ROLAND GARROS

October 7, 2020

Laura Siegemund

Press Conference

P. KVITOVA/L. Siegemund

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you just sum up the match for us today? Any frustrations or struggles you had?

LAURA SIEGEMUND: Yeah, I think -- I mean, obviously it's Petra Kvitova, so I knew that it was going to be very hard and she played well also to get here. And the more she starts to roll, you know, the more it rolls, I guess.

She started really well right away, and had really good length, was serving great. So I struggled at the beginning.

I felt like I'm also not playing too bad, but just so many easy points going away with serve and return situations.

Then I started serving better, and it was close but I got that one break and the set was gone. So that was pretty much the first set. Didn't feel like there were too many rallies or I couldn't get her in too many rallies.

In the second set, I feel like I had much more chances to, you know, to keep it more even. Yeah, at about, I don't know what the score was, but like 2-3 or something I did two, three really bad movements in my back, and after that I couldn't serve at all anymore.

But I knew that's possible. You know, I mean, that was the situation the whole week. But that made it more difficult, of course. I was making the breaks and I couldn't hold my serve because I was just not serving good anymore.

But that was the reason for it, which was a bit unlucky in that moment. But even there she put a lot of pressure on my serve already and on each ball and had great length. Without a serve I just couldn't level it.

Q. You got a time violation. Do you think the rules should be clearer on that in terms of when you are serving and when the umpire calls the violation?

LAURA SIEGEMUND: I mean, you know, everybody knows that I'm slow and I need a lot of time between the points. I'm trying to be within the 25 seconds.

As far as I know the rule is before the clock goes to 0 I have to start my movement. She is very sharp every time I have her on the chair. She gives me a violation the first opportunity she gets.

Some umpires are a little more, you know, they don't, let's say -- I don't know how to say it, but they give you a little bit more ease. It also makes a difference when you call the score. With some players they call the score after 10 seconds have passed and with some players they call the score the minute the ball is out.

So it makes a big difference when they press the button when the clock is running and I think that is where the rule is very unprecise.

But I know I'm slow and I'm trying to keep up, but, you know, when the clock is 0 and I'm starting my movement, then give me a break. We're not talking about a second here or there. If I'm every time I need 40 seconds, that's a different thing. But this was just exaggerated. I think I was on time the whole time.

I can use the 25 seconds, and I did, and she was, like this (slamming hand on table), gives me the violation. If she wants to do that, I accept that. I just said if she says, Stop, violation, I have my arm here (indicating raised arm), it's clear that I started the movement already. She was discussing with me about that, which is, yeah, makes no sense.

But it's for me something small on the side, by the way. It doesn't matter.

Q. How would you reflect on your experience and your performances at Roland Garros this year?

LAURA SIEGEMUND: Right now I'm, you know, still very disappointed with my mind in the match today, but overall even I will see at some point that it was a really good tournament for me. I played really good matches, particularly under the circumstances I was under in these two weeks.

Was for me a big goal to reach a second week in a slam. I did that. I'm proud of that. Not yet (smiling). But I will be.

Yeah, and I had a really hard time with my back. The weather conditions weren't helping at all. They were really tough. Not only to play with the wind and all that, but also for the body. So that made the situation with my back worse.

I mean, if we were playing, I don't know, in Australia with 30 degrees I think I would have had much less problems with the same kind of, you know, injury.

But anyway, to sum it up, it was a really good tournament for me. I did really maximize what I had in these two weeks. I went to all limits that I have, and I think I played a good tournament. Today was just not enough against one of the greatest players we have.

Q. Following up on the time violation, you had (indiscernible)...

LAURA SIEGEMUND: I didn't understand that.

Q. You had Love-40 down when that time violation happened. You had saved three breakpoints until that point. Did it affect you mentally at that point?

LAURA SIEGEMUND: No, I got so many time violations in my life, it is nothing for me. It's just that I have also, as a player -- anyway, she's not going to turn it back. But as a player sometimes you were really slow and sometimes really you feel like the umpire is just trying to, you know -- how can I say? It's like trying to do like this to you (indicating jabbing with elbow).

That was that case. I was on the line, I was bouncing, I was starting my movement, and it was about once, and literally she was talking that it was one second too slow. I mean, that's a joke.

And that's where I have to say I really don't care. I accept I get time violations. I know I am slow. I'm trying my best to be faster. And I think I am also much faster than I was in the past.

The only thing that I think is unfair with that rule is when they start to press the button. But I know if I have her on the chair, she press the button the minute the last ball bounced. And I know that. But it's still my right to say, Hey, it was within the rules but just give me a break. Be a little more gentle in the way you, you know, interpret the rules.

But if she want to give me a time violation, that's okay.