivation. It just clicked.

Q. Heading into the new season, are you confident that you can maintain positive head space throughout the whole season?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, I think so. And I'm really happy with my team, and yeah, I've got really good people around me. And, yeah, just I guess I have a clearer head.

Q. Is it just a case of putting too much pressure on yourself maybe?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, probably. Just without really realizing I was just like, I've gotta do this, I've gotta be better at that. And it just wasn't positive. Like I was just saying to myself, that, yeah, not that, hey, like you can improve every day. I was just like, no, that's not good enough, gotta get better.

Q. The beginning of the Australian summer, you've just been embracing the Melbourne crowd?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, I think it's a lot easier for me to be enjoying the atmosphere back home and knowing that probably a lot of people are there for me, supporting me makes things easier.

Q. Do you find -- because some players find home crowds can bring more pressure. Are you that way or the opposite way?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I just know that if I give my best, that's all the crowd wants, and I guess, yeah, I embrace it, and I feel like maybe some kids can relate to me. It's like, well, if Daria fails, I fail like her, but hopefully she can do really well.

Q. I guess here at Brisbane International, no Australian woman has ever won the Brisbane International or made the final. What would it mean I guess for you to try to be the first to do that?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: That would be pretty cool being the first at something. But, yeah, I just like winning a tournament is always an amazing feeling, fun experience. But, yeah, it's the best feeling thinking that, oh, my God, I've beaten all these players and I'm holding a title.

Q. Is it surprising to you that no Australian woman has been able to do that here in Brisbane?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, I actually was surprised, because, yeah, Alicia won Sydney. I thought for sure someone would have won, like even -- no one. Well, hopefully this year.

Q. So Daria, congratulations.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Thanks.

Q. On your personal news. Have you shown anyone?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: A few guys. I was like, hey. They're like, oh, nice watch! I'm like, no, what are you looking at? It's just boys.

Q. Were you surprised? You gotta tell the story now.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Oh, no. Yeah, I was pretty surprised. But -- well, I was like on him. I was like, come on. (Laughs). But every girl does it. I think -- I honestly think if girls had to propose, it would be so early. It's like two months in, let's get married. So I'm happy that it's the other way around. But, yeah, he proposed on the beach, and he was like you would have been obsessed about anything else, because if I was like dressed up -- we never dress up. He was like, if we were dressed up, you would be like waiting there in the restaurant or something. And then so it was on the beach, and it was meant to be a beach recovery, so we were like, we came from tennis. He was pissed off with me because I was -- I shouldn't say that. But I was doing Christmas shopping decorations, and I took forever, and he already had the reservation. He was like confident that I was going to say yes, reservation at the restaurant. And so we get to the beach and he was like can't find a park. I'm like, come on. Hurry up.

But he wanted to find a park near the pier and propose there. And that didn't happen. I was just like park here, this is fine, we'll walk. So we went down to the beach. And there were so many people, and it was like, oh, God. And then he -- I'm like taking my tights off because we're about to get in the water. And he's like, there's too many people. And I'm just like, what are you talking about? Like let's get it over with. I don't want to sit in the cold water for that long. And then I see the box, and he's like, I've got a question to ask, and then he proposed. But he didn't get down on his knee. But he asked. He was like, can I not get down on my knee? I was like, fine. Sure. Because we were like, I didn't want it to be like a big thing. So that's good. Because before that he was joking, he was like, I'm going to get a band and hidden cameras. I'm like, if you do that, I'll say no. (Laughs).

Q. Sounds like you'll be taking him planning for the wedding then.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I don't want to do any planning. I just want like a big party. That's all. Like I don't care what flowers I have. Just like maybe I'll pick my dress. I'll make this effort. Oh, my God! This story! I embarrassed him! Should have made something up.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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