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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2019

Garbine Muguruza

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

G. MUGURUZA/S. Zheng

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That seemed a pretty comprehensive win. How happy were you with how you played?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Very happy. It's never easy first rounds. I didn't know a lot of my opponent, because this is the first time we played each other.

Happy because I want to play as many matches as possible, so it's good.

Q. You play Johanna Konta in the next round. She's someone you have struggled against in the past, although you haven't played for about four years, to be fair. One of those matches was a very, very long US Open defeat. Do you have any memories from that match and from your rivalry, in general?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I remember that match. It was a tough match. Good match, as well. Is a tough second round, because she can play very well.

I'm looking forward to play. I think it's going to be a great match of second round.

Q. What's been the leadup like for you to this tournament? I know you were ill a little bit. Were you able to get over that fairly quickly and get back to 100% on the practice court, or did it linger a little bit?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I struggled a little bit in Sydney. I don't know what I ate. Something wrong or something like that.

No, it took me a couple of days to feel better. Luckily I had an extra day starting on Tuesday, so I felt much better to play here.

Q. Before this match, what was the nerves level like? Opponent you hadn't faced before. Maybe not a lot of matches before this tournament, as well. So how much better do you feel now?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: No, I feel good. Is never easy to start a Grand Slam, playing somebody you don't know. But, yeah, I didn't have a lot of expectation. I wasn't very nervous. Just happy to be playing, to feel good, to feel better, compared to last week. That's pretty much it.

Q. Obviously after Jo, after that run at the US Open that Jo had, she kind of soared up in the rankings and kind of back down again. Are you surprised to see her where she is now? Do you feel like on her best day she's a better player than where she is at?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I remember she was playing very well at that time and then she started to play much better. No, I'm not surprised. I think people that have an aggressive game, they have good moments and not as good moments. I think that the ones that play well can always play well. It's just that they take more risk.

No, I'm not surprised. It's just tennis is like that.

Q. Do you see your own kind of rankings similarly then in the sense you are both aggressive players and you have maybe kind of struggled a bit last year?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I think we both have an aggressive game.

I don't know where she is at or her ranking and stuff, but I know it's not easy. It's tough. So the moment you don't play extremely well, for sure, you're out of the top level.

Q. What's your Grand Slam mode like? Some people go on lockdown, you know, when the tournament starts, no social media, don't go out, very contained. Some people do it regular. What's your kind of Grand Slam mode? Is it different from slam to slam?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: So far, nothing different than from the previous tournaments.

Yeah, well, social media, try to stay a little bit away from that also, because I don't want to know a little bit draw or just none of that, so I just try to avoid that.

No, nothing to mention.

Q. You have kind of throughout your career, you have managed or usually managed to peak for the slams. Do you feel like however things have gone in the buildup that when you get here and you start playing matches that you will be able to turn it on and find your best?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I never know that. I know that I love playing in the bigger courts, bigger tournaments. I think I need to play a lot of matches. I think I come from a far place, so I think I need to leave from here having tough matches, I think that would be great.

Q. Are you the type of player that likes to practice? Do you enjoy practicing with other players? And if you do, do you have like specific players that you like to kind of practice with?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, for sure. I think everybody -- I have players that I love to practice with also because their style is good to practice, because I get along with them, as well.

Yeah, sometimes I have a hitting partner, sometimes a player, sometimes my coach. It's really depending on the moment. Yeah, there are several players and styles that you like to practice with.

Q. What is the thing that you look for the most? Or I guess what do you like the most when you pick certain players? Some players like the consistency, some players like they want to play against power. Some people just like the vibe, I want to practice with my friend. What's the most important thing to you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: To be serious in the practice, I would say. To be hard work and to go to practice and be, yeah, I think nothing really special. Everybody does that a little bit.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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