WTA FINALS

November 15, 2021

Paula Badosa

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/P. Badosa

7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Paula, firstly, happy birthday. Secondly, talk us through your thoughts on the match today, how you're feeling ahead of the semifinal tomorrow.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I think it was a good match today, a tough one. Yeah, I was quite focused, thinking about the match I have tomorrow. It's an important one. But still I think today I was trying some different things, and that's it, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Looking ahead, having your mind on the match against Garbine, what are your thoughts on having two Spanish women into the semifinals for the first time at the WTA Finals? Looking ahead, what are your thoughts on that match?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I think it's amazing to have two Spanish players. Of course, Garbine, it's her fifth time or sixth time playing WTA Finals. For me was already a dream to be here, so you can imagine how I feel to play semifinals and against her.

As I said at the beginning of the tournament, she's a player I always admired her because I think she's amazing, she inspired a lot of Spanish people. I hope with the semifinals, with my year, I hope next years I can do the same as she did with me.

For sure it's going to be a very tough match. For me was a little bit tough today to play because I was little bit thinking about that match. Of course, I didn't want to get too tired, to be honest, because I know I'm going to have a battle tomorrow.

Q. On your comments before the tournament about Garbine, she doesn't play like a typical Spanish player, plays more powerful tennis, talk about how from your perspective coming up behind her how much that opened up your mind, encouraged you to embrace a more aggressive game style?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, a lot. If you see our Spanish players, they play, like, totally different as maybe Garbine, of course. They play different than me. She was the only player that was quite like super aggressive and good serve, tall, 182. I really saw like a mirror on her, you know? She was very helpful. She was an example for me.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be -- of course, my idol was Maria Sharapova, but in Spain she was the one that I was following. She was the example. Yeah, it helped me.

Q. What didn't work as good as it was working in the previous matches? The relationship with Iga, she said multiple times that you were speaking quite a lot and you were in a very good relationship. Could you say something more about Iga because she said you are really nice, easygoing person.

PAULA BADOSA: About the match, well, I think today my game plan was a little bit different as the other matches, maybe being more aggressive. It was a little bit complicated because I was in the round-robin, but I have the semifinals tomorrow. I have a very tough match. My head was a little bit weird on that. It was my first experience on this. Still I think Iga played good and she deserved it.

Yeah, of course, we have a good relationship. We always had that since the beginning long time ago. She's a nice girl. Of course, she's an amazing player. She deserves everything that she's going through and all the tournaments that she's already won. Of course, many more to come.

Q. How do you see her development for the whole year? From the beginning of this year, ending of last year, she changed from your perspective?

PAULA BADOSA: She's always been a very good player. Of course, she's improving day by day. For me, it's amazing. One player that's top 10 last year, do the same next year with 20 years old. It's insane.

Of course, I know that sometimes she has a lot of pressure. She's managing that very good because she already finished again another year top 10. That's insane.

Q. You said in your last press conference that you went from being super bad mentally to now being one of the best ones. In your opinion, what did it take for you to make that switch?

PAULA BADOSA: Time, experience. I think I got more mature. Today I'm getting older, so that's maybe helping (smiling).

No, but a lot of things. Of course, a lot of matches, suffering. I think passing through a lot of things, that helped me become stronger.

I think it's a little bit, of course, the experience. When I was 18, 19, as I said, I was not that good. I was quite bad mentally. Of course, when the years are passing by, you make mistakes, of course of that mistakes you learn.

I always said when you lose a match or when you do a mistake, it's when you learn the most. Of course, I think I learned a lot. I am a person that I don't like to do mistakes more than two times, to repeat them.

I'm a person that I listen a lot. I think when you listen a lot, you learn from other people that are more experienced than you.

Q. What would you tell your younger self?

PAULA BADOSA: A lot of things. Maybe in that moment, the key is to listen. In that moment when you're 18, 19, you think you know everything. It's not like that. Maybe you think you're better than you are.

In that moment, of course that didn't help me being a good junior. In that moment I thought maybe I was already one year to the top. It's not like that. It takes a lot of time. It's very tough. There's so many good players.

Of course, I would say myself to listen and maybe to enjoy a little bit because I was suffering a lot in that moment. Yeah, I would say that.

Q. What are your best memories of Garbine when you were growing up?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, to be honest, we never knew each other. I used to follow her, I used to see her, but a long distance away. We never, like, knew each other. First time we started to talk, to be more close, was maybe in Olympics, a little bit this summer. We were spending time together. That was nice.

I never knew her. Of course, you always like to spend time with people that are amazing tennis players and you can learn. So, yeah, she's been an example for me. Of course, this tournament we started to practice together and to spend more time together. I think that's nice. It's good for tennis and it's good for Spanish tennis as well.

Q. Has there been any chat about the Peng Shuai situation around the tournament? What are your thoughts on the situation in China at the moment?

PAULA BADOSA: Whoa, not a tennis question.

First of all, I hope she's okay. I hope all the situation gets back to normal. That's it. Most important I hope she's okay.

Then we didn't talk about it in the tournament. I'm still in the tournament. I didn't even read a lot of that. So, yeah, I know WTA is taking care of that. That's most important. I hope in a few days, it's normal and it's okay.