MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 4, 2022

Jil Teichmann

Press Conference

J. TEICHMANN/A. Kalinina

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Welcome to the semifinals.

JIL TEICHMANN: Thank you.

Q. Can you just talk about the match today, what you think you did well to get the win?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yeah, today was tricky. Kalinina is a very, very solid player. I had to face a little bit the different kind of style which I was coming from from the other matches, so I had to adapt a little bit my game. But I'm really happy the way I served, especially how I served it out. Yeah, that I found a way.

Q. You're the only player to not drop a set this week, and you have been pretty dominant throughout. What has been the secret this year in Madrid?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yeah, as I said already, I really like the conditions here in Madrid. It's perfect. It's a mix between the Spanish clay, which I practice a lot, and as well as a little bit altitude like I'm used to from Switzerland, so it's actually great for me here.

I like a lot the "ambiente," like you say in Spanish, what the people bring. I take all the energy they give me.

Q. In terms of last year, obviously you had those two great runs at the 1000s on hard court, and now you finally get one on the clay. What does it mean to you to put together this week on this surface in this city, but also with Roland Garros just right around the corner?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yeah, obviously, I mean, first of all, Roland Garros is still far away (smiling). Still Madrid, Rome coming up, few more tournaments. Obviously helps a lot for the confidence, but I know as well the conditions are completely different over there, but I'm not really thinking about that.

Answering the first question about last year, the thing is I missed out almost all the clay season. I mean, I came to Madrid with no matches. I won one, lost the second one against Paula which had a great run last year, so I could not say anything was a great match.

Rome and Strasbourg I got injured as well. I didn't really get many chances on clay last year, so that's why I would said, yeah, I had better run on hard court, which I'm really happy as well, but I think I'm a player that can play on all surfaces, I'm showing it now, and just need to confirm it.

Q. Did you arrive to Madrid feeling like, you know, you were hitting the ball well, confident that this could be a good couple of weeks for you, or did the confidence kind of build over the course of the tournament?

JIL TEICHMANN: A little bit of both. Obviously I know the conditions are good for me. Here with the altitude my serve is big. I get a lot of free points, and as well I get the first ball a bit easier than the classic clay. Obviously I knew that the conditions as well with my heavy spin are great here.

But I did not think much about it. I just came here to play. I mean, I had a tough draw, anyway, so I just take match by match, which I think is the most smart thing to do (smiling).

Q. Looking ahead, you'll either play Jessie or Sara. Can you just talk about the challenges of playing each player, very different types of opponents for you?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yeah, they are completely the opposite, I would say. Jessie is more flat and fast player but is playing great here on clay as well. She's having a lot of good matches on the 1000 level, so she's been showing that she has a great level.

Sara, she's in the flow this week. Obviously she's at home, feels great, and she's tough. She's super solid. You have to play every point, and I mean, depending on who wins, I will adapt my game to plan to that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. I don't know if this week is a little bit similar to the week you had in Cincinnati. You are just a step from the final. Talking about your feelings, you have not lost a single set. Do you feel you are a difficult opponent, that it's tricky to win you?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes, obviously I know that if I'm feeling well, I know that I am a very tough opponent. I am not thinking a lot on Cincinnati, because it's another tournament, another country, different conditions, but I know that if I am well on the court, if I am focused, I'm an opponent that can go far in the tournament and I'm confirming it again.

Q. Now No. 1, 2, 3 are not here anymore. Does it put a little bit of pressure on you because you can see that the draw is very open, there are not many top players in the draw right now because most of them have fallen out?

JIL TEICHMANN: No, I don't face it this way, because the girls that are in the semifinals have done things properly and they have been able to beat those kind of players. On Thursday when we had a look at the draw, it was really tough. We were looking at the draws and saying, Oh, it's amazing the players that are here, and they have dropped out, because the other players have done it really well.

So the players that are in semifinals, they are here because of a reason they have played very well.

Q. I think that you are in the top 30 right now. You are going to reach the top 30 now, I think. A couple of days ago we were saying that it's difficult to reach up there. Right now we are another step, right?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes, of course. This is another step further, but we still have a lot of year ahead of us. The important thing is how the year starts.

Of course this week is great for me, talking about points and confidence, but I am conscious that we still have a long year ahead of us, how we have to consolidate it, confirm it, and this is the ultimate goal.

Q. I want to ask you, how do you feel physically and mentally after winning today's match? How do you feel?

JIL TEICHMANN: I'm very happy with today's match. It's the first day that I had to play one day after the other one. We had to adjust some things.

Normally tournaments we are used to this, so I had to make some small adjustment. Physically and mentally I'm faring well. I have been fortunate to not to have to play three sets in any match, so that of course helps.

Well, tomorrow I will have time to rest, to recover for my next match.

Q. What does it mean for you all these good results and to be able to reach semifinals? Who knows if you can reach to the final of this tournament?

JIL TEICHMANN: Well, I'm very, very happy. Of course it builds up a lot the confidence to play matches on clay, difficult matches with different opponents with different styles, being able to test myself, so everything is very positive.