THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2022

Kirsten Flipkens

Press Conference

S. HALEP/K. Flipkens

7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Just a general question on your initial thoughts on today's match first.

KIRSTEN FLIPKENS: Yeah. Tough match with a lot of conditions to handle. I think Simona played a great match. Started to playing better I think from 2-5 down in the first set. Changing her tactics a little bit, which worked.

Yeah, I was enjoying myself on court from first ball until the last, and it was a special feeling going out there. Then, yeah, was a tough one to handle.

To be playing a great champion like Simona for my last match, is just, yeah, on a court like that with a crowd like that, I would have signed for that before.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You've now retired from singles. How does that feel?

KIRSTEN FLIPKENS: Yeah, I mean, a lot of emotions going through my body, of course. Yeah, for everything there is an end in life, and I'm about to start now a new chapter. It's a special feeling.

You know, like I said, I would have dreamed for a good-bye like today. I was really close to even, yeah, taking a set from a champion like Simona. It's not that I, yeah, that I cannot play my best anymore with a champion like her or with other players. It's just, yeah, you're 36 years old, you have been through so much in your career, ups and downs, and, yeah, it was just a perfect way for me to end.

Q. What are you going to miss the most?

KIRSTEN FLIPKENS: What will I miss most? Yeah, I think the interaction with the fans. Like you see, the good-bye that I had on court today, a standing ovation from a full court No. 2, with the words like Simona ending that way.

Yeah, what will I miss most? I think definitely the adrenaline, like going out on court, being focused. Yeah, I mean, there is much more that I would not miss anymore than that I will miss, but I think definitely the interaction with the fans and the adrenaline going through your body with ups and downs.

Yeah, it's been a hell of a ride.

Q. Obviously you will play the doubles. Have you thought about how much longer you want to play doubles for?

KIRSTEN FLIPKENS: I'm not sure yet. I will see how it goes, how I feel. Also mentally after here, you know, I'm finishing a big, big chapter of my life, and I will just see how I feel.

I also didn't want to say, Okay, I'm going to stop singles and doubles straightaway, because I still enjoy myself a lot in the doubles. There is just much more advantage of not -- or of just playing the doubles, you don't have to travel as much if you don't want to. I'm enjoying myself from the first till the last ball in doubles.

I still enjoy the game, and I still enjoy traveling, but just not anymore for 30 weeks. I think with the doubles, if you want, you can be a little bit more selective with the program that you want to play or with the matches that you want to play, tournaments that you want to play.

For now, I would say, Okay, let's do Toronto, Cincinnati, US Open, and then see after US Open. That's how I feel right now. But, yeah, if I want to go longer, I mean, if I feel like going longer, I will, definitely, go to Australia and stuff.

But I'm going to take it like every three months a little bit, I think.

Q. The last 20 years, what would you say have been the best achievement of your career?

KIRSTEN FLIPKENS: My best achievement? Yeah, I think my semifinals here in 2013. I think if you see result-wise, that's definitely my best achievement.

But, yeah, I got a couple where I'm pretty proud of, you know, like playing Fed Cup finals with Kim and Justine is a really nice memory. My WTA title in Quebec. I've got plenty of nice memories. But if there is one that I have to pick, of course it's the quarterfinals against Petra here back in '13. Yeah.