AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2022

Paula Badosa

Press Conference

P. BADOSA/M. Trevisan

6-0, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: I think that was your seventh match in 10 days. How did you feel out there today?

PAULA BADOSA: Tired (smiling).

No, but pretty good. It wasn't an easy match. It was a tricky match against Martina. We know each other since long time. She's a fighter. I knew she was going to make me play every point, she was going to fight until the end. I'm pretty happy about the win today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After your tough experience here last year, how nice does it feel to be on Rod Laver Arena as a top-10 player? Any more special given the ups and downs you've had in Melbourne?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, sure, I'm really proud of myself. After all one year ago I was locked in a room. So being here and playing center court, because of me, not because I'm playing a seeded player, because now I'm the seeded player, I'm really happy and proud of myself, yeah.

Q. What does it feel like being the seeded player? Has to be a new feeling for you at a Grand Slam.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, it was really special for me to play there. Today I was really excited. For me it's very emotional to be there. After all I think I had an amazing year, I'm starting the year very well. It's really nice to play there.

It's nice that you're playing there and they're cheering for you, the fans. Yeah, I had a very nice moment out there.

Q. How different do you feel as a player and a person compared to last year?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I think I'm growing as a person, as a tennis player day by day. I'm working very hard. I'm believing on myself. It's much different. Last year I was 70 in the world. Now I'm 6. I'm improving a lot.

I'm really happy and proud of how I am working. I'm really doing an amazing job with my team. So, yeah, everything it's rolling. I'm enjoying day by day. I know I'm going to have tough matches here. It's never easy playing as a favorite as well, so it's a new experience for me.

I'm slowly getting into it and I'm happy that I'm in the third round.

Q. During the quarantine last year, I remember you were on Instagram Live with Marta, who you play next. What is your relationship?

PAULA BADOSA: We've been friends since long time ago, as well. I don't know, a few years. I've been following Marta a lot. I really respect her. She's a very talented player. When they ask me who can be the next star, I always say Marta. She has a lot of potential. She's always a dangerous player. I will have to play my best because I know she likes these kind of matches and she will play her best next day.

Q. In interviews a lot of players you talk about are your friends. Is it something unique about you that you're able to create a lot of friendships on the tour?

PAULA BADOSA: It looks even funny, but it's like that. I have a very good relationship with a lot of players. I don't know, maybe it's something on myself. I just try to be quite normal, to be a nice person to everyone.

Of course, I'm very competitive and on court I don't have friends. After all I know how to separate things. It's nice for me to, like, think about it and that I have a very good relationship with a lot of them, yeah.

Q. Is it easy to separate things like that?

PAULA BADOSA: For me it's easy. I don't know for the other players. Maybe it's not that easy. Maybe their relationships are not maybe that close. For me it's easy. I know how to separate them and I'm really happy that I can be able to do that.

Q. You mentioned before you're a favorite here. How do you approach that?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, to play as a favorite, it's never easy. Of course I'm nervous, I'm not going to lie. I have pressure. I try to deal it as much as I can. I try to focus on what I have to do every single point. That's what I'm doing at the moment.

There's no secret key. I'm just going day by day and dealing with the pressure as well.

Q. After your first match you talked about being fatigued from the turnaround from Sydney. How confident do you feel with the day on, day off, getting these relatively quick matches, that you'll be able to catch up to be where you want to be physically when the tournament gets deep?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, for the moment I can't complain. It's going quite well on that. I have that day off. If I have to be honest, on that day off I'm not doing anything. I'm touching the racquet 10 minutes per day. It's how I have to do it because I was quite tired.

But the matches are going quite well on my way, quite fast. The fatigue I'm recovering as much as I can, so I'm quite happy on that.

I have a next match that it's quite tricky as well. It will be a tough one. I have like almost two days to recover so that's very good. I think I will be on my hundred percent already.

Q. From the experience playing with Vika, did you learn anything from her?

PAULA BADOSA: Of course. The good thing is that now I have a very good relationship with her. It's very nice to have a good relationship with, like, a legend, a player like her. I try to listen everything she says because, of course, I wish one day I could be as much as good as her. It's very nice.

Yeah, we were playing doubles together. Well, the first question I asked her after our singles match is if she played amazing because I didn't have time to react in that match. I was, like, a little bit shocked because she played unbelievable. But after the match you never know.

Yeah, she told me she played very, very high level, so I was more calm after that. After the match I thought I had to, oh, my God, improve on everything because it went super fast.

In doubles, yeah, we've been having a lot of fun. It's nice to have players like her very close.

Q. (Question regarding modeling.)

PAULA BADOSA: No, I try to find my own identity. Of course I have a lot of people related to fashion. I have my own style. I try to be myself there. I will have time to ask them for tips.

For the moment they say I do it pretty well, so it's okay.