ROLAND GARROS

May 25, 2022

Jil Teichmann

Press Conference

J. TEICHMANN/O. Danilovic

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Jil, congrats. How happy are you to have won that match, knowing that Olga is always a difficult opponent, being left-handed and up and coming and lots of promise. So can you speak about that?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes. Thank you very much. I'm really glad I got the win today. Olga, as you said, is an upcoming player, has a great future. Tricky. Again, a lefty one. So, yeah, again, very happy that I got the win today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English?

Q. I was reading something where you were saying that a lot of people think of you as a clay court player. Do you not feel that yourself? I mean, you're obviously very good on clay.

JIL TEICHMANN: No, I mean, obviously, I'm good on clay. I play good. I feel good. I think I move well as well, and I think the opponents don't like it as much because they see me even more everywhere on court.

But I see myself as an all-court player. I mean, my results speak for itself, for themselves, as well. I've had great runs on very fast courts indeed. Like, Dubai or Cincinnati are very fast conditions.

So, I don't know. I feel like I can play good everywhere and I'm just trying to bring up the results.

Q. Can you tell me about the importance of the dropshot on clay? Because it's something that is used probably more at Roland Garros than anywhere else.

JIL TEICHMANN: Yeah. Well, the dropshot, all about doing a good dropshot, I mean, all of us are pretty much fast and in shape so we can get there. And if it's not a good dropshot, yeah, the other one has the easier point to win.

But it's about, on clay, pushing back the opponent so her, she is further away. On the men's side it's the same, that your opponent is further away so they have to run longer meters. So it's about that, so I think that's why it's more use that you can play the heavy spin and then a dropshot.

Q. Do you enjoy the mental battle of that kind of point? The variety that you use with the dropshot, you make the other person think different things.

JIL TEICHMANN: Yeah, definitely. I mean, my game is all about variety, so definitely the dropshot is one of them. And to play the extra game, how I call it, it's all nice to play the flat, but I like as well to push back and make you come in, on myself to come in and play a volley.

Yeah, I really like that kind of tennis, like to play tennis, not to smash.

Q. Well done for this victory. Can you analyze and tell us what you're very happy about?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes. Olga's a young player, up and coming, and I knew it was going to be a challenge because she has good shots and she's strong and she can play long shots from anywhere on the court. She's tall and it's a challenge to get her running and to take over the mastery of the point.

I was very happy I managed to do that, especially in the second set.

Q. Can you tell in French what you said in Swiss German because there is a history behind that.

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes. Last match against her I was very disappointed because it was difficult and I wanted to battle strongly and I didn't manage. This match sort of helped me understand that it was not, what was important was not to win or to lose, but to find the right track, to do things and to do your best on that particular day.

Now, after the match, every time what counts is not whether I win or lose, but whether I gave everything I had.

Q. There was quite a lot of atmosphere in this match, a bit like a soccer atmosphere. In the second game of the second set you had a kind of reflex shot that was impressive and then you had this kind of gesture. Was it for your team or for the fans?

JIL TEICHMANN: No, obviously it was a gesture for my team. I like the atmosphere. I respect my opponent and I know that people like Serbians and I like having an atmosphere, but I gestured to my brother and my team because I know they like, it's always for my box. It's not as a provocation for the audience.

Q. Danilovic seems to have had very nice words to you at the end of the match?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes. She said, Well done, and I said, Well, she just won three qualification matches, so I said, Well done, continue in the same way.

And she's left-handed, so left-handed people, we like each other, and I said to her, Well, let's go lefty. It's a lefty party. So it was a good moment.

Q. To pick up on what you just said, Jil, when we look at what you did in Madrid, Rome, and here, do you feel how much the public loves you? In the press room, we say that it's incredible your relationship to the people. I don't know if it's your tennis, your personality. Can you feel that love?

JIL TEICHMANN: Yes, of course, I feel that the public loves me. After a set they get to know me, but it's more a question you can ask yourself because as far as I'm concerned I'm myself. It's great for me and cool for me that the public likes me.

In Rome it was incredible when I played the match on Pietrangeli and the public was there saying, "sei bravissimo, sei bravissimo," and obviously it helps. It supports you.

Here as well, but they don't know me much and it's great to have the atmosphere. Today there was a woman on the other side to whom I gave a towel at the end of the match because I could hear her saying, Go on, Jil, you can do it. Sometimes I haven't got the right words in French, but knowing that there's many people supporting you is very good.