BNP PARIBAS OPEN

October 11, 2021

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

O. JABEUR/D. Collins

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Can you talk us through your match today.

ONS JABEUR: -- holding my serve. I think it helped me get through the first set. The second set was a little bit tight. She started playing better. But I'm glad that I broke the last minute and was able to finish with my serve.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You're getting closer and closer to qualifying for the WTA Finals, especially if Ash doesn't go, Naomi doesn't go... Have you given any thoughts of going and what that would mean to you?

ONS JABEUR: I gave it a lot of thoughts actually (smiling). Well, the competition is very, very tight with everybody wanting to go. I feel like I said in Chicago, I'm trying to choose my tournaments carefully.

The schedule was little bit kind of messed up with few tournaments in Europe, then in the States, then you have to come back here. I decided not to go home after the US Open. I stayed the whole, like, month here. I had two weeks of practice. That was to get prepared for those tournaments, to be ready to really actually try to qualify for Guadalajara. That was our main goal.

With the fatigue mentally and physically at the end of the season, I'm trying to really play my best tennis. I never played this long. It's a new experience for me. But I'm happy that it's motivation for end of the year.

I'm not very far. I honestly want to win as much as I can to qualify.

Q. What was your mindset during the time you spent in the States?

ONS JABEUR: I was practicing in New York. I stayed there. I needed to get my Russian visa, so I stayed in New York. I have like a mini pre-season there to get prepared. I knew some players just behind me went to play in Europe, so it was kind of stressful seeing them playing there. Also by miracle I still stayed 9 in the race.

But, yeah, I think it was the best choice I made to just stay there and only play Chicago but not go to Ostrava, flying to Europe, coming back, different surface.

I think we managed well schedule-wise. Our main goal was to really get ready for Guadalajara.

Q. Did you stay in the city?

ONS JABEUR: I stayed in Manhattan. I love New York so much. I thought maybe I train and have some fun little bit. Sometimes it's the end of the season, you don't get the chance to have fun. Yeah, I tried to take Saturday afternoon, Sunday off so I can get to explore the city.

Actually it worked pretty well.

Q. What was the key to managing the wind out there?

ONS JABEUR: It's good to have good hands today. It helped me a lot. I'm glad that I was really relaxed and trying to enjoy the slices, the dropshots that I was doing.

It was very tricky when you don't know where the ball is going to bounce, if it's going to end up somewhere else, not the impact you want to hit in.

I think I managed pretty well to keep the ball on the court. That was the key today. That was change it up kind of with the slices, with high balls sometimes. It was very tricky.

She didn't adapt very well at the beginning, but then started to play much better the second set. But, yeah, I'm glad that I kept my nerves and was really kind of stress-free at the end of the second set.

Q. How familiar are you with Anna Kalinskaya? What do you expect there?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, she's a tough opponent. I actually know her from a long time ago when we both used to play the qualification for many tournaments.

I am happy for her that she's really winning. I expected her to be much better maybe ranked and much better winning. She's a tough opponent. It's going to be a very tough match.

I think she likes the surface here. It's slow so she has the time to make her shots. I'm ready to give it all. I have big motivation. She's also playing well. It's going to be a really tough match.

Q. Yesterday you got to meet up with Billie Jean King, get the book signed. You haven't met before, right?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, no, that was the first time. I've been wanting to meet her for a long time. Jimmy here got a very nice picture of me admiring. I only look that way to my husband, but it was a great moment.

She's really an inspiration. I got to talk to her. She gave me a lot of advices. Honestly it's very nice. I knew her before, but I never really know her. But this year we chatted after the French Open. She called me. It was very nice to talk to her. She's really a great person, a great inspiration. I was very happy to meet her yesterday.

Q. There are obviously a lot of places where conditions get incredibly windy. Would these be among the windiest conditions you've played or can you think of somewhere else it has been gusty?

ONS JABEUR: I'm going to tell you the secret. I come from a very windy city, so it's on the beach. The last three years of pre-season we practice in a very windy city. Maybe today it kind of helped. It could really get ugly with the wind. It was kind of similar to today. I felt kind of used to it. We had a lot of practices when it was windy. I actually played in Hobart and it was quite windy there.

I think I'm used to playing in the wind. With all the tools that I have, all the shots that I have, it think it really helped me today get the win.