PORSCHE TENNIS GRAND PRIX

April 18, 2023

Paula Badosa

Press Conference

P. BADOSA/D. Kasatkina

6-1, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Paula, a very strong result from you today. How did you feel on court, and what do you think gave you the advantage today?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I think I played really, really well today. I was expecting a very tough match against Daria, and especially on clay, so I'm really happy that I could win a one-hour, yeah, match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. First top-10 win in 12 months since Ons here.

PAULA BADOSA: Really? I don't think so. Coco Gauff in San Jose, no?

Q. She might have dropped out right then.

PAULA BADOSA: She wasn't top 10? Okay, one year.

Q. How important was this win for you? Maybe not by ranking but just to beat a player of Dasha's quality and seemingly continue to build forward?

PAULA BADOSA: No, it's always important to win these kind of matches for me. As you know, I was struggling the past year, and I really needed a match like this.

I was very close against Rybakina in Miami. That one hurt. Winning a match like this and this result for me, it's very important.

Q. You're normally quite hard on yourself and you gave yourself a 9.9 out of 10. So what were you so pleased about in terms of how you handled that match today?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I think the level was very high. As well, I played very good the breakpoints on my serve and then the breakpoints opportunities that I have on the return as well. So I think it was quite perfect today, the performance, to be honest.

Q. You have quite a few folks here with you.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah.

Q. New team, new coach? Explain to me what the status is of your coaching situation.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I knew this question was going to come (smiling). Yes, they are my new coaches. They both came here. One was already in Charleston.

So, yeah, I changed my fitness coach as well. They are traveling with me, or they will travel with me during the year. I hope much more.

So I'm very happy with them, and I think it was a good start for them, as well (smiling).

Q. You're spoiling them already. Can you just give names of the new team? Also just how you met with them and how you decided to go forward with them?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah. The names are Edu Esteve, Pol Toledo, and Jordi Verdaguer, and the physios are the same.

But we know each other since long time ago. They used to play. Well, now they are not playing anymore, and I just told them and asked them if they could help me on my career, and they know me, as I said, from long time ago.

So we have a very good relationship on and off court and, yeah, really happy to start with them this journey. To be honest, they are behind me, so I have to talk very well...yeah.

Q. You said your loss in Miami hurt. But it was still really close, and it was against Rybakina who played the best at the Sunshine Double. It's still a loss, but are losses like this give you confidence because you know who you played against and how close you were?

PAULA BADOSA: Of the kind of personality I have, it doesn't help because it's still a loss. I'm very, like, I expect high on me.

But as well at the same time, I know it was a very good-level match and it was very close. So maybe, yeah, if I try to be positive, I know that maybe I have that level and I'm starting to have it. Yeah, I don't know if it helps. Maybe a little bit (smiling).

Q. Last year you have had a pretty good tournament here. You beat Rybakina and then Ons. How do you find this surface? It's pretty unusual for clay. What do you like at this tournament, basically?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, last year I played very good here. I think the conditions were different than this year. It was a little bit faster and slippery. This year it's a little bit slower and less slippery. It's still slippery because indoor clays are different.

But I still like it. I like to play on clay. So, yeah, I hope I can play a lot of matches here and that I can do, say, more or better result than last year. But I know it's always a very strong draw here and very big matches, but as I always say, I like to play these kind of tournaments.

Q. You say you're pretty hard on yourself. What kind of things make you feel positively?

PAULA BADOSA: Me? I don't know. I try to be positive. Normally I try to think the good things that I have and just I keep working hard, and I always expect every time I go to a tournament I want to do it really well.

Usually it wasn't going my way these last matches, but I'm just keep going, keep going, keep going. I don't have another option. This is how tennis works and how it goes, and accepting the tough moments and enjoying the good ones, like, for example, a match like today and keep going.

Q. Probably things off court?

PAULA BADOSA: Of course off court, I always say that when I'm happy off court I'm happy on court, so of course that helps a lot, and that's what I'm trying to be happy off court to play better on.

Q. Obviously after Stuttgart last year you left as World No. 2 and things got a little tricky for the next few months. Now, coming here, new team in place, very nice performance to start the tournament. Is it possible that this could be kind of a close that one chapter, start new chapter sort of situation, or is it kind of wait-and-see?

PAULA BADOSA: To be honest, I don't want to think a lot about how I was one year ago. I know I was World No. 2, but then, well, expectations and everything were tough to handle. I don't want to think about that.

I just want to think about it that I have that level and just to work every day, to try to enjoy every day, to enjoy the journey and I hope I can be back there soon. And when I'm back soon there, I hope I can learn from the past and from this last year. Yeah, a little bit that.