ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2021

Clara Tauson

Press Conference

C. TAUSON/E. Gorgodze

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just first of all talk through the match today. How did you feel about your performance, and how does it feel to be back?

CLARA TAUSON: It feels really nice to be back. It's a really nice place, good courts, of course, and I feel quite comfortable here, so it was nice. I think a lot of things worked today. I was serving really well today, and yeah, just hit my shots, and it was working today, so I was happy about that.

Q. What's your mindset going into Roland Garros this year? Is it any different than how you may have felt obviously last year or any time you've played a big event?

CLARA TAUSON: Yeah, last year I was a qualifier. I was just happy to be here. Of course I'm still happy to be here, but now I want to win some matches and play some good tennis and see how far it goes.

Q. It's been a tough couple of weeks with the injury. How are you feeling physically and what was the recovery process like for you?

CLARA TAUSON: I feel pretty good. The recovery was pretty fast. Thankfully it wasn't the knee specifically, it was some muscles around it, so it was healing pretty fast.

Yeah, it's been a tough couple of weeks. I haven't really gotten the matches I wanted to. Today I was just going out there with the mindset of playing my game and see what happens.

Q. How tough was that for you emotionally to have such a great start to the year, win your first title, and then get hurt really just before the clay court season got underway?

CLARA TAUSON: It was pretty difficult. I have never retired from a match before, so I was really sad about that, and the fact that I couldn't play my best in Charleston, so it was tough mentally. Yeah, coming back I just tried to get over it and start working again.

Q. You play a really aggressive game. What kind of adjustments do you make to play as well on clay as you do on hard courts or indoor?

CLARA TAUSON: I think maybe sometimes I change my game too much. Yeah, here the courts are a little bit faster, which I really like compared to other European clay courts. I'm really comfortable here because it suits my game and my serve and everything. I'm just trying to play aggressive and then I make more mistakes on clay, and it's more mental. I think I have to prepare for clay because I know I make more mistakes.

Q. What do you make of the return to the sort of Grand Slam atmosphere? Last year there weren't a lot of people in the stands, now there's a bit more. How nice is that and how is it helping you on the court?

CLARA TAUSON: It was really nice today. Some Danish people also were there. It was really nice to have people clapping actually when you play a good point. Sometimes it's a little depressing when no one is clapping when you win a good point.

It was a really nice atmosphere.

Q. You've mentioned that you're a player who really likes to follow along with the tour and the results. When you weren't playing those weeks were you keeping up with the results and was there anything that surprised you or that you wanted to keep an eye on?

CLARA TAUSON: Yeah, of course I follow everything. Surprises happen every week, so I think now I learn more and more, that is surprise, it's more normal, because first round, second round, it's always really difficult also for top players. I don't get too surprised anymore, I think.