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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2019

Marketa Vondrousova

Paris, France

M. VONDROUSOVA/P. Martic

7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. Can you describe your state of mind? Best result in Grand Slam?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I mean, it's not happening every day, right? I'm just really happy with my game. And it was very tough match for me. I beat her for my first time in my life, so it's amazing.

Q. You were down triple set point in the first set and it was kind of insane to watch you.
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I know (smiling).

Q. So how did it feel and how did you do that?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I wasn't thinking, like, I'm down three set points. I just tried to focus on my game and play it point by point.

Yeah, it was great.

Q. When you're in that situation and you're down and you're trying to push yourself, because you elevated your game quite a bit from there, what did you think you were doing differently from that point on that you weren't doing before?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I don't know. I just wanted to play more aggressive. Because she's a great player and you have to play aggressive to, like, win the point. I think that was the key in the first set.

Q. What was better, making it to a semifinal or finally beating Martic?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Both (laughter).

No, it's very good I beat her in this tournament. I mean, I was waiting for this to happen, like, five matches, so it's great it happened here.

Q. What were you thinking as it got close? You were 5-2 in the second, you had the double fault on one of the match points. What was going through your mind as it started getting interesting again?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I was close, and I had 5-2 and match point. But I think she played some amazing points. I was trying to play, like, my game and stay focused on every point. And, yeah, I'm just happy I did it.

Q. I think you made your Grand Slam debut here in 2017.
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah.

Q. The year Jelena Ostapenko did her storming round to the final as a teenager. Were you inspired by that at the time?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, she did amazing thing. She was the same age as me.

I mean, it's very tough to, like, win those matches and, like, win seven matches in a row. I mean, it's like a dream now, and I'm just very happy.

Q. You've got Johanna Konta next. What do you know of her? Are you quite close friends on the tour?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I played with her twice. I won one time and I lost in Rome, like, three weeks ago.

So, I mean, she has great form and it's going to be tough match, but we'll see.

Q. Do you think you can beat her?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I hope so.

Q. Will your inexperience be a factor? Because she's obviously been at this stage now three times in the semifinal.
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I know. In semifinals I think anything can happen. I think it's going to be very tough and great match, and I just can't wait to play.

Q. What do you need to do differently to what you did against her in Rome?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I think play better (laughter).

No, I mean, yeah, we'll see how it goes, but I'll prepare for it, and I hope I can play great match.

Q. Have you always played on clay when you were growing up in the Czech Republic? You played on clay?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I grew up on clay. I played since I was, like, four years old on clay.

Q. And it feels natural to you playing on clay?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, for sure.

Q. When you say that I just want to play my game, I just need to focus on playing my game, what is your game? Like, when you're playing well, when you're playing in a way that makes you happy, what are you doing well?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Play drop shots.

Q. We know that.
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I know.

No, I'm just trying to play aggressive and maybe, like, mix the points, and I just want to serve well and move well. Yeah, I think all of this is my game.

Q. When you were younger and you were just starting to play tennis and you had the coaching in Czech Republic and stuff, how did you think that your game developed? Because we see Petra and we see Karolina, they hit big balls, bang-bang, tennis. And you see Strycova and Safarova maybe play a little more variety. How did you settle on your brand of tennis?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I had one coach in the city when I was born, and he played this kind of stuff, drop shots and stuff, so I maybe learned it from him. I just like this game. It's very fun for me, and I'm just very enjoying it.

Q. I wanted to ask you about your visor, because you bend the cap a lot. We see that in baseball in the U.S. but maybe not so much in tennis. Curious how you started doing that?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I don't know. I'm doing it since I was a kid. It's my thing.

Q. Does it just not feel comfortable if the hat is flat?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: No, I don't like it.

Q. Have you ever had a time where you knocked the visor off with your racquet before?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I think it was the first time, yeah.

Q. When you were younger, which players were your idols? Who did you want to be like?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I remember watching Petra when she won the first time in Wimbledon. That, and then I like Kim Clijsters, and, yeah, that was it.

Q. When did you realize that you're a good player?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I don't know. Maybe now (smiling).

I don't know. Yeah, it's kind of tough to say, but, I mean, I make my first semifinals in Grand Slams, so maybe this is the time.

Q. Czech women's tennis has been so successful. Has that kind of been important? Does that make you believe, you know, why can't I do it if all these other girls are doing it?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I mean, we have, like, so many Czech players, especially girls.

It's nice looking up when I was a kid, and, yeah, I was enjoying watching Czech tennis and Fed Cup. It's, yeah, it's cool.

Q. I know you're good friends with CiCi, and you had some injury problems last year, and she's having injury problems this year. You have your tattoo on your arm. Is that all related to the problems, you know, just kind of -- because we expected this from you probably like a year ago, and injuries kind of got in the way, but can you just talk about all of that?
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, it's tough when you have injuries and you have to play, like, good and everything is not good. I was, like, last year was really tough for me because I have injuries. I couldn't play my best tennis.

But I think everyone is better now, and so I'm just really happy. I'm talking with CiCi, like, very often, so, yeah.

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