ROLAND GARROS

September 28, 2020

Kiki Bertens

Press Conference

K. BERTENS/K. Zavatska

2-6, 6-2, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk us through the match. It seemed like it took you quite awhile to get going out there.

KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, it was really tough, I think I started not so good, I think she started really well, so I just had to find a rhythm, find a movement again.

I think the court was really heavy in the beginning, I was not using my legs so good. So I think in the second and third set you could see that the movement was better, I was using more my forehand and then, yeah, it was a little bit easier to play for me.

Q. Your second round match, I know you've only just come off court, but Sara Errani, she's a clay court specialist like yourself. That's a tough one and how will you prepare for that?

KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, it's going to be a really tough one, I think I have to be ready to play a really long match, long rallies. I have to be patient, again have to use my forehand a lot and then we'll see. So I'm just going to prepare as good as I can.

Q. Playing your first match today, what was some of the data that you could kind of pull out of playing through three sets and seeing in competition what your game can do and not do on this surface in these conditions?

KIKI BERTENS: I think it was a good match for myself to what you say to know what I can do and cannot do. In the beginning I was rushing a lot, I was not using my feet so good, I was just trying to finish the point early and I think in these conditions that is impossible to do.

So then I was just like, okay, it doesn't matter how long the rallies are going to be, you're just going to fight, going to play as much forehand as you can and I think that's when I'm at my best.

But then also the legs, they have to work and at least the second and third set was much better. So I think as longer the match was going I kept improving. So, yeah, I'll take that to the next one.

Q. What did you think of her game? I had never really watched her before and that first set it felt like she couldn't miss and she was hitting all the lines and kind of playing a very interesting all-court game.

KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, I was also impressed. I have never seen her play, only like not in real life, so only on the internet, I looked a bit.

But, yeah, I liked the way she played in the first set. I think she played solid, moving really well. So, yeah, I think the first set she couldn't miss, what you said, she hit all the lines and, yeah, I was not patient enough.

Q. And then you had said before like you don't know what it's going to be like to play Roland Garros without fans, so what was it like out there? Was it as weird as it could have been or once you settled in did it feel normal, what was your reaction?

KIKI BERTENS: It's different, of course. Normally you always have the support from the fans, they're always a lot of Dutch fans here as well. So today I only had to do it with my coach in the first set and of course she's helping me a lot.

But then also in the second and the third I got some support from the other Dutch players here, which was great. So, yeah, I liked to at least have a little bit.