CITI OPEN

August 7, 2022

Liudmila Samsonova

Press Conference

L. SAMSONOVA/K. Kanepi

4-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on your first Citi Open win. Can you talk to us about today's final match.

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: I think it was the hardest match of the week, because Kaia was playing amazing. She was serving so well.

I had some troubles to find the solution on the return. It was a tough mental game today, and I'm so happy that I find the solutions.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Kaia said that your serve was very, very problematic for her. Is that something that you did like as a tactic or a strategy in the second set when you started to pull away from her? Was that a conscious decision to change your serve?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: No, I think the key was to find a solution on the return, how to return her serve. That was the key. Because we were playing like game by game. We were winning our serve.

So that's it. I think I had to find a way to be aggressive on her serve and to break it.

Q. You said yesterday that you wanted to have a really strong start. When she won the first set, how did you stay focused?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: I was like I accepted it, because I think she was playing better at the end, because she was aggressive, and I make a little bit of mistakes on my game of serve on 5-4.

I think she deserved to win, so I was focused on trying to make better the second set. Yeah.

Q. Obviously not being able to play Wimbledon this year, and you said you only had a month kind of of preparation with only practice, what does it mean to you to end up with the trophy after all of that? How hard was it for you to have to skip Wimbledon?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: No, it's amazing. I didn't expect it at all. It's like a dream, because I was practicing one month. I had some troubles off the court. I change my team, so it was not easy decision. I was not able to play Wimbledon. It was very tough for me.

So, yeah, I'm so happy about this week. I mean, it's unbelievable.

Q. Connected to that, your winning here, Daniil Medvedev won a title this weekend, and Daria Kasatkina will play in the final tonight in California. What do you think that says, if anything, about the play of your group of Russian players coming out and having this success after not being allowed to compete for a stretch there?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: I think we are all very angry about the situation. I mean, it was a really tough month what was going. So I think we have a lot of time to work, so I think we use it very well. So that's it, I think.

Q. You mentioned during the ceremony having trouble getting a visa to come here. Could you explain to us a little more about that, what happened, why you had trouble? And when did you know that you would be able to come and compete this week?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: So during the grass court season, the agency told me that it would be very hard to obtain the USA visa, because the old one was expiring on July.

So, I mean, it was a problem to come here. I didn't know if I could get here, so at the end, I get it, I get it two weeks ago. One girl from United States helped me, so that was the thing, yeah.

Q. Congratulations. What are you doing next after here? Obviously you didn't make it to play in the quallies in Toronto. What's your schedule now? Are you going to go and practice somewhere, find a place?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Yeah, I go to Toronto to play doubles. I think I'm going to go play doubles there I think on Tuesday. I go to Cincy to try to play there. Then it's going to be Cleveland and US Open.

Q. When did you change your team this year?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: April. In April.

Q. Why did you change your team?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Because I wanted more. I wanted to grow up, and I think that was the better idea, to change the team.

Q. Congratulations. How will you celebrate?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Today, I don't know (smiling). For sure some drinks, for sure. I think we will go out. But I don't know how exactly.

Q. Who are you playing with in Toronto in doubles?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Trevisan, Martina.

Q. Okay. And who is the player or person who helped you getting that visa to get here?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: I don't know her name. No, I don't know her name.

Q. Somebody at the embassy?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Yeah, embassy. Somebody working -- she's a Russian girl who is working in the United States.

Q. Maybe send her a note now?

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Yeah, for sure (smiling). For sure.

Q. Congratulations.

LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA: Thank you.