BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

April 15, 2022

Dayana Yastremska

Team Ukraine

Press Conference

A. RISKE/D. Yastremska

7-6, 7-5

USA - 1

Ukraine - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk us through the match. Long tiebreak, then coming back from 5-1.

DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Well, my first thought was when I lost the match is that I want to kill myself because every match at this kind of events, it's so emotional. Especially now while everything that is going on in Ukraine, you extra want to win, you extra want to win for the Ukraine.

It's very hard because you play, you're here playing against USA, but the USA is supporting you, and the crowd is there supporting you and USA. You see your team over there behind there, everybody is super nervous. You put extra pressure on yourself.

Well, the first set, the tiebreak, to be honest I don't even remember the score of the tiebreak. Every point that is been played, it was extra -- I don't even know how to describe it. I don't know how to describe it.

I mean, you have a set points, then she has a set points. When you are losing, you try to give your maximum. When you are winning, you kind of have more pressure than when you are losing. You try to be very careful.

That's not in my case. I don't need to be every day trying to be careful when I have the opportunity because in that case I put pressure on myself and I'm losing.

I need, like, maybe one day to explain you about this match.

If you take the whole match, I think it was pretty good. I try my best. Yeah, I'm very sad I lost, but same time I really enjoy to be playing here.

Q. Talk about the tiebreak, 18-16. Have you ever had a tiebreak that close in the pros?

DAYANA YASTREMSKA: No. The longest tiebreak I think was in Lyon this year during my first match. It was I think second set or third set, but it was 10-8 or something like that. I also was losing. She had set point, I had set point.

The tiebreak we had today I was laughing inside and same time I wanted to cry. I didn't know when it's going to finish. It was so unpredictable going both ways.

There is not much to say about this tiebreak. It was just, I don't know, something crazy.

Q. Obviously you're here in the U.S. playing the U.S. I saw six Ukrainian flags in the crowd. What did it mean to have that support?

DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Yeah, there was lot of Ukrainian people which were sitting behind our team. It was really nice to see the Ukrainians here. Yeah, a lot of people are from here. They were supporting us.

It's been tough to play because, I don't know, I think for the crowd it was also pretty hard because they have to support them players but same time they wanted to support us. Even when they were supporting a lot the Americans, I wasn't really angry or something because I can understand them.

It was a nice atmosphere, one to remember.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, against Pegula likely, what are your thoughts on that match?

DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Well, I'm glad tomorrow there won't be a that long ceremony because it was pretty tough today to get your focus. You are warmed already, then it was a long ceremony, a lot of (indiscernible) going on. For me it's been really hard to get my focus back before the match.

Tomorrow's going to be another day, another nice, nice match. Well, I think it's going to be a tough one, so I'm going to prepare myself. I don't know how Zavatska is playing now. I don't know how she's going to end this match.

But we're going to try our best tomorrow to get a wins. I don't think wins here now is the most important thing. I think the most important is that we are here representing our country and we are fighting for those matches.