WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 23, 2020

Alize Cornet

Press Conference

A. CORNET/S. Kenin

6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A tricky one to close out that match. Talk me through it. Talk me through that match.

ALIZE CORNET: At one point in the match, it became a nightmare, I have to say. Because I was so in control, I was playing so well. I was applying the tactic perfectly. I was playing good tennis, no mistakes. Everything was going well. 6-1, 5-2, 40-15.

And suddenly, I don't know what happened, she saved the match point, and then I got tight. I started double faulting. I started not releasing my forehand anymore, being really shaky with my forehand.

Yeah, it turned around because she's a great player. She's a Grand Slam winner. She didn't let go her chance.

But what I'm really proud of is my resilience. You know, I stayed in the fight. I took it to the tiebreak and finally won the match.

Mentally it was not easy, so, yeah, I'm proud of this. But phoof, at 6-5 down in the second, I was, like, No, that cannot happen. Why am I playing tennis? This is a crazy sport (smiling). And so many other thoughts but you don't want to know.

Q. In the tiebreak specifically, obviously you had the lead and she paid you back and she had those set points and everything and opportunities early, as well. When you're playing in the situation against a top player, there's no one in the crowd, you know, like you have to come up -- it's all on you mentally to stay in that match and to believe. How tricky was that to -- because the first match was pretty straightforward. You didn't have to -- you weren't tested in that way.

ALIZE CORNET: Yeah, well, I expected to be tested on that match. I mean, it's Sofia Kenin, 4 in the world, and it was huge test mentally for me.

But the absence of crowd doesn't bother me. I have this will inside of me, this fire. I don't need anybody here to bring up this fire.

As long as I have the support of Sandra, it was very important for me to have her behind me on this match, because I was really not about to give up, but I was about to drown a little bit in negativeness. She helped me stay up and staying in the match.

So, yeah, that was a really good thing to share with her this tough test and this tough moment. Definitely the victory is still beautiful even without anybody in the crowd.

Q. Did you also mention that on the court that the break gave you maybe a mental rest that you come back playing mentally fresh, and it's a break that maybe you needed for the mental side? Can you explain for those of us who don't play competitive tennis, what does it mean to be mentally fresh? How does that translate into better tennis for you?

ALIZE CORNET: Well, first of all, for me when I feel fresh, I want to go to practice. That's the first thing that happened is that when I wake up in the morning and, Oh, I don't want to go to practice, this is the first time that I'm getting tired. Because most of the time I want to go to practice. I'm a worker, I like to work, I like tennis. It's my passion.

But many times in the past couple of years I didn't want to go to practice in the morning, so I felt really tired about everything. And now I'm excited. I'm here in New York, and I don't mind not being in Manhattan. I'm excited getting up, going to practice and being in this special atmosphere.

Then it showed also in the match, because I'm more tough. You know, I'm more tough, more ready to handle difficult situations like today. Maybe another situation six months ago I wouldn't have handled it the same way.

I was, like, Come on. You didn't play for six months, and you wanted to be in this situation. Now you're there, and you have to fight through it.

Probably, yeah, I will not have the same behavior even a year ago, so definitely helped, this break.

Q. You kind of touched on it a little bit earlier, but on a match like the one you played today, especially in the second set with Sofia coming back and then the tiebreak, the last point, even the last point with the challenge that wasn't a challenge, if you imagine it in a full stadium, it would have been crazy. Does it change anything? Do you have to do things in a different way if there are 10,000 people screaming or if there is nobody like it was today? Does it change anything in terms of the mechanisms that go on in your head or even how you prepare the points?

ALIZE CORNET: Maybe. I cannot know. But what I know is that I don't need any crowd to get crazy inside (smiling). So I don't think that would have made me more negative or more crazy or more anything on the court when I have all these feelings coming up and taking possession of my body.

If the crowd is here or not, it doesn't change nothing, you know. Maybe it would have given me a little bit more energy, because the crowd sometimes pushes you to go over your limit. But even this, you know, I don't need anybody to go over my limits all the time.

But it's an interesting question, and you can never have the answer to know if this match would end differently with a crowd or not.

What I know is I don't feel that impact me so much on the court. I feel pretty much the same player. I'm pretty surprised about it, like happily surprised.

Q. What does a win like tonight over Sonya do for your confidence, especially being so close to a Grand Slam?

ALIZE CORNET: Yeah, I mean, this is definitely a really good win for me and for anybody that beats Sonya Kenin. She won a slam, won a tournament this year, she was super confident six months ago.

Of course now it was her first match after the break, so I can understand it's not easy to handle that. I had a match yesterday, so I was maybe a little bit more prepared. But I took my chances and I think I really played really solid tennis today.

And I believed in myself. I think that's what also shows that I'm fresh mentally is I believe more in myself and I knew I could win this match. I had no doubt about it. And it happened, so it's a good thing.

Now I want to go even further. I don't want to put myself some limits. I want to play good tennis, enjoy my time, and get some good win like today.

Q. Was this the first time you have played on that court before? Had you ever been on that court before during a US Open?

ALIZE CORNET: I'm not sure. I think that was the first time. I played one time on Court 17. It's kind of the same court but smaller.

No, it was my first time on Grandstand, but I liked it. Even empty, I liked it.

Q. You put the match away in two sets even though it perhaps took you a little bit longer than you might have expected, but what would have happened, how would you have handled it if the match had gone to a third set if Sonya had won the tiebreaker? Would it have been anyone's match then, or do you think you still would have been able to overcome the obstacle?

ALIZE CORNET: I think it would have been very difficult for me. First of all, because physically I felt really tired with all the nerves coming up, with losing this, missing these two match points and the nerves that got with it, and then she was about to win the second set.

I think it would have been very tough for me the third set. But I think I would have fight until the last point. I would have shown my incredible resilience, as always (smiling).

And then you never know what would have happened. I think she was also tired, because it was a very intense match. But you know what? I'm happy not to know, because the way the match went is really good for me to close it out in two sets. I couldn't have dreamt a better ending at the end.

It was very up and down, but this roller coaster, emotional roller coaster is a really good test for me. It's really good work mentally. I'm happy I got through all this.

Q. On working with Sandra, you haven't played a lot of tournaments with her, despite having worked together for a long time just because of the shutdown, but she's a very positive person, she stresses the holistic nature of being a good person, happy person, how that impacts your tennis. What has she been able to bring to you? Do you hear her, in those moments of wanting to be negative, do you hear her telling you to pull out of it?

ALIZE CORNET: Yeah, I'm laughing because when you say she was a positive and happy person, when I get out on the court, I saw her at the end. Like she was in the dark or in the stadium a bit far, and she did such a huge jump and she was like a kid like this.

I was, like, Oh, my God. She's very positive. I have to be honest. I have never met someone that positive.

I think we are doing a really good job through all the discussion that we have, all the talk that we have, like yesterday we talked for two-and-a-half hours about a lot of stuff, you know.

She has a really good psychologic approach. I think that's what I need in my tennis. I'm 30 years old and nobody is going to teach me how to play backhand, forehand. She can help a little bit, but it's all about the mental at my age and even at every age. She's very good at this.

I think she asked herself as a player a lot of questions that she's able to answer now as a coach. It helped me a lot with everything, even with my personal life. She's a really good personal life coach, I'd say (smiling). And the fact to make me happy in my life makes me happier on the court, too.

By the way, she wrote an amazing book. You guys have to read it about how to be the best coach possible for your player. I'm really proud of her, because it's not easy to step up like this. Yeah, and she deserves this.

Q. How do you find the electronic line calling system? You have given us some of the most viral moments in terms of discussions with umpires and line calls and things like that. We don't have that anymore.

ALIZE CORNET: I love it. I love it. I don't spend energy anymore on this. The ball is out, the ball is out. There is no questioning it.

I see it on every matches. Some players still have the reflex to check. They remember and say, Oh, no, that's electronic so it cannot be wrong.

And it's such a gain of energy, you know. Okay, you accept the decision, you're not talking to anyone.

I mean, it's tough to say that we don't need the linesmen anymore, because it's part of the history of tennis, but I have to say I really appreciate the system. It's really relaxing.