AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 10, 2021

Hsieh Su-Wei

Press Conference

HSIEH SU-WEI/B. Andreescu

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk us through the match and what is it about Melbourne that seems to bring out your best tennis?

HSIEH SU-WEI: I always really enjoy to play here and I start my first junior here. It was 21 years ago (laughing.)

Q. You now have an 8-2 record against top 10 opponents, if I'm reading this correctly. What do you think accounts for your incredible matchups against the top players in the game?

HSIEH SU-WEI: I think that it's couple a years ago I play top 10 players for many, many, many years and then I feel theres a breakthrough and I feel more comfortable right now.

Q. What in particular with Melbourne that it's become such a happy hunting ground for you? I know you've had some pretty remarkable results in Melbourne, in particular, the last few years. What do you think it is particularly about sort of being down under which is really well suited to your game?

HSIEH SU-WEI: I have to say I quite enjoy to practice here. I have a few years I was coming here for my off-season and training with Paul McNamee and for me, I know where to go to eat after the match. I know I go to the Thai restaurant. I have very good appetizers and very good drinks. So I definitely know how to enjoy life and play some tennis here. So I'm not worried about my tennis. If I don't play good, I go enjoy some good food here. So I'm quite happy to have the tennis life here.

Q. Not to bring up age again, but with so many players in their 30s, mid 30s, late 30s, 40s still playing, what do you think explains that these days? Is there a reason that so many players are continuing, like yourself?

HSIEH SU-WEI: For other people I'm not sure, but in Taiwan, I come from a very small place and it's very difficult situation in Taiwan to find a practice, to have professional tennis coach and hitting partner, fitness coach. All the stuff has become very tough. Because I was in Japan for almost three years and I have a club, I have somewhere to live, my boss she helped me to go to tournament. That's why I come back with the tour, because before I go to Japan, I stopped my tennis almost one year. It was, it was not easy with Chinese culture, with the parents, and I took a really long time to get out of the situation. So I was mostly managing the family problem at the first 10 years, 16 years old, so it was not easy. That's why I think it's one of the many reasons I come a little bit slower and I have no one to ask for help because in Taiwan there's very limited support, like the association have very limited experience to help the professional tennis player. So I took really awhile until Paul was working with me.

And as you saw, my ranking went to top-30. I win the first Grand Slam in the doubles. So it was amazing to have an Australian coach and have all the system to work out in Australia.

Q. Next up, I think you got Venus or Sara Errani. Both have quite different approaches as to how they go about their tennis. How will you prepare ahead of the match considering they're quite different in their game styles?

HSIEH SU-WEI: They haven't played yet, right (smiling)?

Q. Right.

HSIEH SU-WEI: So we don't worry about this until the result come out. I leave to my coach.

Q. Which do you enjoy more, playing singles or doubles? And do you feel that because you have done so well in both disciplines, do they complement each other?

HSIEH SU-WEI: I quite enjoy both, but I'm not always doing good on both. Sometimes the singles was going a little bit better, sometimes the doubles is going a little bit better. Normally they are not going both here or both here, not often happen. So I told myself, Okay, if I don't play good in singles, probably I have a doubles in my other hand, so I'm not worried about it, so I tried to enjoy more because singles and doubles, they are a little bit different. Different game. As you saw in doubles, I'm more in the net. And the singles, we are more in the baseline for the match. So I try to manage it and I always have a partner support me in doubles. I quite enjoy it.

Q. Are you having as much fun out on the court now 20 years into being a professional as when you first started? Are you enjoying the game now as much as when you were much younger?

HSIEH SU-WEI: Yeah, it was not very easy at the beginning to enjoy the tennis because, you know, when we're young and then we come from a small place, you don't have the people guide you to how to set out your schedule, your practice, and how to enjoy it, to thinking it's not just about tennis. There's a life also very important. In the first 10 years I was stay mostly in the hotel room and tennis court, like a quarantine. So after I work with Paul, I, we enjoy a lot of court as well. We go to shopping together and we find a nice restaurant and the result is going very good, so I try to find a nice restaurant to go together to enjoy something, not just tennis.

Q. I'm just curious for you, you've played so many top players in the past and gotten big wins over top players. Bianca Andreescu, just what do you make of her game and what do you think her future in this sport will be?

HSIEH SU-WEI: I know she's one of a very good player for the young generation and she have a little bit different game than like Osaka or Kenin. So it's always not going to be easy to play any of these young girls because they are recovering much faster and they have some special game in the match. That's why they are very successful in some of the tournaments or most of the tournaments. So all I need to do is just try to play my game because, you know, if sometime you go too far, it's not a good idea because they can use their weapon to destroy you.

Q. Just wondering what your game plan was coming into the match against Bianca?

HSIEH SU-WEI: I was thinking I lose last time, so I need to be little bit stronger on the court. And last year I was in the same court for the final doubles and I was not doing very good, so I hope, I was thinking, I hope I play a little bit better today.

Q. Did anything about Bianca's game surprise you?

HSIEH SU-WEI: You know, she can do everything on court, so you always will get some surprise and sometimes you don't know if it's good for you or bad for you because sometimes if they play really good you feel depressed, but sometimes when the girl play really good, I feel like, Okay, they play really good, I just try to hang in there. So I try to manage some of the emotion there.

Q. When you were younger you were a top junior and then when you started professional you won a lot of matches in your first tournaments and you made it to the semi-final of Bali. At that point did you think that it would come quicker for you, that you would get to the top of the sport quicker than you have done?

HSIEH SU-WEI: At that time I was not thinking too much because you know the Chinese parents, sometime if they are helping you, I was not worried about anything because I wake up 6 for the first bus to go and practice and the earliest girl at that time was always Bartoli, so we are always the first two kids go to the first bus and try to run to catch a court. So I really don't think too much, only when I was going down like 0-3 or match point for the opener, my father will do some special sign, because he's going crazy outside the court, but I'm still very calm on court, I have to say.

Just on the last point I would be like, Oh, if I lose this match I have some troubles, I have a little bit panic on the court. But then this point I will fighting so hard to try to not losing the point (laughing).