AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2023

Kimberly Birrell

Press Conference

K. BIRRELL/K. Kanepi

6-3, 7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone. Kim, where does that match rank in your career to date?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: It's pretty up there, yeah. I'm really happy with how I played today. Yeah, going into it, yeah, I was feeling quite confident, and I'm just really happy that I played the way that I know I can.

Q. Kim, 1,462 days since your last singles win at a Grand Slam. What does it mean to you after all the injuries that you've had and being ranked 742 almost a year ago?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, that's a long time (laughing). Yeah, to be honest, I haven't really thought too much in that way. I've just -- honestly, my priority was just to get back on court and be pain-free.

I'm so happy that I've done that, and I played so many matches last year, and I knew that I was starting to find it at the end of last year. Yeah, just take it one match at a time. And I feel, yeah, so happy to be back playing at this level at a slam again.

Q. What was your reaction when you found out Venus had pulled out and you weren't going to have to win three qualifying matches just to get into the draw?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, I was pretty happy (laughing). I was not expecting it at all. I cried like a baby, and it was such a nice moment.

I had just got off of the court practicing, and my mom had flown in the night before to watch me play quallies, and my brother and my mom and my dad were all there with me when I got told. Yeah, that was a really special moment because they've been through it all with me... the highs, the lows. Yeah, I'm glad I got to share it with them.

Q. Does it feel like the lucky break you probably were owed after all the sort of bad luck you've had for several years?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that I've worked my absolute butt off just to get back on the court with rehab. There was a few moments where I didn't think it was going to happen. I don't think -- no matter how resilient or -- yeah, you know, I guess resilience is a good word for it. No matter how resilient you are, rehab is really tough when you've been doing it for a year and a half. So there were times when I wanted to give up, but I'm really glad that I didn't. Yeah, just so happy. Thanks.

Q. You talked a little bit there, Kim, about that it maybe did cross your mind about giving it away. Did you give any thought to what might be next away from tennis?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, actually quite a bit (laughing). I guess I've always been an ambitious person, so I guess I had to really think at the end of not last year, the year before, 2021, whether I thought I could get back on the court, but I just wasn't sure how well I could play with not being able to serve at 100%. That was what I was really struggling with.

I had to think really hard about whether it would be worth it playing and knowing that I wouldn't be at my best. Yeah, I've been lucky to -- my mom is a schoolteacher, so she always pushed my brother and I to be educated and never stop learning. So I study communications at Griffith University. And I have put that on pause a couple of times, but when I've been injured, it's been really great to have something else to think about.

I've been lucky enough to do quite a bit of work with TA and the women in sport, Women and Girls in tennis space, and that's something I really love. During the times when I was off court and not able to play, that really kept me going. And knowing that I have something to fall back on is a good feeling.

Q. I imagine you obviously grew up watching Venus playing. When that emotion came over you and you found out she had withdrawn, did you shoot her a message on Instagram and say thank you or anything like that?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: I did speak to someone that's friends with her, and I asked if she was in Melbourne because I thought if I saw her in the locker room, I thought I would mention to her that I was the one that ended up getting her spot and I guess say, like, thank you. It was kind of a weird one.

But I guess for her, like, she's such a legend of our sport, and I have so much respect for her and Serena and what they've done.

I also wanted to know if she was okay too, but I think she will be able to continue playing this year and be able to look after whatever injury she had.

I guess for her to not play it's kind of just a small thing, but for me to get the chance to play in a major slam, especially the money can be life-changing, so I'm pretty grateful.

Q. While I've got you, it doesn't feel like that long ago, the 1,462 days. I think you sat here and you talked about getting a new car because you were sharing a car with you mom.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Oh, my God, yeah. And I ended up buying a KIA (laughing).

Q. It doesn't seem that long that you're probably due for a new one. Are you?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Honestly, I love my car so much I don't think I could give it up. Yeah, KIA Seltos all the way (laughing).

Q. As you said, the money does make a huge difference. There's no shying away from that.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yes.

Q. It's there. What does it do for you?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Oh my God, I guess I haven't had too much time to think about it. You just take it one match at a team, but to play a Grand Slam and make this kind of money, like, I really grinded last year playing are a lot of ITFs in Tunisia and all over the world. I loved it, but it was a stress that I hadn't felt for a long time just constantly being in a deficit every week.

It's tricky when, you know, I'm super aware of all the sacrifices that my family have made and my boyfriend have made. We're both living at home with my mom and dad, so I guess I have had, like, the savings to be able to move out, but to not know what's next when you have experienced injuries and to also want to have the money saved up to also reinvest it into myself and be able to have a coach on the road with me and things like that.

Yeah, to know that I have a little bit more for the rest of this year is awesome. And hopefully the other goals that I have outside of tennis also get achieved.

Q. Kim, obviously you handled difficult conditions brilliantly today. Did you get any extra boost in the third set looking down the other end of the court and seeing an opponent who appeared to be really struggling in it?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah. I guess a little bit subconsciously, but I was really just trying to focus on myself. I felt a lot of energy from the crowd when I won the second set, and I really had to remind myself that there's a long way to go. Yeah, I tried to center myself and then just take it one point at a time from there.

I just have a lot of belief in myself and the work I've put in in the offseason, and I'm from Queensland, sunny Gold Coast, so I knew how to put in a lot of hard work. I'm used to the conditions that maybe she wouldn't have been. So, yeah.

Q. As a Queenslander, would you advise anybody else playing to wear a hat?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: I did notice she wasn't wearing a hat. It was because from that end, the opposite end to my player box, the sun was quite bad even with my hat on. With your ball toss, it was so tricky for a couple of games. Yeah, I don't know (laughing).

Q. How does it sort of feel on the body to play in this kind of heat?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: That's a good question. I mean, yeah, it's like a feeling that's really hard to explain, but yeah, I think on the court you just feel the heat, like, radiating up, but I honestly love it.

I really like these conditions. I like feeling like I'm working hard and sweating and, yeah, really, you know, getting into the fight. I think that's when I play some of my best tennis. So I guess the conditions really helped me today.

Yeah, it's kind of a different heat to Queensland because where I'm from it's really humid. So I think training in the humidity probably helped me today. Even though it was high temperature, it wasn't -- it was a bit more of a dry heat.

Q. I wanted to ask about playing the ITF tour in Tunisia and some of those locations that are lesser known to the tours. I've heard some horror stories from players about showering with brown water. How much does a win here make you savor those moments and say, You know what, I can do this, and I can push?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yes, so much. Honestly, I was expecting the worst when I went to Tunisia, but it wasn't that bad. We still get looked after quite well. It's just that all the flights and everything is becoming so expensive, and the prize money isn't very high.

So I guess that's, like, one of the downfalls. But yeah, I had my birthday in Tunisia this year. They bought me a cake and everything. It wasn't too bad.

Yeah, I mean, there's nothing like playing at a Grand Slam. Because I had my protected ranking last year, I was playing a big mix of 15Ks and 25Ks, and then I would go to a WTA. So I really got to see the difference in terms of, like, I guess, the hotels and physios and that kind of thing.

So definitely hope I can play more weeks at this kind of level.

Q. There's been a bit of talk around the state of women's tennis in Australia. Obviously this week we've had Ajla out, Ash has retired a year ago, Dash is injured at the moment. It's only wild cards in the draw. You've come through with a group of girls who are similar age, from those teenage years. You've all had your own little journeys. Is there still fight in this group that you can break through and get that top 100?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, definitely. I think, yeah, we all genuinely want to see each other do well. The support I received last year coming back from injury and then before my match and since my match has finished, it makes me appreciate the group that I've come up with.

I think we're all so close. I think it was pretty tough for quite a few of the girls who did really long years during COVID. I think that maybe last year a few have been feeling the effects of that, but we've all had the chance to be home now for a good amount of time during preseason. I think we're all well-rested and ready to go for hopefully a big 2023.

I think it's going to be a good year. Hopefully a few of us break into the top 100, and I then I think all of us will -- I think everyone is going to follow.