ROLAND GARROS

June 8, 2021

Tamara Zidansek

Press Conference

T. ZIDANSEK/P. Badosa

7-5, 4-6, 8-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to be a Grand Slam semifinalist? I also want to ask you about your nerves today. Paula spoke about feeling overwhelmed by nerves, playing at this stage for the first time. I'm wondering how you dealt with that, and were there nerves for you today?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, it feels overwhelming (smiling). It's hard to take it in like this fast, you know. But I'm just trying to focus on my game, on myself.

Yeah, speaking about nerves today, that's exactly what I tried to do. Of course it was a great opportunity for the both of us, you know, to get into the semifinals, but I guess I managed to keep my composure today a little bit better than her. But still, it was a tough battle in the end.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what your expectations were when you arrived here? You hadn't won a match in Paris. You had some tough draws. You get a top-10 seed in the first round. How did you see this event at the start of it? As things started to play through, when did it start to click for you and the idea come for you of this could be something special here?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, winning the first round was a big breakthrough for me. I got a lot of confidence from that.

I mean, before the tournament I was feeling really good. I was playing good, especially on clay. Had some good matches.

So, yeah, when it started to click? I don't know. I just kept going match by match. Every day is a chapter for itself, you know. I'm just gonna keep doing that and hope for the best.

Q. This also means, apart from reaching the semifinal here at Roland Garros, you're probably going to get into the top 50, and that means you will have a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. I would like to understand if you have thought about this possibility and what it means for you.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, top 50 has, like -- first plan was to get into the top 100. The second is to get into top 50. So this is, like, I'm really happy with that.

I have officially said that I will not be going to the Olympics this year. That was before I even made the cut. But I decided not to go. I mean, with this whole COVID situation, it's going to be different Olympics. Still, it's, I mean, not everyone gets to go to the Olympics, but, you know, there will be another chance in Paris, right, in three years now. So I'm looking forward to that. But, yeah, this year I'm not going.

Q. Could you take us through a little bit your mindset at the 6-All game in the third set when you faced the breakpoints and what you were sort of thinking inside? Were you thinking, I've got to be aggressive more than usual? Take us through your thoughts there.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, you know, at that point you just kind of fight for your life, I guess. I just knew I had to keep going for it. So, yeah, I would say that my mindset was stay focused, be aggressive.

I knew that I can do a lot of damage with my forehand. I've just got to get into the right position. That's exactly what I managed to do.

Q. I wanted to ask about your forehand. To me, it seemed like it was the dominant shot in the match. Last week you said that you developed it bit by bit. I was wondering, how has that shot developed over the years? At what point did you feel kind of it was capable of kind of dominating a top player like Badosa in the way you did today?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, I mean, I have always liked my forehand. It's always been my favorite shot. It's developed first in consistency and not just power, and also consistency, you have to -- it's not enough that you just play one winner now and then. You also have to be consistent and keep going for those winners.

So, yeah, that's what we were working on. It's showing now.

Q. Your mum is a judge and your dad is a school teacher. How do you think your mum will judge your performance today? How many marks out of 10 will you get from your dad?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, my mom is really happy obviously. Well, she hasn't judged my performance yet, but I guess she's really happy. So is my dad, you know.

Yeah, they have been my greatest supports since the start, you know. They gave it all for me. And my brother. Yeah, they are amazing, you know.

Q. Who is in Paris kind of supporting you? Obviously coach, but friends, family, whoever, if you could just kind of give us insight into that. Also a related question about your family, you pursuing sports. You know, when your mom is a judge and your dad is a school teacher, what has their reaction always been about you wanting to pursue this line of career? What has been the best advice they have given you?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Here with me, well, it's just my coach, my psychologist. That was the starting team that came. Now another guy came who is also part of my team and helps me.

I haven't spoken, like, about the details yet, but I think my mom and dad are going to come now, and my boyfriend as well. So that's going to be good. The guys from my tennis association came today.

So, yeah, it feels good that I'm getting the support from all parts of the, like, tennis association, my family, also friends.

What was the second question?

THE MODERATOR: About you following sports.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, well, my mom and dad, they were both musicians, let's say, playing instruments. So my mom said that she tried to, like, give me instruments, like guitar, blah, blah, blah, and I always chose a soccer ball, and, like, balls, any balls.

So I was always looking for sports, something to do outside. They have always been supportive, you know. They always said, If this is what you want, whatever you want, basically. So they were always supportive about that.

Q. I'd like to know, you have probably been asked many times about Mima Jausovec. Do you have any relationship with her? Do you know her well? Do you know her results, what she won? Maybe you don't know that when she won Rome, she had the prize money, and she went to celebrate doing shopping in Rome and it was stolen, the money that she had got five minutes before, half hour before.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: I didn't know that. No, I didn't know that. I met her once, so I don't know her, like, really well. But we had, during COVID last year, things in Slovenia were quite okay. We gathered all the players -- juniors, WTA, ATP players -- and we did like a Laver Cup kind of thing. It was called Mima Jausovitz (phonetic), like after her.

She was there. That's when I met her. Yeah, of course I know her result about winning Roland Garros and everything. Yeah, she's a legend of the sport in Slovenia.

Q. Who is your favorite Slovenian athlete? What is the secret to Slovenian success? 2 million people and all these great athletes.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, I like basketball, NBA, so, I mean, I'm gonna go for the obvious one, Doncic and Dragic, you know. I guess worldwide known names, you know.

We also have cyclists, Pogacar and Roglic, who were first and second here in Paris. We had Tina Maze, who was one of the best skiers in the world.

I'm probably forgetting a few, but, you know, Slovenia is a small country, but we have a lot of good athletes.

Q. We don't know obviously as to who you're going to be playing next. Right now Rybakina has taken the first 7-6. Can you talk about each of the two players, first if you could speak about playing Elena, and then if you could also address separately speaking about Anastasia.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, obviously both great players. I have played against Rybakina once on hard court, but it's gonna be a different match. It's the semifinals of a Grand Slam. So, yeah, completely different match.

I mean, both of their game styles are similar, I would say. They are both going for their shots from both sides aggressive. So it's going to be a tough match for me. I need to stay focused, and I need to be able to confuse them with my game, to run out a lot of balls, put a lot of balls back, and try and be aggressive and not let them get the initiative on the points. Yeah, a tough match.

Q. You mentioned that your psychologist has been there with you since the start and you're studying psych at IU East and everything. Can you talk about that aspect of your game, how much and how far do you feel like you've come and how much work have you put into that aspect of it? What have been, like, the biggest maybe changes that you see in terms of learning about psychology and also engaging with it as a professional athlete that has allowed you to maybe, you know, help get you this result?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, I have always been super interested in, like, what people think, you know, how does it work. Yeah, he's helped me a lot, you know. Once you get to this stage, it's all about mental game. It's about believing that you can go out there. It's not like you can hit the ball harder or, you know, that you can run faster.

Okay, maybe you can improve a little bit in that, but it's about believing. Yeah, just self-confidence, trying to compose yourself in the tough situations and just keep fighting, you know. That takes a lot of mental preparation and a lot of energy. He's helped me a lot with that.