ROLAND GARROS

May 23, 2022

Heather Watson

Press Conference

E. JACQUEMOT/H. Watson

6-7, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you talk us through that performance from your assessment and how disappointed you must be.

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, always disappointed after a loss. Especially one like today. It's just one of those that I just want to forget and just move on. I didn't play well in the conditions, the balls got really heavy, and I felt like I was struggling to finish the point.

I tried to continue to do the right thing and come to the net, just too many unforced errors.

That being said, I felt like I had loads of chances, lots of game points, break points, just wasn't able to convert. But I'm not really thinking too much about that. It's just a day I'm going to write off, basically.

Q. Are you the sort of person that can forget easily or does a defeat linger for a couple days afterwards?

HEATHER WATSON: I think the next morning it hits me because you don't have that purpose any more, that goal that you're working towards in preparation for a big match like today in a Grand Slam.

But with experience now, yeah, I can easily just mark that off. I know that in sport there are ups and downs and you're going to have some good days and bad days and that's it.

Q. Your plans now for the grass and the buildup to Wimbledon, do you know where you're going to play yet?

HEATHER WATSON: Well, I've entered everything. I love the grass. Clay, not so much. (Laughing.) So I've entered Surbiton, Nottingham, Birmingham, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon. So I'm hoping to have a good run of matches on the grass because I'm actually feeling, believe it or not, really good in my game and I feel like I'm getting consistent wins. Even if it's one or two here and there, I feel like I'm performing more consistently this year.

Q. Can I ask about doubles as well because you often play a lot of doubles, are you going to sort of try and team up with an Andy Murray or Joe Salisbury or Jamie Murray to play doubles?

HEATHER WATSON: Oh, at Wimbledon? I'm playing with Ken Skupski, so that will be fun. We've always got on really well and hopefully his lefty serve can do some damage.

And then in the women's doubles I'm going to play with Harriet for all the tournaments. We had a good run at Wimbledon last year and I don't think we even played that well to get there, so I'm really optimistic with how we'll do this year, because I think we're both playing well.

And actually this week Sam Murray asked me to sign in and we just, because we both didn't have partners. So we signed in last minute for here and we're actually second alternate, so I might stick around just to see if we get in.

Q. You've said that you've come to terms with having good days, having bad days, what's your thoughts on where you're at, at this point in your career and just generally what your mindset is like in terms of your life and your emotional, mental well being.

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, thanks for asking that question, because there's, I just feel like there's, you know, I've been playing here for, I don't even know, over a decade, I remember I broke top 100 here when I was 18 or 19 years old, on my birthday. So over a decade.

And at the end of the day it's just a tennis match, you know, it's not life or death. But that being said, it means so much when you put so much into it. So it's just finding that balance. And I always want to do well, but I have to really try my best to put it into perspective.

Q. Do you have some celebrations planned maybe for your birthday?

HEATHER WATSON: I don't actually because I'm entered in every week. So after Wimbledon I'll go on a bender (laughing).

Q. On Wimbledon, I wanted your reaction to the decision for points to be taken away, because it's kind of rocked the sport, I guess, this past week.

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, it's such a tough situation for everyone, everyone's just trying to do the right thing and I'm disappointed there's no points. I would say grass is one of my best surfaces, I've had some of my best runs at Wimbledon.

So as a player I'm disappointed with the decision, but like I don't have a strong opinion either way with all the decisions that are being made, because I understand why Wimbledon made that decision in the first place, but I also understand why WTA and ATP made their decision.

And I think it just, in the end, you know, the players are the ones getting hurt and I think Wimbledon will be different this year, I do. I mean, of course it's going to be different. I feel like I play for points first, before anything else, because it helps your ranking to get into other tournaments.

You know, even this week for me going into Roland Garros, it's huge for me, these are the weeks that support paying for a coach and the rest of the year and paying my bills. So we really depend on making points to get into Grand Slams.

So, yeah, it's a tough one, I don't have a strong opinion either way. It just sucks, the whole situation sucks. I mean what sucks the most is the war, so...

Q. Agreed. On that I just wonder, what's the kind of vibe in the locker room, what are players saying, because there's been a lot of players kind of saying they don't agree with the decision on points on kind of because of how it affects them personally, I guess, and there's been some suggestion some players won't even play at Wimbledon because of it. I just wondered what you noticed about what kind of players are saying behind the scenes?

HEATHER WATSON: To be honest, I haven't really spoken to loads of people about it, but everybody I've spoken to wants points. But also I've spoken to some, someone on the council, who I'm not going to name, but it makes you see that it's just not as simple as that.

And it's all like political stuff and I don't like politics or getting involved in it. But I'm a very open-minded person and I can see both sides.

Q. You've said that one of the motivating factors for you is often the points and being able to climb up the rankings, but you've also told us how much you enjoy playing on grass as well. So could a slightly different mentality almost help you in a way, in that, not so you can go out with a free hit, but maybe you can just go out and think, I'm just going to have fun and enjoy it, or is it not that simple?

HEATHER WATSON: I guess we'll see when we get there, to be honest. See how I'm playing, see how I perform. You don't know until you're actually there. And I don't think they will reverse any decisions, but I hope they do (laughing).

Q. I don't want to know about your bank details or financial circumstances, but you did say that some players, you have to pay coaches, you have to travel around the world, it's an expensive sport. And I just wonder, with the points coming off, if that will affect players of a certain ranking to try and play for bills, basically, if it affects them going into other tournaments or if it sees their ranking dropped, do you think that could happen to some players?

HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, I mean Ajla Tomljanovic is one of my closest friends on tour, I know she made quarterfinals last year, I'm not sure what it will do for her ranking, but I know it will have a big affect. And Marton Fucsovics from Hungary, we're the same age, I've known him through juniors, and he did a post that I'm sure you saw ever his ranking dropping and, yeah, it's tough, it's not easy.

I have nothing to defend, I had a horrific match last year, so it's not much to me, but if I was in their decision, it's stress, you know?

Q. (No microphone.)

HEATHER WATSON: I can't speak for them, I don't know. But I saw Fognini's comment as well, which was quite funny. It will be different, but I don't know how. But we'll see. I'll be interested to see if some players don't actually play. But I think that they would because it's still Wimbledon, you know?