ROLAND GARROS

October 4, 2020

Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

E. SVITOLINA/C. Garcia

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I want to ask you about the women's draw in general. The situation now, you're one of the exceptions today. A lot of seeded players have lost, big seeds. Do you feel like the women's draw is more open than ever?

ELINA SVITOLINA: That's a tough question, because it's I think happen and it is happening sometimes in the other slams, as well. Right now me being in the quarterfinal, yeah, quarterfinal, it's tough to say really because, you know, you have to do something to get into the quarterfinal, and you have to really play good tennis.

Of course it is open. It's obvious that there is no other seeds I think in my quarter, so it is open. But me, I don't really care so much about it and don't pay attention as much.

Q. I just heard you saying that you're not going to let your seeding be too much affected by the tournament. So my question is: Do you see this as your opportunity now to get the title because you're the highest seed left in the draw? Do you see it as a good opportunity?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Of course if I would be the highest seed I would have advantage, but I don't have any advantage, to be fair right now. Your advantage is only that you are going on the court and you have to bring the best game what you have.

As I said before, the girls, they deserve to be there. They beat those higher-ranked players, and they are there for a reason.

So for me I don't look much further than my next round, and it's very important to not focus on other people. I have my own way, and that's what I'm trying to do.

If I will be looking who is winning, who is losing, I will get lost (smiling). And also I'll put too much pressure on myself. It's like pointless to do that.

Q. Staying on the seedings, we are starting week two of Roland Garros now, and seeded players like yourself are expected to make it into week two. Is the fact of making it into week two, does it relieve some of the pressure off your shoulders?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Not really, because that's not my main goal. You know, my main goal is always in the back of my mind. And I think it's not that I am really happy when I lose on the second week. You know, it's for me the goal is to win every single match that I step on the court. And every loss is going to be painful and heartbreaking.

I don't really care, you know, if it's first round or it's quarterfinal. I'm trying to have a same routine as every single match. Doesn't matter if it's a Grand Slam or it's a regular tournament. It's important to not get too high and get too low. You always have to keep the balance of just keeping your head down and working for it to get the win and to get the good results.

Q. Next round you play Podoroska. I don't know if you know something about her. She's a qualifier. Probably having the tournament of your life. What are your expectations and thoughts on that match?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, to be fair, I have no idea. I just heard the name a little bit. To be fair, I know nothing. I watched maybe today like two games because they were playing before us. Not before on the court, but they were playing.

To be fair, I have to do my research. I think my coach is going to give me lots of information going into this match. But for sure if she went that far, you know, she has a good game, apparently. So has to be like that (smiling).

Q. I wonder your thoughts on playing in front of the French crowd, facing a French player.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, it's never easy to play the home favorite, because obviously they give lots of support to the other opponent, and not so much towards you. So in this way it's tough, but in the other way I think it's pressure from them, as well, to an opponent.

I try to use it as advantage. I try to just think about that it's they are trying to support me (smiling). I think this way it helps a little bit to keep your head into the match and to not focus so much what's going on around you.

To be fair, I think I did really well today to not focus on what's happening around. For sure, they were trying to push her to come back into the match, but in the end, I was playing really good tennis. I think being really focused really helped me.

Q. Thinking about when you won the WTA Finals in 2017, 2018 I think it was, you were playing a top-ranked player every match and they obviously raise your game. How are lower-ranked players going to help raise your game? Because there's Nadia and Martina Trevisan now as qualifiers who are relatively unknown. How can they help your game?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, as you say, for sure when you're playing a top player, they make you raise your game. They make you work for every point. I think you're extra focused.

But I think when you are in the quarterfinal of the Grand Slam and later, I think you are just focusing on the game. You don't focus so much who is on the other side of the net. That's kind of what my mentality is.

I don't really have any other thoughts on that. Doesn't matter who is on the other side. I always try to take, you know, and play against the tennis ball, you know, and have tennis courts, have a player, but in the end I have to play my own game to beat the player.

So I don't focus so much on that.

Q. At the start of the Grand Slam, what we do as journalists usually is we talk about a player and their form and their fitness. Obviously this year has been different because not a lot of players have had a lot of tennis. Can you think back a week or two ago and think how you felt at the start of the tournament, how that thought process changed at all as you have had a successful first week?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, as you say, this year is different, and for me, as well, because I played the tournament in Strasbourg. Normally I don't remember when the last time I played a tournament before the Grand Slam. This year it took me I think few weeks to make this decision to play tournament before.

But in the end, as we can see, it worked quite good. I had good matches, to be fair, I got lucky with the weather on the last days in Strasbourg because it was really cold and should have been raining.

I got here quite late, and I played on Monday. So in the end everything worked out really well with a little bit of luck.

But right now I feel better and better each day. I think the one day off really helped me to recover and to regroup. So right now it's just playing matches. I'm trying to win every single match that I'm on.

I'm really happy the way I have been handling the wind today as well, the conditions inside on Chatrier, outside in Lenglen, different courts, different conditions. So every day it's a new surprise, and I'm very happy the way I was handling it.

Q. At the start of the week you said it would be great to think that at the end of the Roland Garros both you and Gael could be celebrating as Grand Slam champions. Unfortunately he lost early in the tournament, but you are continuing with your success. So how challenging is that for you to deal with emotionally? Because you're both competitive athletes.

ELINA SVITOLINA: To be fair, right now I'm thinking I'm playing for both of us. I know how much he loves to compete here in Paris and how much he loves to play in front of big crowds. Unfortunately this year it's a bit different. So it's really sad that he couldn't play his best. He started year amazing and I was really proud of the effort he did.

Yeah, unfortunately he's not here. He's training right now. And I'm very happy that he's back and he's mentally going to come back and be even stronger.

So for me I just, you know, always love the way that he pushes me to be better, and I also try to motivate him to be better person, better tennis player. I think this is the way that it has to be, and you have to really support each other and push for better results.

Q. (Indiscernible question.)

ELINA SVITOLINA: Sorry, I didn't hear the question because of the noise.

Q. He was asking you how you feel about being the highest seed left in the tournament.

ELINA SVITOLINA: As I answered at the beginning, it was that it doesn't really matter. Of course I'm the highest seed left, but no one is going to give me the trophy just because I'm the only highest left.

So I have to work for it. I try to not look so much ahead. You know, I have my next match, and that's what matters the most to me. I try to prepare. Every match is important, so I don't look far ahead.

Q. I wanted to say if it rains for the next five days we will set up a campaign to give the trophy to the top seeds.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, that would be amazing. I'm happy with this (smiling). The best survival, you know.