WTA FINALS

October 29, 2022

Daria Kasatkina

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Talk about how it feels to be in Fort Worth.

DARIA KASATKINA: In general being here feels amazing and mean a lot to me because it means that I am one of the best players this year.

And, of course, being on this stage with all the top eight players and seeing your name and seeing which group you are getting into, yeah, first time experience for me, and I felt great.

Q. Just in terms of getting ready for this and getting into your mindset from kind of a pretty stressful week in Guadalajara and kind of transitioning, how does that feel for you? And do you feel physically and mentally ready for the week?

DARIA KASATKINA: Physically I feel better than ever. Physically I very good. I'm not surprised. But at the end of the season feeling good, but in the best shape, it's a good sign.

Mentally I feel good. For the moment I'm managing not bad. Yeah, Guadalajara was a tough experience for me to kind of jumping in the last train, we say.

But then I'm here, and thankfully I got one week to calm down. Now I am preparing mentally and physically for the important week.

Q. Does it help at all that you were an alternate before, so you were around the tournament, you got to watch the round robin format closely because it's not a format you play a lot, but does it help at all that you have been close to it?

DARIA KASATKINA: I was thinking that it's going to make a big role, but at the end I don't feel that it helped me in one way because at the end it's different, but in the same time it's kind of the same tournament which we played all year long.

It's less players, easier with the practices. But for me I don't feel anything except the players' party, you know, with the media. I don't feel like something really different.

So this is good because I can be more focused on the things I have to do, like practicing and preparing for the matches. Let's see how it's going to be when the matches start, but for the moment it's fine.

Q. You're going to play Iga in that opener, and I'm curious, in the past she has said that you guys both have similar grips and so, therefore, she kind of has a sense as to what makes her uncomfortable. I'm curious if that's a thing that you have noticed as well, and whether or not that's something that you feel like you might be able to exploit because you know what balls are uncomfortable?

DARIA KASATKINA: Yes, I remember when we were kids, parents and coaches were saying, Okay, if someone is doing something - for example, drop shots or not playing aggressive - try to do the same thing against them, they will probably be uncomfortable with this. Maybe it's still working that way.

Maybe she's right. Maybe she's right. But I think the intensity Iga puts in her game is uncomfortable for most of the players. So I think it's more about the intensity and how heavy is her ball. Maybe I'm wrong (laughing). I don't know, you know?

Facing this game, yes, it's different than...

Q. Then just last night, the sunglasses, what was that exactly? Can you explain what they were and why you chose them?

DARIA KASATKINA: Sunglasses from the shop for Euro maybe (laughing). I think they're broken already. Really cheap.

No, the story with them are very simple. Natasha, my girlfriend, she just sent me a picture. She was at home. She was sending me the pictures of the glasses from the shop. I said, Take them. And she bring it. Yeah, we got matching glasses, sunglasses.

Yeah, they were my signature yesterday.

Q. As you take new steps in your career and do things like reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time, reach the WTA Finals for the first time, does that push you to adjust how you see yourself as a player and what the possibilities and maybe goals are for you?

DARIA KASATKINA: It's pushing you for more. So I was thinking, and I catch a thought during this season, that after winning San Jose I become No. 9 in the world. I was, like, Oh, good, my new career high ranking. I think next week or two weeks after I was 10. I was, like, Hmm, no, I don't like it. Then 11. Even worse. I was, like, No, no, I don't want to be. I want to be higher. Then becoming again 9. I am like 9, Okay, it's good, but I want higher. Now I'm 8, and I want more. This is how it works. Now as well the semifinal was good at that moment, but I want more right now. I want to achieve more things.

It's good that I'm conscious as well, I want and I try to push myself more for the bigger results because now I'm not that happy. I mean, I know that it's a good ranking. I really appreciate my work, and I'm happy being in this position, but I want more.

I was happy that moment because I achieved something new, but now I want more things. I want higher. I'm not super happy with... I mean, I'm happy, of course, but I want to take the next step.

Q. You and Natasha have both been or are currently elite athletes. I'm curious if you have gotten her on the tennis court or if she's gotten you on the ice, and if she's a better tennis player than you are a figure skater?

DARIA KASATKINA: I am zero figure skater (laughing). I mean, I like to skate, but she has to always carry me or else I will fall.

I'm trying hard to learn how to do it, but I just cannot. Or maybe she's teaching me bad, so she always has to carry me, you know (laughing).

I'm enjoying this sport, honestly. It's nice. I enjoy a lot watching her skating. I start to watch more figure skating in general. It's very beautiful sport. But we never played with her. I would have to figure this mistake for sure.

She was trying. We will see. Maybe I will be better skater just because I was practicing a bit more.

Q. Just a follow-up. How did you spend the week leading up to this, and how do you sort of balance the relief at having qualified for an event like this and then also revved back up the competitiveness?

DARIA KASATKINA: The relief, it was very good because I've got two days off after Guadalajara where I could, you know, relax a little bit because I was too tense. Also for me it was the first time where I was, when I was alternate, I knew that I'm not going to qualify. I could be just alternate.

Here I was, like, to qualify or not qualify was really kind of on the border. It was a lot of stress. I must tell that I didn't manage very good the stress level.

Two days after I knew that I qualify, I was just, like, a jellyfish (laughing). Yeah, not doing anything, enjoying two days that finally I can calm down. Then I come back in the same mood, so I feel good and preparing well.

For the moment, I don't feel like extra stress or when you are over-motivated that can also burn you out before the tournament especially. For the moment I control this thing. Hope to continue this way.

Yeah, this is the most difficult thing, to control the stress level, and I'm learning.

Q. Are you someone who, in general, will look at other players' games and say, I would like to take that from that player, or, Oh, she does it that way, maybe I could try to do some aspect of the game the way that player does?

DARIA KASATKINA: More from the men's side, I would say, because still it's very difficult. We compete against each other, so I want to see more disadvantages in the game of the girls.

It's very difficult to see their good parts. Of course, I see them, but it's tough to accept (laughing). I watch more men's tennis, and I try to catch something from their game.

Also, because my game is a bit more like boy style, let's say. Most of the girls, they are hitting ball more, so I cannot take much from their game because we are a bit different.

Yeah, it's a very competitive sport, so it's tough to see good in your opponents (laughing). I'm quite objective, so I can see. I'm trying to take more from the men's part.

Q. Could I ask for just one example of something maybe?

DARIA KASATKINA: Like what?

Q. That you have seen a certain male player do, and you thought, Oh, I want to try to copy that or learn how to do that?

DARIA KASATKINA: For example, Carlos Alcaraz or Felix Auger-Aliassime, now because they play indoor tournaments, first of all, very similar. I'm watching how they're making running around forehand. They can run from the other side of the court making like this half a circle and catch the forehand from the completely other side of the court. I'm, like, Oh, what a footwork (laughing). I wish to have this speed and this timing and reading the direction of the ball because sometimes for me it's difficult.

I cannot to count the distance, the speed of the ball, where exactly the ball is coming. I think the boys, they do it a bit better than girls. I really think this is one of the most important aspects of tennis, to read the ball correctly. Because if you can read the ball, you can take the ball early when you need, you can put down the speed when you need, and this is very useful thing.