AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2023

Luisa Stefani

Rafael Matos

Press Conference

STEFANI-MATOS/Mirza-Bopanna

7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Luisa, Rafael, congrats. You're undefeated as a team and made history because you're the first all-Brazilian team to win a Grand Slam title. How does it feel now?

RAFAEL MATOS: Yeah, it feels really good. To play with another Brazilian, friend that we met a long time, it's just really special.

We receive a lot of energy and message from Brazilians, from our families, friends. It was really special this moment for us.

THE MODERATOR: Luisa?

LUISA STEFANI: Yeah, it's an incredible feeling. Unreal really. A dream come true. It's think it's really special to share with Rafa because it's our first Grand Slam title, like you said making history for Brazil. Brazilians here together in Australia, extremely special.

I'm holding onto this moment as much as I can. I'm really happy to share it with our teams and families back home. Like he said, we can feel the energy and support. Even here in Melbourne, there are a lot of people cheering for us.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How important and how helpful was playing United Cup starting this mixed collaboration? Could you feel when the tournament began you were already locked in as a team?

LUISA STEFANI: Yeah, I think for sure United Cup. I think maybe November when I was deciding the schedule, what to do in the beginning of the year, I didn't have also a partnership set up for even regular doubles. I texted Rafa. It was a new event, so we weren't really sure what to expect as much. I mean, the information was really clear.

I asked him if he was going because we talked about playing together here at the Open. I was like, If you're going to United Cup, I'll go. If you're not going, then I might not do it. We could get a chance to play mixed there.

That was really fun because we had the whole team environment to support us as well as share some great energy. If there was one thing, the whole team, especially the captain there, was telling us to use that week to bring the energy for the rest of the year, not just for us but for everyone.

I think we did it. We were able to really gather all that energy in Brisbane and bring it here, and hopefully take it for the rest of the year, as well.

Q. Luisa, you had a painful injury at the 2021 US Open. You were out for a long time. Here you are sitting as champions in mixed. Tell us about the journey.

LUISA STEFANI: Yeah, I think that was the best moment of my career when the injury happened in the semis. It was maybe the most important match of my life so far, besides Olympics. I mean, it was a big shock. I was away from tennis for a long time. At the same time I really tried to use that time wisely, as good as I could.

I moved back home, which was a big change, but it was extremely important. Obviously rehab, it's tough. Everybody says it. I think there's a lot of good things you can learn from it.

Besides not taking tennis for granted or matches for granted, I don't think I ever really did even before injury, but I think it really showed me what I have outside of tennis as well, especially being near family, being back home, and how much we can do through sport.

Besides having a lot of time to work on things on tour, we usually don't get the time to do so. I think I really had a good mindset with my team. I really think my team was extremely important, my coach, my physiotherapist, mental side.

I really tried to get everybody together to have the goal to come back stronger, work on my tennis, enjoy really the outside part when we were on tour that we're not able to.

It's paying off. I'm just really happy and willing to keep it going.

Q. Luisa, five trophies from eight events since you've come back.

LUISA STEFANI: I'll take it.

Q. You had uncertainties when you restarted in September. How does it feel now? Is the idea of a comeback over? Are you just back?

LUISA STEFANI: I'm coming back (smiling).

No, I like the idea of coming back. I really had I think a good mindset coming back. I tried to just do my best. I had amazing partners. I really want to highlight that. I think I did a great job picking people to come with me in this comeback, initially with Gabby in the first tournament. There was nobody better to do my comeback with. I was comfortable with her. I was happy she gave me that opportunity to go to India, Chennai, play in a 250 there. Getting the title there gave me a lot of confidence moving forward. It was also a big moment, emotional moment in general, not just tennis-wise.

Now my biggest focus is to stay healthy, to trust my body. I think the biggest thing from injury, it's a trauma, your body lets you down literally after you've worked so hard. You work really hard to get back up, keep going. It's a big journey.

Not every day is easy. Some days are lard. With injury or without injury, we go through a lot of adversity with our bodies and minds in tennis, sport in general, especially high level.

I've been working really hard to get my body on track, my tennis as well. I think that confidence comes from doing the work, winning matches, and trusting my partners.

Rafa here, he helped me a lot through the matches, too, just communication and playing with people that I love playing with. Literally every tournament I played with people that motivate me, inspire me, who I admire a lot as players and also as people. I think that also helped to get success and get the results.

Q. Luisa, you had some bad luck in the women's doubles with your partner getting hurt. Do you know what partnership-wise things look like in doubles going forward?

LUISA STEFANI: Yeah, after I came back I knew it would be incognito, I wouldn't know who I was playing with all the time. I was ready for it to be stressful all the time. Picking a partner and choosing here, I got a little bit unlucky. My partner chose to pull out last second. It was a real high, then all of a sudden a big low.

Then I got a chance to reset the very next day with Rafa. I think I was really excited for mixed doubles as well, hungry for it, because I didn't have the opportunity to play in regular doubles.

Yeah, I actually don't know what I would do moving forward. I have a plan for the next few weeks in the Middle East, but for the rest of the year I'm still working through some decisions.