ROLAND GARROS

May 23, 2022

Diane Parry

Press Conference

D. PARRY/B. Krejcikova

1-6, 6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, Diane. Congrats for this wonderful first day. The beginning of the match was quite rough, and then you had a great comeback and a great adventure on this central court where you dreamed to play. You actually left a wonderful mark today in the history of tennis. Do you actually realize what you have done today?

DIANE PARRY: Yes, I'm very happy, because I have had wonderful emotions on the court. But I try not to get too fired up. I try to think one match at a time. I will have a next match on Wednesday, so I just want to enjoy and then focus right away on the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Can you talk about the beginning of the match. Because it was a bit of a nightmare, wasn't it? You didn't manage to get much done at first.

DIANE PARRY: Yes, it was rough. You want to do well, because I was playing in front of a lot of people I knew, and I was playing No. 2 worldwide. The titleholder of the French Open. So I wanted to play well.

Maybe I overplayed somehow, but it was needed, and this is what I realized throughout the match. I tried to become more aggressive, to notch wins one after the other and not to have a wait-and-see approach.

Q. At one point we felt that you played carefree, didn't you?

DIANE PARRY: Towards the end of the first set, I managed to find my grooves in terms of my shots, my intensity. And during the second set I managed to hold my own, and I felt that it was getting better and better, that it was bothering her. So I tried to continue to notch wins.

Q. Your dad was saying earlier that it could actually be a launching pad for you.

DIANE PARRY: Yes, maybe. Obviously it was a wonderful experience for me. I have lived wonderful emotions today. It gives me the willingness to work even harder and to come back next year and to win against wonderful players.

So, yes, it actually helps me to play even harder every day.

Q. What did you think about Krejcikova's break after the second set and how did you manage to overturn the match in your favor? Did it upset you or not?

DIANE PARRY: I was expecting it. Very often when someone loses a set like this, and is not in the best of shapes, we want to have a small break to focus back on the match. So I was expecting this. Whether it was long or not, well, yes and no, because of course we want to get on the rhythm and it's important to keep focused, not to slow down too much, not to lose the intensity.

This is what I managed to do, and I'm pretty happy with that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How did you feel about your game over the last year? You brought your ranking up from over 300 to inside the top 100. What are some of the things you feel you've done well to get inside the top 100?

DIANE PARRY: I think my game is improving a lot, but I still have to, like, work on, yeah, on my shot physically and on my backhand to be better and to be stronger in the rallies. Yeah, try to improve my game, my aggressivity on my forehand. I think it's a good weapon in my game.

Yeah, try to work on my good shot and also in my bad shot, like, you know what I mean?

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French again.

Q. How did you feel during the third set? Did you manage to remain focused on your game, or did you feel the support of the public?

DIANE PARRY: A bit of both. Even though we want to remain focused, we hear them, of course. It was very positive, because I was fired up by them. I managed to keep the intensity on each point game after game and to win the third set.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, because I could hear them. But I really tried to remain as focused as possible so as not to lose my concentration.

Q. Three years ago you actually managed to go to buy a ticket to the second round and you were the youngest French player to win at that time. How do you compare today's victory with that of three years ago? How much have you changed in the meantime?

DIANE PARRY: It's hard to make a comparison, because there has been three years in the meantime. I was much younger. The court was smaller. Everything was different.

At the time I was already delighted to win this first match. Today it's even more important, because I played on the Philippe Chatrier court in front of a big crowd, so it's even more important for me.

I have evolved a lot since then mentally in my game. I know there is still a lot of work to do though.

Q. I know that you like playing. This is what Gonzalo was saying earlier. Isn't it what you aim at? Not only winning but actually winning well?

DIANE PARRY: This is what is hard also for me for every match, because I tend to get frustrated when I feel that my level of play is not up to par. On the tour, there are a lot of matches that you can win without playing that well just by making, by outplaying the opponent.

I try to make progress on that. This is what I did sometimes during the match actually.

Q. If you haven't won two matches in a row outside the quallies this season, are you afraid that you may not win the next match?

DIANE PARRY: Well, actually I'm not thinking about that. I'm on the main tour now, so I actually have to play the best players in the world. It's harder. It's actually very demanding. I have to make progress to try to have winning streaks, but I don't think about this. I try to think one match at a time, and I will try really to win next time, as well.

Q. Your coach was saying earlier that there was an epic decider that was during the last season when you decided to skip the hard court season and to go to Latin America. You actually won one of them. How much was it a turning point for you?

DIANE PARRY: It was important, because it helped me progress physically. By actually having a lot of matches under my belt on clay court, I managed to make progress physically speaking, much more than in practice. And I gained in self-confidence, because also winning a tournament helps a lot. I gain in self-confidence a lot, and my level of play also geared up. Of course it was hard also to skip the US Open, but it was a deliberate choice. I needed to make progress for my career.

Q. It actually helped you to make progress on clay? Because I could see that you played actually a lot indoor on hard at first, and the fact that you played a lot on clay helped you improve.

DIANE PARRY: Yes, actually when I was a junior I played a lot on clay. There was not a lot of hard court competitions, apart from Australia. So already when I was a junior, I actually did master that surface and got familiar with it, but I needed to have a lot of matches under my belt on that surface and to make progress on that even further.

Q. You still live in Boulogne-Billancourt. Can you talk about playing on the Philippe Chatrier court, your feelings, the fact that it was a closed roof.

DIANE PARRY: Well, when I was at school, when my mother would bring me to school, I could see every day the Roland Garros stadium. It was a dream for me to play there once.

I played there, and I actually won, so it's wonderful. Today it's a dream come true in front of a beautiful crowd.

Q. Were you frightened?

DIANE PARRY: No, I was not afraid. I just wanted to enjoy every moment. I wanted to give it all. I wanted to have a chance to win.

Q. Before you were actually walking around with a scooter. Do you still use this?

DIANE PARRY: Well, I skipped to the car. It's not very environmentally friendly, but since now I have my driving license, I have been using the car, but I can go back home easily. It's a good thing, because I can actually drive a bit further away from the tournament (smiling).

Q. How about the planet?

DIANE PARRY: I know it's not good for the planet, but I will try to switch to a hybrid car maybe next time.

Q. We heard you talk on court after the match, right after the match, and we felt you were poised. It seems that you are not that much outspoken.

DIANE PARRY: This is the way I am every day. This is why I don't change. Even though I had a great victory today, I'm not going to change. I will not cry out loud my victory. This is the way I am every day. I'm calm, I'm poised.