QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 13, 2023

Caroline Garcia

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: How does it feel to be back in Doha?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, I'm very happy to be back in Doha. It's a very nice tournament. Every time they are treating us very well.

I'm very excited. It's a big tournament. It's a very strong draw, the type of tournament you want to play, and you want to fight hard.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. You had a great year last year. The second half was great. What do you think clicked at that period and everything went so well?

CAROLINE GARCIA: It's hard to say. I don't think it's only one thing. I think, first of all, I was back weeks after weeks as here, so I was able to practice and to play tournaments with a vision, you know. It was not just, Okay, I know I can play two matches but no more. Like I was feeling more and more confident in my body to be able to train and to play a lot of matches.

And then that time off tennis also made me realize what kind of game style I want to play, which game style I'm enjoying on court. When I came back, that was what I wanted to do.

Q. What about this year? Your expectations must be higher, right?

CAROLINE GARCIA: For sure. I mean, that's what is tricky, actually. It's like you always want to do better, but you start to compare yourself to what it was last year, but I don't think it's a very good mindset.

So that's what I'm working on, to just focus on the present and to see what I can do better from yesterday only.

Q. When you say you compare with the previous year, I mean, everybody does, what do you compare? Is it results or is it the way you play?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, how you are feeling, how you were moving, how you were hitting the ball, what was your result.

Yeah, but that's good but not good enough. That's always tricky, and that's what we have been working on. And also, I put sometimes too much expectation on myself, and that's not how I successed last year.

So you want to do like last year but you put more pressure on yourself, and that was not what was working last year, so you have to find the good balance about all that.

Q. Are you superstitious, Caroline? Do you have certain things that you...

CAROLINE GARCIA: I don't see myself as superstitious (smiling). Sometimes routine help you to be more calm, but I don't think it's superstition.

Q. You talked about the confidence and the experiences. So from the last year. So is any specific matches or tournament where you pick up like confidence or, you know, that you started feeling that, Okay, I can play like a top-10 level like that?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I think there is a lot of tournaments of last year who made me realize or learn a few different things. It will hard to be naming all of them, but for example, at the beginning of the year, even if I couldn't put matches back to back, I mean, playing here and beating Halep was already a good result for me from where I was standing.

Then obviously the first title in Bad Homburg meant a lot with the level of game. Then going all the way in the tournament, playing five matches, that was something I didn't do for a very long time.

So, yes, there is a lot of matches what made me realize that I still know how to play tennis (smiling).