ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2021

Tamara Zidansek

Press Conference

T. ZIDANSEK/K. Siniakova

0-6, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just talk about the match, first of all? How did you feel you played? How were you able to kind of bounce back after that first set?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, I mean, you know, tennis is played best of two [sic] for women. So it's good. That's good.

Yeah, I mean, I felt good, but I don't know, at the beginning I just felt like the conditions were different to what they were before. It was rainy. It was a little bit heavy, humid.

So, yeah, I just needed to kind of adjust to it. It was a thin line. Once I got the first game in the second set, I kind of got the hang of it. We were still pretty close in the second. Yeah, once I managed to get the tiebreak, I was starting to feel really comfortable out there.

Q. It just seems like, you know, especially after the first set, looked like you were comfortable out there, a lot of intention behind what you're trying to do. Seems like your game is very clear in your head right now of how you want to play. Do you think that's an accurate assessment of how you're playing in Paris this year?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, for sure. Exactly like you said. I'm following my game. I know what I have to do out there.

Of course you have to adjust it to the opponent a little bit, but not too much. You know, you're out there and you're just trying to play your best game. So that's what I'm trying to do.

Q. How much confidence did that win over Bianca, whether it was because it was against Bianca or the way that you were able to do it because it was such a tight, high-stress, long match, what was the confidence you took out of that match that you feel like you're applying in this first week so far?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: It's definitely a confidence boost to know that you can play against a top-10 player and win at a major tournament in the first round, and especially when it goes the distance.

Yeah, it's good. You know, I prepared for that match the same way I did today, and I'm just going to keep doing that.

Q. What does it mean for you to make the round of 16 for the first time?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, it means a lot. I have been working for this my whole life. I hope I can keep on going.

Q. I have talked to you about the snowboarding thing before, but one question I have never asked and I couldn't find, I think, is what discipline of snowboarding were you best at? Because we were having a debate as to whether or not you were like a Chloe Kim half-piper or a boardercrosser or...

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, I was driving boardercross.

Q. You did boardercross? That's intense.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah. Well, I was really young, you know, but still...

It's not like -- when you're that young, it's not like when you see at the Olympics or where four people go down at the same time. It was just me.

Q. Okay. That makes more sense. Fair enough. Looking ahead, playing either Sorana or Dasha Kasatkina, can you just talk about the challenges that each opponent might present for you?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, they are both in great form. Sorana just had won a WTA tournament in Istanbul, and Daria also at the beginning of the year in Australia. They are both having great results now. So I'm going to let them do their thing and then see who wins and prepare for the match as best as I can.

Q. How does your belief increase with each match here? You have never been this far at a Grand Slam before. You can still go farther. How are you feeling in terms of your confidence or your expectations or belief or any of that at this tournament?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, I'm feeling good. Each win is a step forward in my career. But I'm just trying to focus on me, on my game. So far it's working.

Q. After starting a tournament with such a big match, long match, and a big win over a player like Andreescu, what do you do to stop yourself from having a letdown? A lot of times players have a hard time following up a big result like that.

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, I have had some opportunities in the past, and my career has always been, like, progressing slowly and slowly, like building a house. It was never like I was 16 years old and I just did one result.

I have to work for everything, so I guess that kind of made a solid ground for me being able to not have that letdown.

Q. If your career was a house, what kind of house would it be?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Oh, my God. Burj Khalifa. It's the highest building.

Q. What were your goals when you were a kid growing up when you decided to choose tennis over snowboarding? What were you hoping would be possible for yourself in tennis?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Well, first of all, I chose tennis because I was really cold snowboarding. Oh, my God, I don't like the cold weather at all.

Q. How did you even start snowboarding?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, you know, first I skied. But we lived like 20 minutes away from a ski resort. It was just normal for us to go there every weekend.

Goals? I don't know. I just love the sport, I guess. It was fun to do at first, and then I saw an opportunity to make something out of this, you know. So I just went for it, I guess.

Q. Did you have sort of thoughts on what you could make out of it? What were your...

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: At the beginning we definitely set up a long-term plan for where we wanted to get, you know. Right now we're getting there (smiling).

Q. Do you live anywhere warmer now?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: If I live anywhere warmer?

Q. Do you still live up in the mountains?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: We actually don't live up in the mountains. It's just like, I don't know, the altitude where I live is like 300 meters.

But, no, I still live in, like, when I'm home I live in Slovenia but I'm also from Qatar, so yeah.

Q. How much did the final in Bogota to start your clay season with a result like that, do you feel like that kind of kick-started what we're seeing now?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, for sure. I was going through a rough time, let's say, tennis-wise, last year. It was tough because I do need some sort of a consistency with matches, and I didn't get a chance to, like, get that last year with the COVID and everything. So this year has definitely been more helpful with that.

With Australia, playing matches, getting the rhythm, and then when we switched to clay and went to Bogota, I really liked the conditions there actually with the altitude. So that was definitely a big confidence boost to go into the clay court season.

Q. With a slam, there is off days. There is a lot of free time in a slam if you're generally in the draw. So what do you do to kill the time between your rounds and matches so far?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: You would think there is a lot of time, but it's like the day just goes by. It disappears.

But, no, I have doubles. I'm doing school. So not enough time, I would say.

Q. What kind of school are you doing?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: I'm doing Bachelor in psychology through WTA.

Q. The Indiana University one?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah.

Q. This tournament, we just today had the No. 3 lose, Sabalenka, and No. 1 and 2 are both out of the tournament. Does that sort of thing at all increase your excitement for possibilities of a tournament when you're still there and a lot of top players are already out?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Yeah, I mean, I guess it opens up the draw a little bit more, but even in these times with women's tennis, I think it's an open draw anyways.

Q. Is there anyone else who is still in the draw who you think is particularly formidable besides yourself?

TAMARA ZIDANSEK: Everyone is (smiling).