AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 15, 2021

Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

J. PEGULA/E. Svitolina

6-4, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You played so well in your last two matches. Was today a case of coming up against a player who was just too strong today or was it something that maybe you weren't happy with on the court today?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, yeah, was not a good day for me today. I was making way too many errors. Yeah, tough to pick why was like this. A mixture of things.

I think she also played quite good today. It was very tough for me to find the rhythm because she was playing good in the first set, not very well in the second. Then she came back.

I didn't feel very good today on the court. I don't know. It's disappointing because I've been playing very good. I feel it was that kind of day where nothing was going my way. Yeah, I didn't go through this.

Q. Do you mean you didn't feel good mentally or physically?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Physically a little as well. Today, I don't know, somehow couldn't find my focus, couldn't push through some points, was making way too many errors. So I think it's lack of focus, kind of distraction.

Q. You still were quite close in the third set. Did you feel at that time that even if you weren't feeling good, you were still in it?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, for sure. I'm playing for many years now already. I've played many different kind of matches. I know that there is always a chance to come back. I was fighting. I was trying to find my way. Even the second set, I was break down early in the second. I fought back.

You know, I'm always there for the fight. Yeah, sometimes is not happening. It's very disappointing because I've been feeling very good on the court before. To have the day like that is, yeah, extremely disappointing.

Q. Everyone has been very impressed with Jessie. She's had some great wins earlier this week. What makes her tough to play? Is she doing anything that other players are not?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, she has her own game style. She hits the ball quite flat. Of course, she can rally with the spin. But a lot of the time her ball skids. Especially on these courts right now, like today, I couldn't adjust my game. I think this was really not good from my side because her ball skids a lot. It was very tough for me to do something on that.

Q. Did you get a sense that something was off when you woke up or when you were warming up, practicing? Was the ball just not feeling right? Did it just kind of come in match?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I've been struggling little bit for a few days. You know, of course I tried to work on that. Even I was playing before very good, sometimes there's lots of things what's going on. I have to put them aside. Today was one of these days.

I tried to fight through. Almost happened. Almost came back. Was trying to find my game and my mindset. But in the end, you know, it's not always happening the way you want it.