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ROLAND GARROS

June 2, 2019

Sloane Stephens

Paris, France

S. STEPHENS/G. Muguruza

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It felt from afar like the scoreline didn't really reflect the intensity of that match. Can you elaborate on that?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I thought it was a good match. I thought we both played really well. It was very competitive.

I think she's been playing some good tennis, and I think so have I. So it was kind of just a little battle, but obviously the score sometimes doesn't reflect what was actually happening out there.

Q. Do you feel that she got off to a bit of a flying start? She seemed to come out of the gates a little bit quicker. Was it taking you a bit of time to adjust?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I mean, that's just the way she plays. She's a very aggressive player. She always hits her shots.

And I think for me, I take a bit to adjust. So I knew I just had to stay in there and hang in there and eventually my balls would start dropping and I would be able to control the court a little bit better, and that's exactly what I did.

Q. It seemed like you were playing a bit more of an aggressive game today. Just from a game plan perspective, was that accurate? And why did you feel like you needed to kind of maybe take more initiative?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, obviously clay is very neutral. She plays really well on this surface. And obviously since she is such an intense and aggressive player, you kind of have to match her energy.

And I think you can't get passive when you're playing her, so I knew from the very first point I was going to have to step it up and hit my shots. And that's what I did was try to match her the whole way through.

Q. Following up from last time, what didn't you understand about the seedings?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Oh, so I guess I got the rounds wrong. Like, I thought if you were seeded one through 8, you didn't play a seed that was 9 through 15 until -- I didn't know what round that was, so I was just really confused about what was happening.

Q. I don't think she's 9 through 16.
SLOANE STEPHENS: No, no, no. But Svitolina was. So I didn't realize -- I was like, Wait, that's kind of weird.

Q. You're a 5 through 8, so you play a 9 through 12.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I'm a what? (Laughing.)

Q. You're a 5 through 8 seed. You're 7; right?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I don't know.

Q. I think 7.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Okay. So I'm a 5 through 8. So I play a what?

Q. A 9 through 12 in the third round.
SLOANE STEPHENS: 9 through 12. So that was Svitolina. And then what was Mugu?

Q. 19.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Okay. So if you're outside of the top 8, you play a seed in the third round? Like, a lower seed?

Q. If you're -- it's more complicated than that.
SLOANE STEPHENS: See, I told you. (Smiling.)

Q. I'm not sure how much you know.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I mean, for whatever reason, I had that in my head. It's not like the seeds ever hold up at a Slam, so it's totally irrelevant. But I was just very confused by that.

Q. Your next seed is Konta, who is 20-something. Thoughts on her?
SLOANE STEPHENS: She's been playing well, and she's been playing much better on the clay. Obviously she didn't have her best results on clay before, and now she's playing really well on the surface.

So like I said, clay is a neutralizer, so I think it will be another good match. I lost to her in Rome. Really tough day, like, rain and -- just putting that behind me.

And, yeah, just going to go out and hopefully play another good, solid match. Obviously in a Grand Slam, playing for a semifinal there's a lot on the line.

So you just got to go out and play your best and, yeah, just execute a good game plan.

Q. There aren't any other Grand Slam finalists on your side of the draw now. But the fact that Konta beat you twice recently this year, does that play on your mind at all?
SLOANE STEPHENS: No. I think -- like I said, my season started in Charleston and -- the first match. And when I played her the first match of the year, totally out of my mind. And then the one in Rome, bad circumstances. Out of the mind.

So I'm just going to go in with a clean slate. Really, like I said, we play a sport, so you never know what's going to happen on the day. So just put all of that out of my mind and just go and play a quarterfinals Grand Slam match like I know how to.

Q. What makes Jo tough to play?
SLOANE STEPHENS: She has a good, all-around solid game. I mean, obviously she's been at the top of the game before, so she knows how to play in key moments. So, yeah, she has a good, solid game.

Q. So playing on clay, do you think that puts it in your favor or hers?
SLOANE STEPHENS: No. Clay is a neutralizer. It's good for everybody. Like I said, she's improved her results on clay, so she obviously is feeling good on the surface. So like I said, it's definitely a neutralizer.

A quarterfinal of a Grand Slam is definitely a neutralizer. There's a lot of factors that go into that.

So, yeah, like I said, just going to go out and execute, and I'm sure she'll do the same, and we'll have a good match.

Q. You just said you have to match her energy. Generally, is that an easy thing to do?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I think Mugu is one of the most intense players out on tour. She has a lot of, like, good, strong energy. You can feel it from the other side of the court.

And I think sometimes if you get too passive, that kind of takes over you and your game, like, what you're trying to do.

So like I said, you just have to match that. You have to stay intense. You have to move your feet. You got to do all the things that you know how to do to combat that energy.

Q. Going back to seedings, you and Simona Halep are the best seeded players in the draw at the moment. Are you looked forward for a rematch in the final.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Oh, honey, we have a long ways to go until we get there. So we're going to focus on Jo Konta on Tuesday. And then, if we get to that point, we can talk about it then.

Q. You said and repeatedly said that your season starts in Charleston, that that's kind of where everything started to kind of slowly gel together for you. So with this result into the quarterfinals of the French again, does this feel like on track? Does this feel sooner than you expected, especially bringing in Sven a little bit later than Charleston?
SLOANE STEPHENS: No, I think I just needed a coach to get some support. And I think I had a lot of stuff going on at the beginning of the year.

And like I said, this sport is very emotional and there's a lot of ups and downs, and it's about finding the right balance. I think everybody knows I needed a coach. I was kind of all over the place.

So when I said after Miami, All right, I'm going to get it together, I got it together. I got a coach, found someone. Had some really good matches at Fed Cup.

Like, I just decided, like, this is going in the right direction. Like, it's going to be positive and whatever happens after this is going to be good, and that's just the end of that. There's going to be no more questions asked.

I just really haven't looked back since.

Q. There is a bit of rain in the forecast for this coming week. And you all play in more rain on clay than you would on other surfaces. How distracting can that be? Do you make a point of practicing in it when you can just to get used to it?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I think it's just kind of it is what it is. Here they play more through rain than I think obviously in the other clay court tournament or whatever.

But, yeah, I mean, it's not really something you think about because when you start thinking about it too much it gets into your head. You have to remember the conditions are the same for you and your opponent. So you just kind of got to go with that.

Q. When you talked about Muguruza's positive energy you sort of stiffened up and got better posture suddenly. I'm curious how much importance you put on having positive body language and expression for yourself now? Is that something that you have at all thought about?
SLOANE STEPHENS: No. I think generally I'm just very calm. Everyone has different body types and emotions and whatever you may call it. But I'm very calm. She's very positive and upright. She has, like, great posture. I don't know how.

But, yeah, everybody is just different, and that's just kind of how she carries herself. But if you look at all of the players, everyone has something that's, like, different about them.

But, yeah, that's definitely one of her better qualities.

Q. Sonya Kenin beat Serena yesterday and the crowd booed her the whole time and she just kind of fought back and won against them. Have you ever been booed and would you be someone, if you have or if you would, would you be someone who combats the crowd or what would you do?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I don't think I have ever been booed. I mean, I've been cheered against, which if you've ever played Simona Halep in any country near Romania then you know what that's like. But I have never been, like, legit booed.

I didn't even know she got booed. Well, I didn't see any of it, but I didn't know that she got booed. I think that's good on her that she was able to just kind of see through it. I would say that would be tough. Like, she's younger, so she probably hasn't experienced, like, that much -- you don't really experience booing.

So I don't how I would really handle that. But kind of just probably put it out of your mind? I have no idea. If that time ever comes, then I'll let you know.

Q. Your coach is Dutch and I'm from Dutch press so I just want to know how much you have learned about Holland and how Dutch he really is, Sven.
SLOANE STEPHENS: How Dutch? It's not like he's speaking Dutch to me (laughing). I don't know. I mean, like, I have known the guy for, like, a month.

I don't know. He actually speaks to my fiance in Dutch because he lived in Holland for a couple years. So when I was like, Oh, my coach, he's Dutch, whatever, he was, like, Oh, my God, I'm so excited, I'll be able to talk to him. I didn't even know that he spoke Dutch.

So, yeah, that's, like, the good thing about Sven. He's very Dutch. But he's, yeah, he's a good guy. I mean, so far so good.

I wouldn't say Dutch. I would just say very European, like European. (Smiling.)

Q. Sofia has repeatedly said how much you've helped her in Fed Cup play. What have you seen sort of out of her evolution through some really tough, tough losses and a really great win this spring?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I mean, like I said, positivity to the universe when she was about to play that match. I was, like, Pull it together. You're going to win. You're going to be fine. Like, Let's go, you got this. You have 15 people on the bench. We got your back. Don't worry about it.

And I think for her it's just she needed to get over that one little hump. Because she had lost all of her Fed Cup matches and, to be fair, like, in big moments where obviously that can bring your confidence level down. So I think for her, she just needed that one little thing to click, and I think she'll be fine. But she just needed a little extra push.

Q. Apart from having a document that explains the seedings for you, which I'll send you, when Sven came on board, was it structure that you were really looking for? What was it that you feel he added?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, structure, support. Obviously when you're traveling around the world, you need someone that's going to help you organize your day and your practice schedule and all that stuff. Like, I don't want to do any of that. So having him is a big plus because just someone who can actually do things, so that's very nice.

And, yeah, he's just on top of everything. He's making sure that things get done and I don't have any worries. The only thing that I'm responsible for is playing tennis and having a good attitude, and everything else he takes care of and just makes sure I'm happy.

Last night he brought me dates and almonds for my match today. I'm, like, God bless him. Like, it's a team effort.

So, yeah, it's very European. So, yeah, like I said, so far so good. And, yeah, he's making sure that things are taken care of.

Q. Given that you are playing a British player next, I just wondered has Jozy ever spoke to you about what it was like living in Britain? I think he played for Hull and Sunderland and did you ever go over to visit him there?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I never went over to visit him there but I actually, this is funny, like, two days I was, like, We should move to England. It's not going to happen but I did say that.

But, yeah, no, obviously Jozy has played soccer all over the world and he's played in every country imaginable, and he had nothing bad to say about England. So maybe one day we'll move back.

Q. (Off microphone.)
SLOANE STEPHENS: Why would I want to live there? Because it's London. I want to live places that I wouldn't normally live. Like, I would have never lived in Toronto if it wasn't for him.

Like, I don't know if there's any soccer -- don't get me started. I don't know. It's not going to happen, but it was a good idea for, like, two seconds.

Q. So what defines a European, then?
SLOANE STEPHENS: You know, we don't have time for that (smiling). We don't. We don't. (Laughter.)

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