US OPEN

September 4, 2020

Jennifer Brady

Press Conference

J. BRADY/C. Garcia

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you just talk about your performance today and how you feel you're playing about to enter the second round of the US Open.

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, you know, I think today I started pretty strong. My first service game was, you know, I think I played really well. I served really well today.

I think, you know, I looked as much as possible to be on offense before she was able to be on offense and dictating points.

Yeah, just really happy with my performance today.

Q. Can you talk about your training coming into the US Open. Because you had gotten some play earlier when things opened up a little bit. Can you talk about that experience.

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah. You know, once Indian Wells was canceled, I went home to Orlando and I took a few weeks off but then was able to continue to train on the court and off the court.

So I spent maybe about four months just practicing and training and working on getting better, you know, at home. Then I was able to play Charleston, World TeamTennis, and then Lexington, and then before coming here.

So I think, you know, before coming to the US Open I had a lot of matches in me, so didn't feel like it was, you know, something new to me or something that I hadn't done in a while.

Q. On the lighter side, normally players don't get to watch any other tennis, but with the suite, have you peeked in on some action, walked the grounds? Any favorite moments?

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, I think the suites have been definitely a game changer here at the US Open, somewhere to relax and chill just with you and your team.

I actually watched quite a few matches just waiting for my match to go on, and also on my days off. One particular match that I thought was pretty good was the Murray and Nishioka match. I remember watching that match. It was really high-quality tennis.

Then my coach and I, we tried each one of the activities on-site here. We did the cornhole, Ping-Pong, I think, mini golf. Yeah, there is a lot of things to do here on-site.

Q. I think Jess Pegula was talking it was really nice to have a buddy here on-site. Obviously she plays later today, but can you just describe I guess what having her support and the support of a couple of other American women has here at the US Open this year.

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, I think it's good to see just in general all of us Americans doing well. I think, you know, Maddie, Sloane, Shelby, me, Jess, Amanda. There's others I probably forgot.

But, you know, I think me and Jess have been hanging out a lot because we were in Lexington together, spent time there, and also here in the bubble, at the hotel. We were just ordering delivery and then eating dinner together and things like that.

But, you know, it's really good to see all of us doing so well here, especially at our home slam, and I will be rooting her on tonight against Petra.

Q. Does it make a difference having a friend, especially when you're in the bubble and you have to keep to yourself a bit more? Does it help you relax off court, anything like that?

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, definitely. I think just in general when you have time to spend with another person other than just yourself I think, you know, it takes your mind off of tennis, takes your mind off of whatever else is going on.

I think, you know, just having a friend in general I think definitely helps you relax and enjoy the moment.

Q. Wonder if you could tell me any more about the plyometrics we were talking about the other day, how you got into it, why you like it so much. For you, is it like you're always kind of learning about ways to keep yourself fit as you go through your career?

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, well, that's my trainer. My trainer, I think he's very good. He's in Germany, Daniel, you know. We keep in touch. You know, he's sending me the plan to do each day.

You know, I think he's a very intelligent guy, he's very smart, so I fully trust everything he tells me to do, and I only know that everything he tells me is just going to make me better.

Q. The plyometrics specifically, it's a lot of jumping and explosive movements. Do you feel it as you play these matches and feel stronger and better able to play the kind of tennis you want to play because of it?

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, definitely. You know, I think just working on, you know, tennis-specific things, including plyos and things like that, can only help you, and it's definitely helped me.

Q. My question pertains to the WTA University, and your current course load there. How's that going? What courses have you taken with the university?

JENNIFER BRADY: This is awkward. I don't take any courses (smiling). Sorry.

Q. You're not involved in the program?

JENNIFER BRADY: No, sorry, I'm not.

Q. Okay. I thought you were. Is that something you want to do in the future? Are you getting close to getting your degree from UCLA or...

JENNIFER BRADY: No, I'm not close to getting my degree at all. And I haven't taken any classes since I left in 2015.

But, you know, that's not something that I want to do right now, but maybe in the future, yeah.

Q. Speaking of UCLA, you spent a couple of years there playing college tennis, not a common route of players on the tour these days. Did college tennis, do you think now looking at it, did it help you get to where you are or do you think it set you back a couple of years, or are those years that you missed developing in some ways as a professional?

JENNIFER BRADY: I think each college experience is different for everyone. For me specifically, I think college benefited me. Just getting me out of doing, getting me out of what I was doing before. I was just doing the same thing, you know, every day, same schedule, just practicing, training, things like that.

So I think getting me out of my comfort zone, getting me away from my family, parents, helping me grow and mature off the court, as well, I think college definitely was a key factor in my success.

Q. Would you say looking back you were not ready to turn professional at that point? Was that what played into it? Or was it just you really wanted to go to college?

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, I think I wasn't ready to play professional tennis at that time. I wasn't -- you know, I definitely wasn't mature enough. I wasn't physically capable, mentally capable enough to turn pro. And I didn't really have the results in the juniors to, you know, sway that decision to turn pro.

So I think the only option for me at that time was to go to college.

Q. You play Kerber next. I believe that it will be your first meeting with her. Can you talk about what you expect from that challenge and what do you think makes her, you know, three-time major champion, former No. 1, a tough opponent?

JENNIFER BRADY: You said it yourself. Obviously she's a great competitor, great player. You know, different, lefty, you know, so that's something different that, you know, against the other opponents that I have played.

You know, I'm expecting it to be a very tough match. I'm just going to go out there and think the same thought I have thought for every other match, just believe in myself, compete, and just play for every point.

Q. Just this couple weeks since Michael has been in the States with you, what's that been like to kind of go that whole time without seeing each other to really, in a lot of ways being, like, bubble buddies? He's the one that probably you're with all the time and stuff like that. What's he been like in the bubble? What's his energy been like and how has that been working out?

JENNIFER BRADY: Yeah, he's great. Yeah, we spend pretty much every day together except for a few days, I told him, All right, Michael, see you the next day, because I need a day off from him as well, too (smiling).

But I think it's been great having him here since -- we hadn't seen each other since March, before then, and just having him back here, I think, has helped me believe and trust in my game and confidence and to be also to improve and work on specific things while he's here, as well.

Q. You spoke about practice being hard during the shutdown and lots of matches before the US Open, but this is an incredible string of results for you. Can you just break down why you think you've had this good run?

JENNIFER BRADY: I think I just had a lot of matches under me. I think, you know, just going into every match, believing that I can win. And I think also one of the big things is, you know, I have been serving really well and then able to win a lot of points off my first serve.

I think it gives a lot of pressure to the opponent, you know, to be able to hold their service games so I'm able to break, as well. Yeah, I think I have just been playing good tennis.

Q. (Question about college and LA.)

JENNIFER BRADY: When I was in college? What was the question?

Q. Yeah.

JENNIFER BRADY: When I was in college?

Q. When you first went to LA...

JENNIFER BRADY: When I first went to LA. Honestly, it was different for me. The whole thing, the student-athlete part, you know, where the student came before the athlete. That was totally new to me. I had down online school since fifth grade so I never really had sat in a classroom and taken a note. So that was totally new for me and getting used to that.

And then also balancing it with the athletics. I think it was what, you know, helped me mature and grow as a person. I think putting that student before the athlete.

I think one of the best experiences that I had there was my freshman year, we won the national championship in Athens. So for me, that was one of the best moments in my college career.