ROLAND GARROS

September 27, 2020

Eugenie Bouchard

Press Conference

E. BOUCHARD/A. Kalinskaya

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So this match was a pretty tough match, an opponent you never played before, she just qualified, it was a bit of a set there where you guys were trading breaks, what was that like for you, please?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I think both of our levels sometimes were a little bit up-and-down, I had a couple games here and there where I feel like I pressed a little bit too much in the points, but I'm happy that I was able to realize that and be aware and kind of get back to being a little more solid and I think ultimately that's what paid off at the end of both sets.

Q. So your next opponent is Gavrilova, have you played against her? Do you know how she plays a little bit?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think I have many years ago and I know her from juniors, we're the same age, so we grew up together. I'm just going to be expecting a really tough match, I know she fights a lot, I think she can play, I think she can play a bit all around, so I just kind of want to be ready for everything and just try to like build on today and try to do a little better in the next match.

Q. This will be your Grand Slam of 2020, so you must be pretty happy for that wildcard, I guess.

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I'm super grateful to the FFT for the wildcard, it's a nice way to end this weird year and I'm just going to try my best with this opportunity.

Q. You're coming off a final in Istanbul. Are we seeing maybe a resurgence in Eugenie Bouchard?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm just trying to work on what I need to work on and just keep trying to improve. I feel like I've worked hard this year for that and I'm seeing some differences in result that show that.

Q. I wondered how you might have found the fitness today. It seemed like you were able to really stay in there and you fought back there I think 12, 13 straight points there were yours. How did you find the fitness on your side today?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I felt good, physically, I've been feeling, I feel like I'm in the best shape of life and a lot of my matches recently I've, you know, believed in myself, whether it was a short match or a long match. Being able to rely on my fitness has definitely given me confidence. So I feel like I can stay out there with anyone as long as I need to.

Q. Is it strength or endurance? How are you finding it most benefiting you?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I worked a lot on strength and when I feel that I feel like I can play all day long. Obviously it's clay here, so that is more demanding for your muscles and endurance-wise.

And I'm loving it, I kind of mentally tell myself, okay, I have to grind it out and it's just, it's fun in a tough painful way, it's fun.

Q. Wanted to ask you about that grinding side. Because you've actually played a bunch of European clay events in the last few years. I was wondering how much you embrace the sort of grind of this, these conditions and everything, even of it being cold and low bouncing, I'm guessing as a Canadian you're probably thinking you have an advantage in the cold, but how are you liking sort of the grind of it and getting to win tougher, win sort of uglier or just tougher physically stuff.

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, it's exactly that. I think it's just how to mentally approach it and like you said the word embrace is really good. You have to accept the conditions, well first of all the conditions are the same for both of us out there, but beyond that, for me, obviously I love Wimbledon, I love fast surfaces, but I've always enjoyed the kind of suffering of clay as well.

It's really just about the mindset of, okay, I'm going to be out here for three hours, I have to accept that points are going to be long, that it's going to hurt my legs. But there's kind of, it's very gratifying to kind of go through that and come out the other end. So it's really about how I, my mindset towards it.

Q. You went a little bit under the radar just in tennis circles, because if was during the US Open, but your final in Istanbul, how much did that mean to you in terms of giving you confidence?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It meant a lot to me and to have to play so many matches back-to-back, I don't know if I've ever done that in my career. So to be able to like recover and come back the next day and put out that same effort, day after day after day, that consistency is really what I was proud of.

Q. I was surprised to see that Nike doesn't have new outfits for the French Open and people are still wearing the US Open ones. Do you know any insight on that?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, this pattern I guess is just, everyone just loves this pattern, I don't know (Laughing.)

Q. Having to spend a lot of time in your hotel room when you're not practicing or on the card, what have you brought with you, any creature comforts to make you feel at home? Are you enjoying your stay in that confined space?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: If you're asking me if I brought any stuffed animals, no, I did not (Laughing.) I brought some books and I have subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu, so that's mostly what's getting me through.

It's just acceptance of the situation and understanding that if this is what we have to do to have a job right now then of course I'm totally happy to do it.

Q. Any Netflix recommendations?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well I'm currently watching Billions on, I think that's on HBO. And I did give in and I've started watching Selling Sunset on Netflix. Everyone was talking about it, and I don't like watching reality too much, but I kind of felt out of the loop and out of the conversation, so I started watching it.