ROLAND GARROS

June 10, 2021

Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova

Press Conference

A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA/T. Zidansek

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you think you've proved more to yourself or to the people by reaching your first Grand Slam here at Roland Garros?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Sorry, what was the question again, please?

Q. Do you think you've proved more to yourself or to other people by getting through to the final?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, no, it's definitely for myself. There are no people, nobody. I was playing that last game I was serving for, I was totally in my zone, focusing. I'm here right now. I know what I have to do. Definitely it's totally for myself, yeah.

Q. At the end you didn't show a lot of emotion. You seemed to be pretty level and calm on the court. Was that deliberate, something that because the job's not done? What's in your mind?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Because at that time that's what I felt. I'm not this kind of person to celebrate and make it because I have to do it. I do it by nature. Like whatever I feel at that particular moment, that's how I felt, so that's how I celebrated at that moment.

Yeah, but it doesn't mean anything. I'm extremely happy, of course. My first major final, so nothing to do with it.

Q. Are you aware you broke a record today by reaching the final in your 52nd major? Took you longer than any other player. It puts you in a category with some great players like Francesca Schiavone, Roberta Vinci. A lot of us see it as a big inspiration, so do you like that part of it, that it's taken you a while but that you finally found a way to make it?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Thank you for telling me this. I don't really read any news, not following anything, so I didn't know. Of course, good to know. I'm happy to be among those great players, to join that club.

But like, yeah, I would love to go further and to get more. I'm happy, but I still focused and I feel like I can do better maybe. That's what I want at least.

Definitely trying to soak this in and enjoy as much as possible this very special moment for me.

Q. What do you think 14-year-old you would have said if she knew everything that was going to happen over the next 15 years?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: 14-year-old me would tell me, like, What took you so long?

It's tough to really talk about it right now. I don't know. It's been a long road. I had my own long special road. Everybody has different ways. I don't know. I'm just happy I'm in the final. Trying to enjoy. Yeah, try to do better.

Q. Can you recall when you might have first imagined yourself winning a Grand Slam trophy? When did it seem like something achievable and realistic to aim for?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Like this something I've been thinking about every single time. I think as tennis players, that's the only goal I think we have in the head. That's why we playing tennis. That's for us the biggest achievement you can get. That's what you playing for, I think, of course.

I think about it all the time. Like been thinking about it since I was a junior, since I was a little kid, since I started playing tennis. That's what you playing for. That's what you want. It's been there in my head forever.

Q. I thought you were really solid today, like you broke down her backhand really well. How did you approach a match like this against a lower-ranked player, you have more experience?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yes, definitely it was a bit tougher because you think, Okay, I'm ranked higher, whatever. For both of us, it was the first semifinal. It definitely was a lot of mental game going on there, for sure.

But in the end of the day, I tried to stay in the match every point. I had my tactic. I knew what I had to do. So just the discipline. I was trying to follow the discipline simply.

I didn't feel great today. I actually felt I was a bit negative on myself because I thought I expected myself playing better. I just didn't feel like I was playing good. I don't know why. So I was not really enjoying.

In the end of the day you want to win, so you stay there every point, you're doing what you have to do.

Q. How do you prepare between now and Saturday? What do you do? When do you really start thinking about the final?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, I'll just take it easy. I'll do my routines, practice a bit and prepare the next match by tomorrow, of course. Right now we'll enjoy a little bit with my friends and my team and recover.

So unfortunately or fortunately I don't have doubles tomorrow because we lost yesterday, big three-set match, which also took a lot of energy out of me. Wanted to be still in doubles because I kind of like these routines we had with Elena. We always warmed up together, it was fun.

But, yeah, it is what it is. Maybe it's time to, yeah, focus on the final tomorrow.

Q. You talked about being at the junior level and dreaming of these Grand Slams. Did you think the road would be a little easier to get to a Grand Slam final once you turned professional?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Oh, I don't know. I didn't think anything. I don't know. It's tough to say. Like it's been a long road. It's been a lot of ups and downs. It's been a tough one.

I definitely didn't expect this year being in the final. I guess you can't expect those things. I was just there working hard, doing everything possible. I just said to myself, You know what, this year let's do whatever it takes, anything you can do to improve your game, your mentality. Started working with a sports psychologist, everything. Just I wanted to give it a try so I have no regrets after. That's it.

Q. It's been a long road. Just talk about some of the doubts you may have had over the years and how you've dealt with them.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, I had a lot of doubts because, like, let's say I could beat a lot -- not a lot, but top-10 players and make the quarterfinal of a major. I was very close to semifinals couple times, but then it wouldn't happen. It was just up and down in terms of results.

But I feel like I'm there, I can beat those players, but the consistency is off, something is always off. This, it was tough to deal with. I'm like, Okay, I feel I'm here. Then no. Then again I'm here, then something. Those little puzzles were not coming together every time.

I guess, yeah, maybe I had a lot of expectations, as well, that I couldn't deal with over the years. Yeah, it's been a lot of things there, different things.