AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2023

Katie Volynets

Press Conference

K. VOLYNETS/V. Kudermetova

6-4, 2-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Katie, well done today. Just talk us through how pleased you are with reaching the third round here at the Australian Open.

KATIE VOLYNETS: Thank you. I'm really pleased to be at the third round of the Australian Open. It's really exciting for me. This is my first time, and last year I qualified, so I was really excited to come here and try to qualify again. Now I just feel like I'm playing free and really enjoying every moment.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I assume this is your biggest win, is that true?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Yes, it's true. It's my first top-10 win.

Q. What would you consider your best previous win to this?

KATIE VOLYNETS: I've had a couple of top-100 wins. I remember my first top-100 win was against Monica Puig, so I guess since that was the first one, that would be my biggest one before this.

Q. How do the emotions compare with it being in a major and having that kind of thing happen to your past matches?

KATIE VOLYNETS: The emotions are definitely very high. They're very excited. I have not played in front of that many people before, and I didn't expect to have that many fans behind me in Australia. That's super cool (laughing). It felt really special to the point where after I won, I literally got chills by hearing their voices. Yeah.

Q. Katie, how did you kind of both soak in the atmosphere and the moment while you're playing a big match, but then also kind of zone in and focus on what you needed to do?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Yeah, I was just emphasizing on taking it one point at a time and really just focusing on doing the best I can with each ball that comes at me.

One shot at a time helped me to really stay present and zoned in.

Q. When going up against the World No. 9, how was your mindset going into the court, would you say?

KATIE VOLYNETS: I would say that I had a lot of belief. I didn't think too much about the other side. I was just focused on my side and doing to the best of my ability on each of my shots and everything that I could control.

It's obviously a very exciting opportunity to play someone who is No. 9 in the world. I don't think I've played anyone top 10 before, so that was really cool for me.

Q. How did you get started in tennis?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Actually, when my parents moved from Ukraine, their friend Charles gave them a tennis racquet, and then my brother, who is actually 12 years older than me, he started to play with my parents a little bit, and I was, like, 5 at that time. I would always bring my toys and coloring books and cars, whatever I had, to the tennis court.

One day I got really bored with my coloring books. I think I finished one of them, so then I was, like, Dad, can I borrow your racquet? Can I try? Then I hit the first ball and then I was, like, Dad, can I have tennis lessons? I didn't have a racquet yet.

So then we were home one day. He brought something home, and he had it behind his back, and he was, like, Guess what this is?

I was, like, A racquet (laughing)? And it was a racquet.

Q. Was that in Walnut Creek? Where did you start playing? I know the area, but, like, what club? What courts?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Well, actually, the funny thing is we started playing in the house. Like, my dad would be, like, Hit it into my hand, and there was, like, a chandelier up there. No pressure (laughing).

And then after that we moved on to Heather Farm Park. That was where I had my first lessons. Then to Moraga Country Club. Kind of all in that area.

Q. Just in terms of taking the court, having the matches that you already had underneath your belt and a good start generally to the season, I mean, how confident were you stepping out on that court that you could pull off this result?

KATIE VOLYNETS: I wasn't thinking too much about the result or outcome. Having four matches under the belt before that was great to have. I knew the courts already. I didn't exactly know Margaret Court Arena, but I got to warm up there this morning, so that was helpful.

I felt good going in. I felt healthy, so I was excited.

Q. Katie, I take it you must have extended family in Ukraine?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Yeah, I have a lot of cousins in the Ukraine, and actually they watch every single match. They usually write me, and I communicate with them. It's really special.

Q. It's obviously a very, very difficult time for them. How are they doing, your family?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Yeah, so far so good. It's really a difficult time. Before everyone used to be able to move about the country however they want to and go on with their days, and now it's just, you know, day-to-day. I really feel for them.

And to have their support through all of this is incredible. Whenever I come out on the courts, I hope that I'm supporting them as well because they're watching, and I stay strong for them.

Q. Katie, sorry I should know this, but did you consider ever representing Ukraine, or was it always U.S. for you 100%?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Well, my brother was born in the Ukraine, but as I was born in the U.S., it was always U.S. 100%.

Q. I would just be curious, you had a lot of success as a junior in the U.S., quite a lot. What's your feeling on what the key things are about making the transition to this level and what do you think has really helped you be able to do it? Because it's not always a guarantee it's going to lead to success.

KATIE VOLYNETS: The transition is definitely interesting. I feel like we did a good job of sprinkling in first national tournaments, then ITF tournaments, and then those junior slams.

Then we moved into the ITF pro circuits, and I feel like having a balanced schedule has really helped me to make the transition. It's always really important to get a mix of matches, like, in the ITF and now in the slams, and it helps to develop the game.

Q. So considering your Ukrainian roots, was it any extra emotional beating a Russian player?

KATIE VOLYNETS: I would say that when I step on the court, I kind of try to put the politics aside and just focus on the tennis. Having said that, I always worry about my family, of course, in the Ukraine. But I don't hold anything against the players, and I just try to focus on the tennis.

Q. Would you have grown up speaking Ukrainian with your parents to start with and then English at school?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Yeah, well, actually my father, he speaks both Ukrainian and Russian fluently, but since my mother -- they're both from the Ukraine, but my mother spoke Russian.

So then we would speak Russian in the house. Russian was actually my first language because they wanted English teachers to teach me English, so I wouldn't pick English up from them.

Then when I went to kindergarten, I pretty much started communicating in English with all my peers.

Q. It's interesting because you almost don't say any "ums" or "ahs" or anything.

KATIE VOLYNETS: That's good (laughing). I try to not say "um" (laughing).

Q. Just in terms of picking things up and kind of starting with tennis, I mean, what was it that you liked about it other than running out of coloring books?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Well, the funny thing is my mom was a very good swimmer, so she put me in swimming. And I would actually fake stomach aches after tennis practice because I really didn't want to go swimming.

She would be, like, You'll feel better once you're in the pool. But to me tennis is just -- you don't repeat one shot over and over. Like in swimming I feel -- nothing against swimming, but for me personally I felt that you just take one lap, two laps, three laps, four different strokes.

In tennis there's so many different shots, and that kept it really exciting for me all the time. I'm still really excited about every shot (smiling). In addition, there's a huge mental aspect of tennis, which keeps it fresh.

Q. So, Katie, have you been to Ukraine a lot?

KATIE VOLYNETS: Actually last time I went was in the summer of 2021 right after Wimbledon. And before then up until I was, like, 12 years old, my parents would take me there every year so I can spend time with my grandparents and with my cousins.

Q. Where was your family? Or where is your family?

KATIE VOLYNETS: They were mostly in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk.

Q. What's it like for you? Now you're in the third round. You've been in the senior locker room for a few days now. What is that experience like? Also, obviously, being multi-lingual, you're kind of low key, can listen in on things. What's it like? What's the experience?

KATIE VOLYNETS: It's really cool. There are many different lockers, and I happened to choose the same one as last year because that's how I am (laughing).

Then it's really exciting to see all of the other players, and it's exciting to be able to practice my Russian and Ukrainian with other players.

I have a couple of Ukrainian friends, like Daria Snigur and Kateryna Baindl, and I really love practicing my different languages with them. That's something that's really fun for me.

Q. How do you guys in your family pronounce your last name?

KATIE VOLYNETS: I'm going to stick to Volynets (laughing), "volley nets."

Q. That's not the way you pronounce it at home though.

KATIE VOLYNETS: Now it is. Thank you.