ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2021

Mackenzie McDonald

Press Conference

M. MCDONALD/E. Ruusuvuori

4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you analyze this match, and how do you think about your next rival, Cristian Garin?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, today was a tough battle. Happy I got a couple matches with the qualifying and played well today. I thought my opponent played really well today, too, so it was a battle. Happy I snuck out with that third and closed it out in the fourth.

Yeah, with Garin, known him for a very long time, so it's going to be a tough battle, and I'm not sure when we're going to play, but I'll prepare for it.

Q. Clay your favorite surface now, I guess, right?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah (smiling).

Q. What for you is left in your mind, or is it not at all what happened a couple years ago there at Roland Garros?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Oh, no, it's for sure -- actually yesterday was two years when it happened, so yeah, I was messaging Reilly about it and my physio Wolf. No, it definitely creeps in sometimes, but I don't have any fears from it, but it's been such an impactful thing in my career, so I'm just super happy. I was thinking about it yesterday, I was like, wow, okay, I'm back in the main draw, my ranking is kind of almost there, in the right direction, so I'm happy I made it back within two years from that with that injury plus COVID.

I'm just happy that I'm back.

Q. At this point you win, you're in the next round. How do you calibrate at this point in your career your goals, I guess both in terms of what you think you can achieve and what you will be happy achieving at this point?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, I think goals are always changing for sure. It's just really tough right now just because again, I need to play like a full year of tennis, and I need to see my ranking where it actually is. It's really tough to know exactly where I'm at. I'm trying to look at the race and compare myself there. But again, I'm trying to play consistently for a year again and then I can set some more performance goals like that.

But in terms of game and improvements, I've been working really hard, and I've put in the work. That's showing, so maybe that's more important, and the rest will take care of itself.

Q. In terms of rankings, tennis is an unusual sport in the sense that you always have that sort of black-and-white thing there written next to your name of sort of where you rate in the scheme of things. How much over the course of your career have you paid attention to rankings, and is that something that -- I'm interested sort of in the psychology of each match as sort of an easy, not necessarily accurate, sort of way of knowing who should win, quote-unquote, and who should lose, quote-unquote, based on the numbers next to each of your games. Just wondering how much does that factor in for you?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: I feel like maybe more when I started out. Coming out of college, it was kind of the same thing. I was hitting career highs every week just because I wasn't playing a full schedule and then I got to and then I got to see my actual ranking, and then it's hitting marks for getting into tournaments, to be honest.

You know, even now I'm not looking at rankings like oh, I've got to get here or there. I'm more focused on improving. But in terms of okay, I need to sign up for Roland Garros and I'm 40 on the race but I'm 120 in the rankings, I can't get into Wimbledon, that's where I'm looking at rankings more so is getting into tournaments.

Once you get into the top 100, that's a big milestone, and once you get into the top 50, you get into the Masters main draws. I think getting top 50 is something I haven't done but was close to doing. Maybe that's my next goal. You've got to go step by step. But all that is whatever compared to getting better.

Q. In terms of going through qualifying, can that be an advantage of having a few days and a few matches under your belt? Obviously you'd rather not have to go through that to get into the main draw, but is there something to getting a little momentum there, getting time on the courts, match time on-site at an event?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, a hundred percent. A hundred percent it helps playing quallies if you can get through. Quallies matches are all tough. Every player is good, and it's a dogfight. I'm very happy I got three good wins and got through, took care of business there, and definitely helped me prepare today, helped me when I qualified for Australia. I haven't played a qually since 2018 Australia.

Yeah, I felt more ready probably today because of it.

Q. Is it at all a surprise -- you used the word "dogfight" -- surprised isn't the right question, but if I could ask you to describe the intensity of that because of all that's at stake in that sort of mini-tournament to get access to the money, the ranking points and everything else in the main draw?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Sorry, what was it?

Q. How would you describe that -- you used the word "dogfight." What the intensity is like knowing this is sort of a mini-tournament to get into the main draw and all of the money, the ranking points, prestige that are at stake if you can get through that qualifying. Just wondering about the mindset, the atmosphere, the intensity of qualifying.

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, it's high. Everyone wants to be in the main draw Grand Slam. The Grand Slams are why you play. I think everyone really prepares for these events because it's the highest money that we have for the year, and everyone is gearing for it and ready to go.

Q. There was that stat recently about first week in the men's ATP rankings without anyone from the U.S. in the top 30. It's an arbitrary number, but made the rounds, made some news when I guess it was Taylor slipped one spot out of there. I'm wondering, I talked to Taylor about it, I talked to Reilly about it. I just want to ask you when you hear that, does it bother you? Do you not care? Is it a bummer? Wondering what your reaction is to that stat. And then I talked to them also about this sort of group of guys in their 20s from the U.S. that does seem to be moving up the ranks in the right direction.

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, I didn't think about it much, to be honest. That's about it.

Q. The idea that there is a group, Reilly, Taylor, Frances, yourself, Tommy, Seb Korda, guys in their 20s who have shown the potential to and maybe can make a push for the U.S. in men's tennis, do you see that as an objective for the group to kind of rise through it together?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, I like seeing some of the guys up there. It pushes me to get up there, too. I think even Sebby doing well. I think that's good for all of us to see, and we're going to keep pushing, too. Yeah.

Q. From a northern California perspective, you know since the days of Gilbert almost pretty much through to your Wimbledon run it was kind of tough going. I think it was yesterday or maybe it was before, you got into quallies, Jenson got into quallies and down in Florida Sam Riffice from Sacramento won the NCAAs. Pretty good day for northern California. Just talk about that; what does it show? Does that mean much to you?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, no, I mean, super proud of being from the Bay Area and of those guys. I mean, I've seen Jenson a lot -- I don't really know him too well. He's a lot younger than me, but I've seen him around and we say hi and stuff. Sam I know pretty well because I've been out at Lake Nona training at the same place and I texted him after he won and he texted me back. It's super exciting that he got that title and the team title.

Yeah, I mean, I'm a proud NorCal guy, so definitely want to see NorCal do well, and I think with me, I think Jenson is going to do some great things and hopefully Sam, we'll see what he decides with -- I think he's still a junior, so we'll see what he goes with, but I think hopefully he can have a good career, too.

Q. I wanted to ask about Sam's game because he's largely been in Florida. Just a brief comment about his game, winning both the team and individual, kinda cool, and just talk about that.

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: Yeah, I played with him quite a bit. I didn't see any of the matches. I hit with him a couple times in December. I mean, he'll definitely -- he's definitely playing well and confident right now, so that's awesome to see. I remember being there, and obviously you want to come out and prove your point on the pro tour, so hopefully he can keep developing, but I can't speak on it. I haven't seen him play lately.

Q. Any comment on Brooksby? I believe he saved match points to get through. Any thoughts on the fighting spirit, good backhand, what are your thoughts?

MACKENZIE MCDONALD: I think he fights really hard, so it's pretty cool to see. I think that's a really strong attribute of him. We'll see him doing that quite a bit.