ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2021

Paula Badosa

Press Conference

P. BADOSA/L. Davis

6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I was wondering, do you feel any extra pressure this year because of your success on clay? Obviously you have done well at Roland Garros last year.

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I don't feel an extra pressure. I think you always have pressure in Grand Slam because you want to do it well here.

I think today it was a tough match. Lauren played quite good. In the beginning, well, the conditions were a little bit different. The court was quite fast, so I needed a little bit of time to get used to it.

Of course I was a little bit nervous. Always the first matches are tough, but I'm happy with my performance. I'll keep looking forward and let's see the next matches how it goes.

Q. Can you just tell us how you felt this morning before the match? Were you excited? Were you nervous? And what did you enjoy most about your win?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I think it was a little bit of everything: excited, nervous. I think feeling nervous it's good sometimes because it's that you care about you want to win. Yeah, I was feeling a little bit of both emotions.

On court there was a tough match. I enjoyed, but of course it was a tension match as well. I think she played a very good level so it was quite tight.

In the second set it was tight all the second set, and then I think I played a pretty good tiebreak. So I'm quite happy the way that I finished the match.

Q. Can you tell us what your reaction was to finding out that you were going to be seeded at Roland Garros for the first time at a major? What do you think is the impact of that for you?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I think the good part that you're seeded is that you're in a good ranking, so I'm happy about that and on my improvement.

Then about that I'm seeded, well, of course it's important, but as well you have really tough matches since the beginning of the tournament in a Grand Slam, so I always say that maybe you're playing a girl that maybe on the paper you're the favorite but then she plays an amazing level, and it can happen the other way.

So you never know. Every opponent is tough, so I think the level, it's getting very hard every time, every match.

Yeah, I'm happy that I'm seeded because I'm in a good ranking, but as well I expect every hard match and every match very tough.

Q. A question about your success at Roland Garros last year. Did the fact that you did so well there change your mentality about how you can have success against the top players? Because clearly you have done this this year beating Ash Barty and recording several other big wins.

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I'm going day by day. I think I improved on everything since last Roland Garros. I have worked very well in the preseason with my new team. I'm very happy with them. I'm feeling good on and off court, so I think that's very important as well.

I think my improvement is a little bit that, that improving every day a little bit of everything. Mentally, physically, my tennis, it's improving day by day and I'm feeling well.

That's what I'm saying. I'm feeling well on and off court, and I think that's a little bit my improvement and my success here now on clay court.

Q. When you won some big points today you had some big fist pumps, and I was wondering when you punch your arm in the air if it's important for you to keep high energy and feel like you've got lots of positive momentum.

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I'm a quite energetic player. I like to play like that. I like to feel pumped, and I like when the crowd is pumped, as well, because I get more motivated.

So, yeah, I like to play like that. I like to play active, (indiscernible) aggressive, so that helps me as well.

Q. You spoke about your own expectations kind of being the same despite your great form and being seeded. I'm just wondering whether you're aware of this sort of attention you're getting for your good form. Are you able to block that out and treat this as just another treatment, or do you really lean into that?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I think that the most proud of myself that I am is all that things that I'm being able to block all that things, all that expectations.

I'm just focused on being better every day, on practicing, on the things that I have to improve on court, off court, and not listening too much on the expectations or not paying attention on that, so I'm quite proud that I'm doing that and I'm doing it quite well. So, yeah.

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about your work with Javier and why things have clicked so well with you with him and what are some of the specific improvements that you feel you have made in the last year?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I think he has a big part of all this. He's helping me so much since the beginning, since we started at Roland Garros last year. He made my team since we started, like team since zero, my physically, my mentally. So we started to improve very much, to work hard.

As he says, he always says to me, You never know how I'm gonna play, so you never know if you're gonna play better one day or another. He only says, Give your 100%, that's the most important.

That's what I'm doing every day. Of course one day I serve better or I have my forehand it's working better, my backhand, or I'm moving better. At least the things on that we work on is to give 100% and that's what I'm doing, and I think that's why I'm improving like that.