THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2021

Viktorija Golubic

Press Conference

V. GOLUBIC/M. Keys

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First and foremost, talk through today's match. What do you think was the key in terms of getting that win?

VIKTORIJA GOLUBIC: Well, first of all, is very, very exciting to be through. I mean, it's so special now to be in the quarterfinals.

I think, you know, it was a bit of everything today, which was important. So I was very solid like in all my shots basically, but also I think that I was returning her serves well. Was really important, because if she starts serving well, you cannot really do a lot.

Then on some point I was reading her serve a bit and made some good returns. I think that was very important. And also the fact that I was serving quite solid today, as well.

Q. You have had a fantastic season, best season of your career so far even before this. At what point did you feel this year that the confidence in your game and the composure on court kind of really started to change for you and you were able to get some of your best tennis out on court consistently?

VIKTORIJA GOLUBIC: Yeah, I feel like, you know, especially mentally that I feel that I am more I think confident in my skills and actually, like, realizing more what I can do on court.

So while I'm playing, I think I can just be more focused on my part of the game. This is something what I think I have improved mentally a lot, yeah.

Q. Do you chalk up your improvement and getting these sorts of results to just purely, you know, kind of the confidence and the mental improvement? Or what do you point to as maybe the trigger to get a result like this?

VIKTORIJA GOLUBIC: Well, you know, to get a result like this is not like -- I think you have to realize that you cannot force anything and you cannot control anything. Well, I have been playing for a long time now, so I have a kind of experience.

Also, I'm kind of, you know, at some point of my career where I have been through a lot, so I think that the key is that you learn to or you understand that you're not really, like, controlling something or, you know, you need to perform well or you need to get this point or whatever. It's more like to really be more clear in your head, like what your skills are and how you want to play. And then like focus more on that and then the result is, you know, what happens.

So it can be on some points in the match, you know, it can go either way. Then when you just try or want it too much, then you can be frozen up a little bit. I think this is something that I'm doing really well here, that I'm really relaxed and still very clear in my head what I want to do.

Q. In the first round we said good-bye at Wimbledon to one one-handed backhand with Carla Suarez Navarro, and now we have one into the quarterfinals. Wonder if you could just talk about how proud you are to have that shot in your arsenal, because it is so rare in the women's game, and what a difference having that shot might make for you on the grass in particular?

VIKTORIJA GOLUBIC: Yeah, I mean, when I was around 11 or 12 when my coach at that time, he decided that I should switch to one-handed, forehand and backhand, because I was double handed both. I know that half a year, like when we tried, I basically didn't hit one ball over the net. I was pretty good under 12, so I was kind of killing him. I was, like, Why do I have to do this?

But couple years later, I realized, Oh, it might be quite good. But I had to, like it was a process, because at the beginning I didn't have a lot of power, so it was tough to, you know, get the timing right, because they could really attack my backhand. Then now it's my best shot, I would say.

So from this point I'm kind of proud with this process. Also, I think it just, you know, it gives me some variety on the court. I think the slice and the dropshot are a little bit better with it, as well. And it's also, for me personally, is way more fun playing with one-handed than with two-handed, because I feel like you can do nothing with both hands.

But, like, this is really cool. And for grass it's perfect, I think.