ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2023

Caroline Garcia

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. A lot of expectations are on your shoulders because of your ranking. How do you feel?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Well, I feel great. This tournament is very special for me. I often watched it on TV when I was a kid, and I often dreamt that I would play during this tournament. I have the opportunity to play this tournament once again.

After Rome, everybody thinks that I had a lot of time, but I actually had only three days of break. It's good for my set of mind. It's good also for my physical fitness to regroup.

Q. I remember last year when you were playing doubles, there were not a lot of journalists at first, and the further you got in the draw and the more journalists there were, now you're ranking No. 5 worldwide. Well, even if now it's quite difficult, how do you feel now a few days before the tournament starts?

CAROLINE GARCIA: The situation is much different from last year. Indeed, a lot of things have changed since then. This tournament is still a big tournament, a big tennis tournament.

I want to play a lot of matches one after the other, but I have to remain realistic, I have to think one match at a time. I have to focus on my preparation to be ready for the first match.

It's a Grand Slam, so of course you have a lot of dreams, but we have to be in the moment.

Q. There will be this year a campaign to erase any kind of messages filled with hatred. How do you feel about that?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I think it's great. Players, but also the staff, the whole organization try to fight against haters, and it's a good thing.

It's a good thing that for some tournaments the organization tries to find solutions. It's a good thing to put your money where your mouth is.

Q. What does Roland Garros embody for you? What would it represent if you win Roland Garros as compared to a gold medal for the Olympic Games?

CAROLINE GARCIA: It's on the top of my list, obviously, and it is the case for any player, but also even more for a French player.

As for Olympic Games, they are important for everyone, not only tennis fans. We all follow Olympic Games even if we do not like sports as a whole. It has a lot of momentum and has a lot of attention from the media.

It's different. You can't compare apples and pears. For Olympic Games, you play for your country as well.

Did I answer your question right?

Q. You're the only French seeded player. How do you feel?

CAROLINE GARCIA: I didn't even know that I was the only French seeded player. I don't worry about it too much, you know. I didn't ask myself any questions about this. I tried to prep well, to focus on my tournament.

I know there are a lot of other French players that are really good, be it ladies or gentlemen, actually.

Q. Do you have special ambitions, bearing in mind your current ranking?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Indeed. Every time that I play a tournament, I want to go as far as I can in the draw, and I want to hoist the trophy in the end. So, yes.

But then again, I would not be arrogant and say that it will be easy for me. I have to think one match at a time. Find solutions to outplay my opponents. I have a first match to win. This will be my important first priority.

Q. You wrapped up last season winning the Masters. It was tougher the beginning of this season. How do you deal with these ups and downs?

CAROLINE GARCIA: That's part and parcel of tennis. We play a lot of tournaments. I would like to win them all. Unfortunately I haven't found the solution yet to manage this.

I know that I can turn a match around easily if I work hard, and this is what I'm trying to do every time, to find solutions, depending upon the circumstances of the season.

Sometimes a lot of things are happening on court and off court, and I try to do my best and adopt the right attitude.

Q. You're French. So maybe the public will be certainly in your favor. Is there a court that you like more than the others? Could you have some asks in that matter?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yes, I could (smiling). But then, well, we always have asks. Sometimes they say yes; sometimes they say no.

Of course players have their favorite court, but I didn't ask anything, and I didn't take any position on that. I played a lot on Philippe Chatrier because it's a special court, of course. Lenglen is a bit different this year, because we have a piece of roof, so it's a bit more closed up than it was before.

But then if you want to go as far as you want in the draw, you have to be able to play everywhere, central court included, obviously.

So I'm not against playing on the Philippe Chatrier at all.

Q. As a lot of tennis fans, it's all a matter of weather, of many criteria. What do you like most, the French public, the clay?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Well, it's a bit of everything. For a French player, playing a Grand Slam in France is wonderful. I have watched it. I used to watch it when I was a kid.

Of course most of the time the sun is playing an important part, but also feeling the clay and having a tough battle but also being supported by the fans, by one's family in the box. That triggers a lot of emotions.

THE MODERATOR: Caroline, welcome back to Roland Garros. Just talk us through how you're feeling and your preparation ahead of the slam.

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, I'm very excited to be in Paris and this tournament means a lot for me, so it's very exciting. Preparation is going well. We just try to take it one day at a time. The tournament will start soon, so it's exciting, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You had an amazing 2022. How tricky has that been to replicate that this season?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, I mean, it's sport, it's tennis. Obviously it's not easy to do a copy-paste of what is happening in the couple months before. But it is also part of it, and last year made me able to do some great things at the end of the year, starting very low.

So I'm just trying to be patient, having a good mindset and work hard and being positive, as positive as I can. Yeah, learn from what I can.

Q. What was the kind of process in thinking of working with Bertrand again?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, I mean, Bertrand is someone I had a great year last year. We had a very good success. He understand really well my game style and is really open-minded about the way we can practice it.

The feeling is there, so it's pretty hard to explain, but we spend so much time on and off court with the team that you have to have a good feeling with that person, and you can't really change it, you know. It's either there or not. I can't talk about the other players, but for me's really important. I have to feel comfortable, and I am with Bertrand, and it's important for my game.

Q. What about your first round against Wang?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Yeah, I never played against her, I believe. I didn't remember juniors or something maybe.

But, yeah, she's lefty, different game style, for sure, always. I don't really know her. We haven't talked about the match yet. I think it's too early so far, but we will think about it, we will talk with Bertrand about the match. It is a first match.

She played a good tournament I think in Rome. So she's definitely confident. But I will try to play my game, be aggressive, and adjust a little bit if necessary.

Q. Earlier in the season in Australia you spoke about putting too much pressure on yourself. Wondering now have you managed to get rid of that, feel a bit freer?

CAROLINE GARCIA: Not yet. Work in progress still, learning and, yeah, talking about it, learning about it, trying to manage things better and better.

It's work in progress. I mean, I can't say it's like an on-and-off things. I think it's better. We will see where it brings me.

Q. How old were you when you first started dreaming about winning this?

CAROLINE GARCIA: It's hard to exactly remember when it was, but I definitely remember coming back from school when I was less than 10, and so yeah, when you're coming back to school it's like kind of snack time and you were always in front of the TV watching Roland Garros, and it was a routine of every day, and weekend final. It was always special, you know, to see the champion lifting that trophy, and they were getting emotional, and I was getting emotional in front of my TV (smiling).

So, yeah, it's good memories and maybe one day I will be there.