ROLAND GARROS

October 4, 2020

Andrew Bettles

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Elina said early last week that she was sort of having trouble getting used to the lack of environment. Then she saw something that Rafa had said about, Well, it should be this way because we're playing in the middle of a pandemic. Could you see her mindset or perspective turn around after she saw that from Rafa? How big of a difference did that make, hearing such a great champion frame it that way?

ANDREW BETTLES: I'm not sure if anything changed after that. I think maybe it just made more sense kind of the general feeling that she had, because it was, you know, it was the same environment as Strasbourg, although there was a few more people there. That's kind of what it is at the moment.

I think maybe Rafa articulated it well and kind of put it into words what everyone was feeling.

Q. Can you just talk about, at this point she's the highest seed left in the tournament, only seed left in the top half of the draw. There is a lot of opportunity here for a major breakthrough, as it were. How do you guys try to kind of keep level-headed through this and just kind of focus on what needs to be done?

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah, I think it's kind of just the basic stuff, you know. You don't get too far ahead of yourself. You look to the next match. That's the only thing to think about. Anything else that's going on, that's kind of outside noise, block it out. Next match. We focus on that.

Do everything, you know, kind of enjoy the victory today. Tomorrow we will prepare for the quarters, and then, you know, you take each challenge, each opponent as it comes. There is no point getting carried away and looking too far ahead.

Q. I wonder if you can reflect back on the sort of run of play since March and tell us what were the biggest challenges you faced and just kind of coaching through an unprecedented pandemic and maybe some of the toughest things you faced and then some of the positives you were able to drag out of it.

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah, I think the things that were difficult, you know, obviously it was just the uncertainty with, you know, I don't think anyone has lived through anything like this. Everyone is kind of just navigating it, and as a sport we are trying to find out our way and trying to get back to some sort of normality.

It was understanding where it all starts again, being adaptable, understanding that things can change week by week. So as a player and then for coaching, you know, kind of just understanding that and accepting that. So, yeah, that was obviously difficult.

But, you know, on the positive side we had a time to really work and go back to basics start again. You're never ever going to have such a long period where you can train. Elina worked with a new fitness coach, and she kind of pushed herself incredibly hard. It was nice to kind of see that and see her motivation.

You know, she impressed me so much. It's not easy for the players. Sometimes they were working, especially at the beginning, we're talking about like in June and stuff, we weren't quite sure what we were working towards. So she was incredible every day putting in the work. I think kind of it's nice to see some results now.

Q. What do you think the two semifinals she got to last season have done for her in terms of her belief and confidence at this stage?

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah, I think that was nice to kind of make that breakthrough, because it was something that she hadn't done.

Look, it's all just kind of experience, isn't it? It was another step. She pushed one step further than she had before. I think, you know, we learned a lot from those semifinals matches.

And Grand Slams are such, they are such a long journey. It takes -- you know, you have more time than you do in any other tournament. Other ones you don't get to think. You just play the next day.

Slams are really kind of managing all sorts of expectations and everything. It's a journey. So we're kind of just finding the way. She has that experience now of reaching the semis. So I think you saw a really kind of experienced performance out there today.

Q. Without getting into any details that you're uncomfortable with, how would you go about scouting a player like Podoroska, who has looked great at this tournament but maybe there is not much of a book on her? Have you had a chance to see her play, and if not really that much, how would you go about the challenge of finding out more about her?

ANDREW BETTLES: They do a really good job here at Roland Garros of providing videos and stuff for the coaches, we can analyze other players. It's something we are quite used to, especially at a slam. There are so many new players who've done well here. Her first two opponents I wasn't so familiar with.

I'll kind of spend the next day or so watching loads of her play, and understanding her game a little bit more.

Yeah, we're kind of, you know, used to facing new opponents. Now it's something that Grand Slams do throw up quite regularly.

Q. The wind was another opponent today. Why do you think she handled it, you know, better than her opponent?

ANDREW BETTLES: I think Elina -- the first thing with the wind, you've got to mentally accept it's windy and it's not going to be perfect conditions.

Elina did a really good job kind of accepting that it wasn't going to be perfect, playing really simple tennis to begin, and using the wind to her advantage. So she kind of, you know, adapted her game a little bit, depended on which end, because down one end the wind was behind you, and the other, it was against you.

So she adapted her game, changed her position, tactically was very aware. And, yeah, she did a really good job. She used it to her advantage rather than kind of letting it bother her.

Q. I'm curious from your experience on the coaching side of things, because of the protocols and everything, you know, I would think that like team members, there is a lot of stress probably amongst you guys, as well, in terms of wanting to make sure that nothing that you do gets Elina pulled from the tournament, things like that. So what has it been like at the US Open and here in Paris just for your experience of kind of dealing with that whole side of things?

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah, I didn't -- she also didn't play U.S., so Rome was our kind of first experience of it, and then we all kind of knew.

I think you just have to be really responsible. As it is with the virus and whole of society, we're not looking out just for yourself. You're looking out for other people. Nothing changes in terms of that. It's not just our responsibility to look after ourselves; look after everyone else around us, our team. But obviously you really don't want to do anything to sabotage your player.

Been keeping very low key.

Q. There has been a lot of talk about the conditions. Obviously it's pretty cold, wet. Conditions are slow. How do you feel like that plays out for Elina? Do you think it's good for her?

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah, it's been good so far. I think it's kind of two kind of theories people have been going: You either hit through the slow conditions or you make yourself a wall and you don't miss. I guess Elina was a bit more of a wall today but I'd like to think she has a bit of both.

Going back to the wind, it's kind of how you deal with the situation, how you adapt, and she's been really good so far.

Q. You can do everything in your power, but are you almost afraid to be around anybody else when you're in the hotel, for example, because you don't know how responsible the people around you have been? So you could do everything right and still end up having some positive test happening.

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah.

Q. Does it make you almost paranoid, I guess, is what I'm asking?

ANDREW BETTLES: You are by the way you're phrasing it, yeah.

Yeah, there is a little bit out of our control. So, yes, it does worry you a bit. And whenever you do a test, you do kind of get a little bit stressed, because we never know because sometimes you can be asymptomatic or that.

But, yeah, it's out of your control sometimes. I think you've got to do everything you can and then get a little bit of luck along the way.

Q. One of the big questions everybody is trying to solve, I guess, over the course of the two weeks is what is the reason for more than usual the number of upsets that potentially we have been seeing? And obviously this event is a unique one in every way. But I'm just curious like amongst the chatter amongst you guys and coaches and everyone, like, do you guys have theories? What's the thought there?

ANDREW BETTLES: There's nothing I can really put my finger on that. You can think a lot about the change of surface and stuff like that, a lot of people from U.S. and maybe that was it, the people who went deep in U.S.

But the turnaround, is it much quicker than it is from French to Wimbledon anyway? That's probably a bigger surface change. Yeah, I'm not sure.

Maybe the lower-ranked players are used to being tough and having tough conditions and finding their way through. Maybe there is something in that? I don't know.

But there does seem to be quite a lot of ranking upsets. Maybe it speaks to the depth in the women's game. There is a lot of good players out there. You've got to show every player respect and everyone can play. So maybe this is kind of just, yeah, the time it's falling in place for a few at the same time.

There's nothing really I can say that this is for sure why, but, yeah.

Q. Over last few years Elina has become, she's no longer a young player, so I'm curious, with your work with her, how much is it about like maintaining what she's already built in her game and continuing to grow as a player?

ANDREW BETTLES: Yeah, I think she's definitely one of the more experienced players on the tour now. I think as a person you can sense she's very mature, kind of -- I think she's grown up a lot over the last few years. I can see the difference from when we first started working.

She's got such a solid base and such a good work ethic. It's just about maintaining that and just constantly adding little things here and there.

But you don't want to take away what makes her so good.