THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 29, 2021

Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Press Conference

A. SASNOVICH/S. Williams

3-3 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just talk about the match as you saw it progress? Obviously there's wasn't very much play, only six games. When did you notice Serena maybe wasn't physically great? What were your thoughts as the match ended?

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: It's very sad for me, honestly, when your opponent feel bad. You know, she's a great champion, and it's sad story.

Q. Had you been looking forward to being against Serena on Centre? I know you like big stages.

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: I was happy to play against her. I think it's luck, you know, to play against Serena. She's a great champion. She has a lot of slams.

It was a dream of my dad. He dreamed for eight years in a row, he just wrote me before the match, that I would play with Serena in Wimbledon, and, yeah, it's happens. Of course I wanted to play the full match, but it's tennis. It's happens. It's injury. Yeah.

Of course I was ready to play 100% today. I was ready mentally. I was ready strategically. I was ready physically, of course, like, I was thinking before the match just go and enjoy the tennis, enjoy the atmosphere. Because I love England. I love the public. They are really understanding. They really understand tennis, yeah.

And just enjoying. I'm just enjoying to play there.

Q. I don't think that was your first time on Centre Court. Did you play Petra on Centre Court before?

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: I played on first court against her. But it's really interesting. 2018, I played the first round against Kvitova, '19 against Halep, first rounds. And now against Serena. It's like high-level players in the first round. 2-1, I lost just to Halep. So not bad result.

Q. Can you just talk about what your confidence level was like coming into Wimbledon? Where do you feel your game is? Now that you're in the second round, how confident are you that you can continue to be on a roll?

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: I could say that grass is one of my favorite surfaces, because it's match very good with my style. I can serve like slice, I can move very well, my legs are really on a good level, like I'm moving fast.

Yeah, I'm in a good shape. I prepared at home for, like, one week on grass court, but -- not grass court but similar, and I came here 17th, so I should play qually. I was first out from main draw. So I was here from 17th. Can you imagine? I was waiting for the match 10 or 11 days. Crazy. That's first time for me that's to wait so long.

Q. How did you find the court conditions today in terms of if they were slippery or not out there? Serena fell obviously or had some slips, and Mannarino in the match before you retired with injury.

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: Yeah, it was very slippery, I felt, as well. When she did the angle, I couldn't run because it was so slippery. But, okay, it's same for everyone.

Q. As you are preparing for Wimbledon and you're in the bubble, I'm curious, and I have to ask you because of Brisbane, but have you been able to find mushroom risotto, have you been able to find the food that you need to fuel a deep run here in Wimbledon?

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: Yeah, I tried to eat more fish. It's really good fish in the restaurant in the hotel.

Of course in the morning I eat Nutella. Without Nutella, it's not possible to start the day.

The food is really good here. You know, you can choose and you can enjoy some nice desserts, or you can order by Uber some food I know the players order. For me, fish in the evening, it's fish with rice. It's really good.

Q. Here at Wimbledon, you keep saying you love the English public, you love, you know, the tournament, all that sort of stuff. Can you explain why and when you came to feel this way about the country and about the people?

ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH: Yeah, when I came here, when I played against Kvitova. But I see, like, compared to other countries, I will not say which countries, but compared to other countries, I can see that people really understand tennis. Yeah, they understand tennis on the high level.

Yeah, I love Australian. They understand as well. And English. It's two of my favorite nations. Like nations who understand, you know. It's not like the -- they understand very well. Tennis countries.