WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 23, 2020

Caroline Garcia

Press Conference

C. GARCIA/S. Stephens

6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How did you feel out there? It's obviously been many months since you played. How did it feel on the court?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Actually, I felt pretty good. I'm very happy the way I was playing and especially moving on court.

Of course there is a lot of new rules, and I didn't know what to expect because it was my first tournament back. But I think for many of us it's the first tournament, as well, so it's pretty new for everyone.

We practiced for a long time now, so the most important is to be back to the competition and maybe to allow yourself that you need time. Of course if you can get the opportunity and play great tennis right away, you take it. If not, you have to allow yourself to come back and put your game together, especially mentally.

Q. I think you spent time practicing at Rafa's academy?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yes, I did.

Q. Can you just talk us through the last five months? How much training did you do? When did you start training and everything?

CAROLINE GARCIA: It's been some five months, a little bit more for me. So, I mean, there is two months I was back in Spain close to the academy, because the last minute we were going to take a flight to go back home to France because the academy was closing. And the last minute, they told us the academy would be able to stay open and you can have a chance to practice.

Okay, we stay here. They gave us an apartment to stay in and everything. But at the end, nothing open. So we just got stuck for two months.

But we were pretty happy, because I had a few (indiscernible) the academy gave me so I could do things. It was pretty safe over there. The rules were very strict. It was very few cases. So we were, together with my parents, and it was pretty fine.

And then when things open, I stay one month at the academy to practice. I took things pretty slowly because my body was not reacting very well, so I had a few kind of injuries and pains, so it was very difficult to know what we can do, and then I went back to France because I had a foot injury and I wanted to treat over there.

We decided to play one day every two days. So it was kind of very different than what we can expect, but actually, every time I was stepping on court I was very motivated and fresh mentally to play, so it was every time very good intensity.

The last two weeks before coming here, we went back to the academy to play with different players, and it was the first time I was playing on hard court and first time I was playing every day. Actually, I was very surprised that I was okay physically and I could hold on to the intensity.

So it was great experience, actually. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box.

Q. Just talking about today's match against Sloane, what was the key? How pleased were you with how you played, and where did you feel the rust, if you felt any at all?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I think probably mentally you have to be focused on every single point. It's something I have been struggling in the past months before everything, so it's not something very new for me. I know it's something I can improve on and it can help me a lot to get some wins.

So it's something I have to keep working on it. Physically I feel good. I think the fitness we did really paid off and is going to pay off.

Yeah, I think, you know, it was good to -- because you train, you play with guys, and it's always different when you go back and play with girls and everything.

So the last few days I played a few points with girls and I felt good on court. I think I can do things. I'm very happy to be back and see how my game goes and just be focused on the game and on the form.

Q. It's not easy to draw Sloane as your first match back in competition. I know she maybe isn't in her best of forms, but we know that she can play very well on any given day. So what was your reaction when you saw that draw? How did you kind of mentally prepare to play her?

CAROLINE GARCIA: You know, I was expecting a tough draw. Because when you see the draw, the girls in qualifying, it was kind of amazing. You're like, Okay, if I'm not seeded I'm going to play a good girl. Even if she's not seeded, there is only good girls.

It's the first tournament kind of back for everyone, so you can expect maybe someone that's worked very hard because they have been feeling great, and some have been injured so they didn't practice. Some have lost the confidence.

You know, there is a lot of scenario what happen for everybody. So everything is mixed up. And of course there is some girls who are supposed to be better, but it's tennis so you don't know.

Q. Because of the way that your last five or six months went where you had a little bit of injury here and there and you had some uncertainty as to training and things, do you come back mentally fresh, physically fresh? Or because you had to deal with all of that uncertainty, maybe not as fresh as you would have liked?

CAROLINE GARCIA: You know, also what it was difficult, it was very long and you didn't know how long you are going to train. Normally we have one month off and training and we are done.

Now it was like one month after another. So it was long and long. And I think with the team, we did very good job to manage it to keep me fresh and wanting to train and be able to manage sometimes few days' rest, and sometimes you have to accept that you take few days, and then when you go back, you will feel better and you can train better.

So it's a lot of things I think we were able to learn, and I think it can be useful for the future. So of course with the injury, and sometimes I was not -- I didn't know where I was stepping literally, but the few last days and weeks gave me confidence, for sure.

Q. You mentioned there are some rules you're not aware of. There is obviously a lot of changes. Zero fans around. What has been, for you, the most surprising part? And what has been the toughest thing to adjust to so far?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I think it's mixed a little bit of everything, you know. I mean, it's kind of stupid, but, you know, you have some habits on court and you're not used to go back to grab your towel. And every time I was forgetting, so I was going back.

You know, I think some things can be very good for the future, as well. Inside the organization with the physio, I think there is a lot of things we can keep going.

But I don't see a big thing, like, it will go through my mind, but there is a lot of multiple things.

Q. Azarenka, your next match. You had Sloane and now you have Vika, kind of not the normal first two rounds of any tournament. Is that, in a way, good for you? Because there is very little time before the US Open, anyway.

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, and anyway, I'm here to go back to the competition. I'm here to play matches. When you play a big player, top player, even if they are maybe in the ranking anymore not top player, it's good matches. And they are the matches I want to play, the matches I train for.

So I'm really excited to play these ones. And I will learn, anyway. If it goes either way, I will learn a lot and I will be able to get ready for US Open and the next tournament even better.