AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2023

Caroline Garcia

Press Conference

C. GARCIA/L. Siegemund

1-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Your thoughts on tonight's match, Caroline? It was a tough battle.

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, it was a crazy battle. Didn't play some great tennis, but very happy with the way I fought. Today with what I was capable of doing, the atmosphere was pretty unbelievable. It was a very good fight. Laura played some good tennis already the first two rounds and today as well.

I'm very pleased to be through of the second week.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After the first set, what were you telling yourself to not panic, just focus on the task at hand?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, it was kind of that. It was like I couldn't really find my rhythm. She was playing good. She was reading my game pretty well. Yeah, not to panic.

I mean, maybe the sensation of today was not that great, but remember it's a Grand Slam tournament, this is third round. Even if you play some bad tennis, you have to try until the end, try to fought, try to find the solution, push the ball back in the court, whatever, but just do something different, make the other one go for it.

That's what I was trying to remember myself. Maybe it was not going to be some great tennis today, but at least I had to try something, and fought hard.

Q. In terms of the ability to not start to see the headlines, panic, start to not hear the chatter of what happens if you lose, how do you block that out?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Apparently I'm not doing that very great so far (smiling).

It's a challenge. Everything is a challenge. Already playing tennis, playing some matches, it's a challenge. Every opponent are different. You first have to fight an opponent, you have to fight yourself, you have to fight the around.

Yeah, I'm trying my best. We are trying the best with the team. Emotions, stress are here obviously. It means you care, you want to do good. You have to adjust, try to find the good balance and go through and be able to play some good tennis, at least improve from one day to another.

Today I got the win so I am still alive in this tournament. Hopefully tomorrow we'll do a good day of practice, be ready, playing better for the next round.

Q. Do things change when a tournament closes the books on week one and opens it to week two?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I don't know. I mean, it's not that obvious. Every match since the very beginning are very important. If you want to go through all the way, you have to go through your first round. If not, you cannot make it. Every match are very important. Obviously there is less and less players.

Yeah, I don't know. I don't really feel it different actually.

Q. Looking ahead, you don't know who you'll face, but if you could talk about either Linette or Alexandrova.

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, they are two aggressive players. Magda had a great previous rounds, great comeback. We know she can play some great tennis. Haven't played very well so far in the slams, but she can be very dangerous, beat a couple great player in the past.

Yeah, it will be a great match. I will have to be aggressive, be playing on my game style, trying to relax a little bit, enjoy more what I'm doing, play with confidence.

Alexandra, same, pretty powerful player, great forehand, pretty flat player. Yeah, I will have to be really focus about myself and be ready for what comes, and fight.

Q. Regards doubles, there's a lot of top players who used to play, you, Sabalenka, then there's Jessie, Coco...

CAROLINE GARCIA: I don't understand how they do it.

Q. Jessie said one of the reasons why is she'd rather play than practice. Having done both, is this superior, having a pure off day?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I think it's very personal. Sometimes schedule is not easy. If you want to go far in slams and you want to go all the way, you injured in doubles, you want to go all the way also and be respectful with your partner, you have to be ready for the schedule not to be perfect.

I had that experience in US Open, finishing late with Coco, then you have to come back the next day to play a match at 1 or 2 p.m., which is maybe not the top priority when you go to bed at 1 a.m.

I mean, you entered, you have to go, you have to play and try your best. But it was not a day off. Maybe the first couple of rounds I can understand and see it like maybe it's better to play a match than to go practice. At the end of tournaments, it's very personal.

For me, I prefer to do the things 100%. I know that at the end of the tournament can be tricky, so I would rather not do it.