AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2023

Magda Linette

Press Conference

M. LINETTE/C. Garcia

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Magda, congratulations on reaching your first slam singles quarterfinal. How does it feel to be here at the Australian Open in that round?

MAGDA LINETTE: It's great. I don't know, I feel quite calm actually. It feels really good. I don't know. If I can still believe it or I'm just really happy and still focused maybe on the next round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You had to play a pivotal role in the United Cup matches, the clinching roles a lot of times. How much confidence did that give you with respect to managing nerves, the tight moments? Do you feel like that's carried you through to the success you've had here?

MAGDA LINETTE: I think it started already last year 'cause I had already played couple important matches in, like, tournaments lower ranked, but also Billie Jean King Cup when I was starting up with 0-1 every single time. I think that also was kind of important, then it carried over towards United Cup.

I think I was just more ready for the situation, like what it was there. One time, like, my match was winning as the match, and the next one was keeping us in the match.

I think it was just overall experience. Then I think just the whole team vibe and having extra support was helpful just to be there and stay calm and have a little bit more support right there at the bench. I think that what kind of help me to start the season a little bit better, as well.

Q. Did you think at the beginning of the tournament that in its final stages you were going to be the Polish hope, the last Polish remaining?

MAGDA LINETTE: No, obviously you would think that, assume that Iga would be there as well because she has been playing really well. And also she played so well in the United Cup.

But, I mean, I don't really put it this way. Like, I don't put extra pressure on myself about it. I don't really look at the draw actually at all. I haven't looked at the draw at all.

I'm just happy I'm in the tournament. Yeah, I did not think about it. I mean, I obviously assumed that she would be still right before the tournament, but yeah. Didn't happen.

Q. Through the years did you ever wonder or worry whether you would have that kind of success in singles at a Grand Slam tournament?

MAGDA LINETTE: I wasn't that completely far away. In Wimbledon I was quite close one year to get through to the second week when I was kind of having a break up in the third set against Paula. When I was at the Roland Garros, I was set up against Ons. I've been in the third rounds for so many times that I knew I'm capable.

Then when I start beating players like Ash Barty and then Ons, that kind of gave me an extra kick that really showed me that I can really go far in those tournaments.

I think it was more frustrating than I would wonder or worry about it. I think it was just more frustration why I can't do it.

Q. You spoke the other day about how tough it would be against Garcia given her aggression and form. You must have been more than confident going in with your power game that you could more than match up with her?

MAGDA LINETTE: Yeah, she did start really fast. I think I did not serve very well at the very beginning. Then once I picked it up a little bit more, I think then my game started coming together a little bit.

I think the serve was a crucial part today for me.

Q. You mentioned being frustrated by the wall at the third round. What has been the difference for you here?

MAGDA LINETTE: I think it was overall, as well 'cause we've been working for quite some time. We started doing things a little bit different since last summer.

I think it was just overall work that we did throughout the whole summer, the U.S. swing. I played really, really end of the year basically together with Billie Jean King Cup. I think that was one also part that I did not stop for as long as usually I would. That was something nice 'cause I felt I did not really kind of go out of competition. It really was very short time.

Then we did a little bit easier preseason than usual. I was usually really working very hard physically. This time we took it a little bit different. We kind of thought, Okay, I'm not that young any more, I'm after one surgery, so we need to really be careful about how we approach this. I think I'm so much fresher.

Again, it was really important because we finished so late. I think that was really good approach and gave me a little bit more, as well, I would say -- 'hunger' is not the right word, but I think 'fresh' is the right word.

Q. You talked about the work starting from last summer. Can you talk about what you mean by that? Fitness? Game? Technique?

MAGDA LINETTE: We worked a lot actually about my emotional management. I think dealing with some kind of losses, but not necessarily match losses, just even throughout the match losses, like small mistakes here and there.

I think I've never really deal with them very well. They carried over later on for next point, then another one. It was taking me just too long to get over them.

I think of course we work so much on my game. We worked a lot on changing the directions and the depth of the ball. But I think this approach of really trying to look a little bit different, grow up a little bit emotionally, like that was a big thing for us as a team. All of us approached it. It wasn't only me, but it was the coaches that brought this to me.

Q. Is there anything about the conditions here over these two weeks that you feel has helped your game or that makes you particularly comfortable out there?

MAGDA LINETTE: No, not really. I train in Florida, so I'm used to warm weather. Yeah, I think it's kind of similar. I've always been better in warm conditions. I think my body reacts to it better.

No, not really. I've played with, I mean, rain this week, wind, and when it was hot. I think I've played throughout everything. So it's really tough to say that conditions were stable.

I think it was this emotional control that just throughout all those changes I was able to just stay calm and just do my job.

Q. In terms of the courts, court speed, balls, anything along those lines?

MAGDA LINETTE: Again, I think it's again how I adapt. I think I just adapted really well. The outside courts, like Court 17 I played first round, was way faster. The courts are just so different. It's such a big difference this court, Rod Laver, comparing to the Court 17. A very big difference in the matter of speed.

I think I was a little bit maybe lucky to play a player like Sherif on the faster court. That was helping me. Again today, it was maybe a little bit helping me that the court was a little bit slower. Caroline, her shots weren't as damaging as they would be on the outside courts. Maybe that.

I mean, it's the same for everybody.

Q. On the emotional control that you were talking about. We're used to players working on a forehand, technique. How did you work on emotional control? Are you telling yourself different things?

MAGDA LINETTE: Honestly, it took me so long because we started that in the summer, and it kind of started coming together, I would say, actually around, yeah, late rounds on Tampico on 125.

In the first set, I was playing one girl, and she was giving me a lot of trouble. I completely broke in tears in the first set. My coaches were, like, really surprised by that. I felt like I threw all that anger out of me. That was the last time when I really lost it. Since then I really controlled it better.

I felt like for some reason that match was really difficult, and also somehow different for me. I felt like I threw all the anger out that I had, and I really turned it around. Since then I really for the whole tournament kept the control so much better.

We worked on also during, like, points during training sessions. I feel like some days it's working, some days it's not.

But I think it's just how do you try to approach the defeats and the mistakes, and are you making the right mistakes, can you then recognize it and move and deal with them a little bit better. I think I was just getting too negative and too harsh on myself 'cause I feel I'm quite demanding.

On the other hand when you try to go to that other spectrum, when you're okay with everything, it's also not the best. You really need to stay on top of things and be, say, proactive with it, which ones you're doing good and not.

I think recognizing it, you try again and again and again. Eventually you start I think recognizing which ones were the right ones to deal with.

It's very difficult. I'm 31 and I'm just getting it right, so obviously it was one of the toughest things for me (smiling). But I'm happy. I'm happy that I have this opportunity, that actually I tapped into something that finally I'm breaking something that was very, like you can't really measure it in any way. For me it was something really difficult to change.

Q. Pliskova next. She's in the best form she's been in for a little while. With the belief at the moment, you must believe you have every chance to win again?

MAGDA LINETTE: Yeah, exactly. I'm really trying to take, as I said before, one match at a time. I'm happy that I'm managing to do that. It's same, I'm trying to break it during the match in the same way: one point at a time.