WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 15, 2021

Caty McNally

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. This is going to be your third appearance in singles here in your hometown and I think your fourth in doubles. Does it feel a little different now that you've done this dance a few times? Do you feel more like a veteran coming home to this tournament now than you did before?

CATY McNALLY: For sure, yeah. I mean, now I have a little bit more experience playing at home. I think everyone handles the situation differently. Some people really thrive playing at home. Some people get very anxious. It just takes time to kind of get used to that, having everyone there.

For me, that was kind of the case, just getting used to it each year, knowing that there were all these people watching me, and just not putting too much pressure on myself.

So this year I'm just excited to be back in Cincinnati. With everything that's happened in the past year, I'm just grateful I get to be back here and not going to take it for granted, because now all my friends and family can be here to support me.

Q. You mentioned that pressure. In a sense, is it almost harder to play in your hometown, a little bit more difficult because there are so many people you know? I know you always want to win, but I can imagine that you want to win a little bit more here.

CATY McNALLY: For sure. I mean, you always want to do well for your city. You know, my family comes out, all my closest friends. So of course I really want to do well not only for myself but for them and just to have them there and experience it with me.

But I think I have kind of learned to put that to the side and just focus on myself, focus on the little things, because if not, I'll get caught up in everything else and my head will start going to a million different directions. I just know with knowing who I am and how I work, it's important to just stay within myself and just do what I do best.

Q. Did you come to this tournament often? Also, did your family come to this tournament often when you were younger?

CATY McNALLY: Yeah, so ever since I could walk, I mean, I started playing tennis when I was three years old, and the Western & Southern has been here for a long time. Been coming every single year since I was a little girl.

I have very close family friends that would always let me sit in their box right when you walk onto center court, and I just remember trying to get anyone's autograph, trying to get a picture with anyone, just sneaking up to the front like before match point waiting for the match to be over.

Yeah, I pretty much grew up here, spent every single day all day on-site and just loved being here. It's awesome to be back here playing now, and it just shows that I dreamed of doing this and I have worked so hard and I'm here. I'm not done yet, but I'm just really proud of myself and grateful to have the opportunity to be playing here in Cincinnati.

Q. I know that you'd like to be playing tennis all week, but this is going to be your first time playing here with your doubles partner, Coco. Do you have any plans, any things that you're going to show her in your hometown this week?

CATY McNALLY: Yeah, I mean, hopefully we're both here doing really well so we'll be at the courts all day because we're going to be kicking butt in singles and doubles, but off the court, yeah, I mean, it's crazy. This is the first time Coco has ever been to Cincinnati.

It's weird, we have never played here together, but I'm really looking forward for the on-court fun that we have, but off-court, yeah, maybe if we have a night free we will go out to dinner. I'll take her somewhere that we really like or my family and I recommend.

I always thought it would be fun for us to go across the street to Kings Island and get us mic'd up, going on the roller coasters. Maybe next year or the year after that when we have a little bit more free time.