MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 1, 2022

Garbine Muguruza

Press Conference

A. KALININA/G. Muguruza

6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. We were seeing you left the changing room with some kind of bandage.

GARBINE MUGURUZA: I'm fine. Physically, well, I have felt a slight complaint in my right calf, and for precaution, I wanted just to put some bandage. I will ask with my team to see if we have to do some kind of test.

For the rest, it had been a strange match. I think if I had opportunities not to lose, I was not able to go for my opportunities. She has played really well.

I am surprised with her game. I didn't know her at all. In those break moments, they didn't work, so I feel the match, I just let it go in a couple of points.

Q. I want to ask you, how much do you think that can influence in this match, in this clay season you have just played two matches, how much of an influence do you think that has?

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I think that has an influence, because physically I have felt that even though I had a day off, I felt that I was not 100% because of the tension.

Also, the training was not so good. You know, that tension that you have on your body to make you a little bit stiff, you know, the lack of games of being in those kind of games, to deal with the break balls, today I have felt a little bit -- you know, I felt that spark in some moments. She comes from playing a lot of matches, and she does have that spark.

Q. I want to know if this means a handicap for you for the preparation looking forward to Roland Garros.

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I don't think so. I think I'm going to talk with my team. Right now I will talk with my team, checking my calf, my right calf, as I said. And right now, you know, I have a few days till Rome, sadly, to see how my calf goes, but I will run a couple of tests so that we don't go to Rome with injuries so that nothing severe happens to me.

Q. Last year was spectacular with a lot of titles. You went up in the ranking. In these four months in 2022, things are just not clicking. Here in the game you were a little bit tight. Is there an explanation?

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I think you have said a couple of everything, explanations. Results come and go. Last year I had a very good season, the best season, especially result-wise and stability. Well, not in every tournament, but I managed to get a lot of trophies.

This year it's been different. It also started a little bit up-and-downs in this year, but, well, no, not because of that I think that it has been a bad year. Right now I have a lot of tournaments in front of me ahead to try to recover the feelings that I had last year.

You know that each season is a new world.

Q. People expect a lot more of you. It's true that the press, we always tend to raise your level, of course, but people in general, you know, the supporters, you have been able to win a Grand Slam. You generate a lot of expectation. How do you feel right now? What are your feelings? Are you frustrated? I don't know if you understand me.

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Come on, go to your question, cut to your question. Come on, ask me your question.

Q. You know, like there is like a mask of Garbine that you don't allow to show how you feel right now. How do you feel exactly?

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, it's clear that I try to show my happy face. Right now, because of course it's a sad match on my side, that I have just let it go, you know, I don't know exactly what I have missed.

Perhaps, as I said, some sparks, some points have been played a couple matches before this one. I think a lot of people expect a lot of things of me in this tournament, and it's the tournament that I don't finish playing well. I think that in other levels the expectation were there. Sometimes I succeed, and other times I don't.

But in this tournament it's hard for me, difficult for me. Every time that I come, it's like, Let's see if this year is the year, if I can control my nerves and emotions.

When I was on the court I was very stiff. As I said, I had a lot of tension, first set. Second set, I wasn't able to play with my tennis as I do in other tournaments.

I think it's a mix of a lot of expectation, you know, trying to make it a reality, to not let down all the people that are here supporting me.

I think that's negative for me. Each year I try to face it in a better way. Each year I try to be more interactive with the audience, but the truth is that it generates tension, and I don't manage to bring out my tennis in this tournament.