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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 31, 2020

Conchita Martinez

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Coaching a player to a Grand Slam final, getting into the Hall of Fame, probably a decent week for you.
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yes, so far so good. I can't complain. I can't complain.

Happy with the way things are going, yeah.

Q. What have you been most pleased with, happy about, with Garbine's matches so far?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, she's playing really good. She's played two different kinds of players. She has adjusted well to both types of plays. Sometimes you have to be really, really aggressive. Sometimes some people were also aggressive, so she had to hold back a little bit and then try to be aggressive herself.

Her movement has been good. She's just played very well tennis, very good tennis, these couple of weeks. Hopefully no exception tomorrow and she can play loose and let her tennis speak.

Q. What is clicking for her to be able to play her best tennis? How can you tell? What do you think needs to happen for her to produce this tennis?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I looked at her strokes, the way she's moving. I just can see it, how the ball comes out of her racquet, how she's moving, how she's getting to the ball.

When she's getting well, fast to the ball, everything looks good, that's when she's playing her best tennis. There's no secret.

There is a lot of work behind this preparation for this tournament, for the beginning of the season. We had a great pre-season. We work a lot of aspects of her tennis, her fitness, everything.

I think it's looking sharp.

Q. We see Garbine, especially in the Halep match, but throughout the two weeks, she's been more emotionally demonstrative, more open on the court than maybe in the last couple years. Is that something you've discussed with her?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, it helps. It helps if you winning points, no? You can get a positive emotion.

I think it goes with how she's playing. I mean, she's playing well. She's winning a lot of good points. Even with Halep, the points were getting long, she had the patience, enough patience to be aggressive again and finish the point.

Of course, if you're winning some of those points, you're going -- I don't know how you say in English. You're going to celebrate (smiling).

Q. A gender question.
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: With?

Q. A question about gender. I counted seven women in the draw who have female coaches. It's going up. It's still quite small. How do you think attitudes are changing, or are they still quite conservative on this?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I think it's great to see women coaches coach. Not necessarily has to be the women side. A tennis coach is a tennis coach. Both are valid. There are great men, there are great women coaches. Like I said, tennis is tennis. You can coach anybody.

For me it's great to see more womens on the circuit. I'm happy about it. Hopefully they get more chances.

Q. Do you think there's still a bit of a long way to go?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I think it's getting better. But, of course, you said it yourself, no, there is a big gap there. It's up to -- I don't know. It comes with the players themselves, agents. If you give women opportunity, I think we can do a good job, no?

Q. When you returned to working with Garbine, what was maybe the most important thing you thought you could help her with to make an improvement?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: It's not only one thing. Like I said, we met, we started working like a normal pre-season, like I would with anybody. We had the time to do so. It was a new beginning. It was a new year. Everybody starts from zero.

You got to forget the previous years. If you have good work behind you, you going to trust yourself better. So that's what we did. It was a combination of things. It's not only one thing. We worked everything at the right moment.

At the beginning she needed more fitness. We did more fitness. Progressively we changed a few things. I know her well, so I know what I want to work with her. She was open. No complaints. She's been working hard, so...

Q. Climbing a mountain is not something many tennis players do. As a coach, what did you make of her decision to do that? What did you see after how this adventure affected her?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, she was already doing that before. I think the mental part, you have to stay very tough. I don't know because I haven't done it.

Her stories, it's super cold where you can barely rest and you have to continue walking, where you had to overcome, I don't know, your fears and also be strong to continue. I think that gives you something mentally, that's for sure.

I think she felt great about doing that. Not maybe everybody can reach the, how do you say?

Q. Summit.
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: The summit, yeah. She was stubborn enough to get there and she did it. I think that gives you something on the court where you might see something that is impossible, but everything is possible if you have the right mentality. She has the right mentality.

Q. In terms of her focus, she seemed very determined. After she beat Halep, she didn't smile much. She seems on a mission here almost like no one else at this tournament. Do you feel the same way? She's not settling for anything less than a trophy here?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I think she has the right attitude at the moment. She's very focused. I seen this look before when she's been playing really good tennis. I like how focus she is, how she's doing everything right to put herself in a good situation, to do well, to play well.

There is no guarantees that you're going to win because the other players are very good. I think tennis is improving. It's really tough out there. A lot of competition.

I feel like she has the right mindset to work and to try to, of course, win every match that she plays. Hopefully tomorrow is not going to be an exception. Like I said, there's no guarantees. There are very good players out there.

Q. What have you seen from Sofia Kenin maybe over time? I don't know how much you've seen of her matches here, but I'm wondering what impression she's made on you? What do you consider her strengths and the key for Garbine to handle that?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I mean, she's a very good player. She's young. She's improving. I've been seeing her when I was working with Pliskova. I think she played her at the US Open 2018. Last year I think she played her three times. I was with her a couple of times.

She is a great player, very good fighter. She strikes the ball good. She is aggressive. So, I mean, the key is going to be to stay with her, to stay aggressive, try to be the one in command. It's not going to be easy, but hopefully she can do it.

She's definitely improving. I mean, you can see over the time where she is. Like I said, it's not a one-time shot. A lot of work behind. She's doing good.

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