BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 13, 2023

Elena Rybakina

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/P. Badosa

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Congrats on reaching round of 16. Can you give us your thoughts on your performance.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Was really tough match but happy that in the end I managed to win in two sets.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Just talk a little bit about fighting back in that second set to get it done in two sets. Did you make adjustments? Did you think her level shifted? What do you think was the key to the comeback in the second?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, I just got broken. So of course it's not easy. I know that we both have very good serves. I was focusing on mine. After, when I lost that game, I was just trying to play point by point. I had a break in the first set, so I knew that it can change same quickly, so...

Q. She said that you especially did well on those critical points. I'm wondering, how aware are you while you're playing what the critical points are, what the context within the scoreline is, or you're just playing your best in every moment and some happen to be the critical ones?

ELENA RYBAKINA: No, of course I try to focus on the points. Especially when it's tough, I try to serve, change a bit the serve. Yeah, it's not easy, sometimes also you start thinking about yourself, emotions. It's not easy always to actually act on these important moments.

But in the end, I think, yeah, few moments of this match I played good, yeah.

Q. Just through getting the wins here and getting used to conditions, and I know they've changed because it's a lot warmer now than it was last week, but are the conditions here in Indian Wells, are they favorable to you, or do you have to fight against them?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I would say that conditions not easy for me, because the courts are really slow. In the match I played against Kenin, we played later in the evening, it was very windy. So today the ball was flying much more.

Yeah, conditions are not easy, but I'm trying to adapt and adapt with my game also. For now it was successful (smiling).

Q. Could you say what your favorite thing is about being a WTA pro? Also, if you could change one thing in the game of tennis, what would that be?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Good question. I really love tennis, so I'm enjoying to play. This is the most important thing.

Change? I would probably say that we travel a lot and would be nicer to stay maybe at one place a bit longer. Schedule is not easy, especially the last few years, I would say.

Maybe just the schedule, the traveling, yeah.

Q. You'd like to stay at one place. What place would that be?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Not only one place but just not to have very -- not to have big tournaments in completely different continents. Like end of the last year was not easy.

I would say in Dubai is nice. All these places are good. Just with a bit, bigger break, I would say, and, yeah, just not crazy travel schedule, yeah.

Q. There is a chance that you'll play Dasha Kasatkina next. Can you say a few words about the mindset going into a match with a player you're friendlier with rather than one you don't know so well.

ELENA RYBAKINA: I mean, always on court we fight, no matter if we are friends or not, we want to win. It's not easy, of course. Daria, she's a really good player, tough opponent, completely different style of the game than Paula, so I try to adapt and prepare for this match.

Q. Back in the day, you had considered going to college, right, U.S. colleges, I think?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah.

Q. Were there any offers made? Do you remember what universities maybe you had thought maybe you might attend?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I honestly don't remember, because I was so stubborn and I wanted to try myself in the profession. When I got all these offers, I just gave everything to my dad, so he was checking, analyzing. He, I think, picked like three of them which he liked, but I don't remember.