MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 4, 2021

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Press Conference

A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA/J. Brady

7-5, 6-7, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You fought through a lot of difficult moments against Jen out there tonight. How did you stay focused? What drove you to win?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, it's not only today. I have been through a lot of difficult challenges this year and last year as well. But, I mean, the only thing that keeps me going and motivates me is like I want to win so badly every match I play. That's what we are basically playing for.

Also, I mean, I have had a lot of opportunities during the second set, as well. Even though she was 4-1 up, but then I felt like, Okay, I'm back. It's 4-All now, 5-All, and every game is so close. I had a match point in the tiebreak, and after that I was so down on myself. I thought, oh, my God, I don't know how I'm gonna go and play third set now.

But again, the match in three sets in total, I wanted to win, so you've got to go out there. She's a great, amazing player. So you've got to go and play.

Q. This is the first time you have strung together three straight wins. All of them this week have been against quality top-25 opponents. What does this do for your confidence?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: I think it's a hell of a draw since the first round. Normally, you know, when you beat -- any tournament when you beat a top 10, or I beat Karolina, she was No. 6 seeded here, you think, like, okay, it's sort of either might be a little easier or open draw, but it got even tougher. It gets tougher and tougher and tougher (smiling).

But again, it's a great tournament. It's great challenges for me. I also have been top-20 player. I know I can be there. Just, okay, I'm not, but it doesn't mean that I cannot beat those players. I haven't been consistent or solid enough lately to be there.

So it was a great challenge for me this week, so it's positive so far but I want to keep improving.

Q. You mentioned just now that you've gone through some difficult challenges this year and last year as well. I wonder if you could kind of elaborate a little bit on that to give us an idea of kind of what your journey has been like for the last couple of seasons.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, well, first of all, the COVID time was definitely didn't play in my favor. For some reason, I had a great start to the year last year, and it put me off completely. Like I have lost my rhythm. I couldn't get back on track after, because I was in lockdown and I was still working out. I got problems with my knees for the first time and I was off. Like the whole year I had knee problem.

So that's also another thing. And then, you know, changes with coaches, I just couldn't build my team around me like the one solid good team. Yeah, those like little things.

Then confidence went obviously down because of all of that. Now, yeah, I had also some tough times, tough draws, and that's it. Little by little it's very important every single detail. Now I'm building up, building back on that, building back on my confidence, trying to work hard and be, you know, positive and be there, be focused. Yeah.

Q. Well, it's paying off now?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, it's paying off a little bit. I'm really happy to be in the quarterfinal, because I don't know when was the last time, probably Australian Open last year.

Yeah, I just like to win. Every win is a nice moment for me. I'm trying to enjoy that.

Q. It's funny because you're 29 years old. For a lot of us you're still the 17-year-old from Indian Wells in our heads.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: To me also. I feel like I'm 17, so all good.

Q. But I'm just kind of curious how different, I guess, this whatever stage of your career is. You know, you're a veteran player now. You've gone through this a bunch of different times. But there is also new challenges that obviously having additional seasons under your belt will bring. So how do you see it?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, absolutely. I have had the rough moment also beginning of this year, because there were a lot of, like you said, I'm used to, so used to always I have been like the youngest one always on tour. Everything was ahead of me.

And, like, I don't know. I was, just, I was there. I was winning matches quite consistently. Okay, maybe I wasn't top 10, but still kind of felt like, Okay, I got this. Maybe not this week but next week.

Then all of a sudden at some point I just came to the point where I thought, okay, you know, maybe I don't belong there anymore. Like, maybe it's time to go. At some point I felt like, I feel a little bit lost. You know, after these COVID times have been tough. Everybody is working so hard. Every girl, I feel like everybody is playing well on tour. Like you've got to -- I wasn't sure, like, am I capable of, you know, beating those top-20 players again or top-10 players? Then you just start to doubt yourself. You doubt the work you're doing.

But yeah. You just don't stop. I just kept going. I said, Okay, you know what? I just wanted to make sure I'm doing the right things. Then when you're doing the right things, time will show. At some point it should pay off and stuff like that.

I'm just happy I have beaten those top-20, top-10 players this week again.

Q. Because there is quite a few players who are in the same boat as you who we would consider, regardless of their ranking, top-20 players on any given day. But as you mentioned and as other players have mentioned, the depth on the tour at this point, it can be difficult when your ranking slides a little bit to kind of climb back up. So many players are playing so well across generations and everything. How much of a challenge has that been? You talk about tough draws, which is totally true. You know, it's tough to get on a run these days.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, well, of course, because we all work hard. Let's say maybe I haven't been working hard enough. But still, like, I'm there every day out there. Then it's like you're, Okay, let's go. This tournament I'm ready. Then you're out first round.

Then, okay, you're trying to, you know, next day you wake up and you're, like, Okay, let's go. I'm motivated again. Let's go work hard. And another tournament, again, you're out first or second round.

Because I have been there for so long and I have been like top-20 player, I know I can be there again, it's just at some point for me ranking points or ranking itself, it doesn't really matter so much. It's just more about, Okay, damn, I want to win titles again. I want to win another title. I want to go out there and put up a fight like I did today, and I want to show that, Okay, you know what? I also can do that, and I also belong there, like I want to -- and even if I lose today, you know, okay, she played amazing. Doesn't matter. We both played amazing today. I think, my opinion, it was a good quality match. Jennifer is finalist of a Grand Slam. You've got to respect that no matter what. She served amazing.

You know, so I think that matters to me more right now than the ranking itself, and of course I want to be higher in the ranking, but at this stage I will take that, just those quality matches.

Q. Although it looked like you were playing on a court tonight where there weren't any fans, there are fans in general in Madrid this week. I was just wondering what does it feel like being able to play in front of crowds again, especially of this size?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Oh, God, that was another thing that, it was another challenge for me. I struggled so badly. I struggled so badly with bubbles and with playing with no crowd.

For some reason, I don't know, it's so important to me. It's such a huge difference to me. Like I played those first two matches with crowd, and it was pretty solid crowd, I have to say, for WTA match, pretty good (smiling). It was good energy.

Today again it just sometimes it feels like a practice match. Usually when I play practice match, I can't be as focused, as fired up as I am at the match, you know.

So my team, they have done a great job in the box, trying to cheer me up and be as loud as they can, because especially like at the beginning of the match, I was, like, almost falling asleep. It was just disaster.

Q. The thing that I had noticed on some of the matches -- well, today, for instance, on some of the courts where there were crowds like Aryna Sabalenka and your fellow Russian, Andrey Rublev, were just thrilled to be able to pose with fans after the matches. I realized this has been a long time, players like to be able to sign autographs.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, I think it also depends on like temper of the players. As you mention those names, and I think including myself, like, we are quite emotional. So we need that energy, that atmosphere.

Some players, maybe they are okay to be without crowd, and because they like, fine, not a big deal, but I think the names you mentioned and including myself, I prefer to have crowd 100%.

Q. Who are you working with right now, then, in terms of your team setup?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, I'm back with my brother.

Q. I thought that was him. I wasn't sure with the mask.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, yeah. I'm super excited. I have always loved working with him since I was 14, since juniors. It's just because at some point he wanted to challenge himself and went back on the tour and he wanted to play some doubles.

But, yeah, I love our combination and always loved working with him. Like it's the only like coach, like it's fun, we work hard. He tells me the truth all the time even when I don't want to hear that.

So like it's a perfect mixed combination. Of course he's my older brother, so we have a lot of fun. Also, I really, one of the few people I can trust and rely on. Whatever he says on court to me, like, I'm just, Right, okay, I got this.

It's so important when you just respect and you believe that person that you're working with. Probably sometimes it was missing with me with the other coaches. I have Russian physio with me here, as well.

Q. Looking ahead, doesn't get easier, either Sakkari or Muchova. Can you just talk about the challenge and how you feel just getting an opportunity to play two players who have pulled off some very big results this year?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, well, first of all, I haven't been in quarterfinal for a while, so I'm actually excited to get another chance, another challenge to play. So that's first.

Actually, no matter who I play against, I'm just like focused more on myself. I have played those players, both of them, actually Kremlin Cup I think two years ago in the same tournament. Both very tricky. So I would say less power than today but a lot of good, like Muchova, amazing hands. She has this guy tennis, I would say, which is very nice tennis. Maria, as well. She's like -- both fighters.

I mean, what can I say? I'm not gonna say it's not gonna get easier or tougher. It's just a good, solid, nice tournament. Good challenges. I'm just excited about another one tomorrow.