ROLAND GARROS

May 28, 2023

Mayar Sherif

Press Conference

M. SHERIF/M. Brengle

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Mayar, congratulations. Great victory for you today. Can you give us your overall thoughts on what was the key to your victory.

MAYAR SHERIF: Just happy for the win today. I think I did what I have to do on the court. I was calm and composed. I followed the plan that we put, and I did well until the end of the match.

THE MODERATOR: English questions.

Q. So after the last year when you made that breakthrough, won the first round, and the heartache then to not be able to continue, do you feel some sort of second chance here that you can now push further and create more history for Egypt?

MAYAR SHERIF: I mean, yes. Obviously this is my favorite Grand Slam, so whenever I come here, I feel very comfortable on the clay. I feel very comfortable here with the conditions here.

By the win today I'm very looking forward for the next match. I'm more excited than anything else. So, to be honest, I can't wait to play the next one.

Q. And after that run in Madrid, how much more belief does that give you now that you can transfer that to a Grand Slam stage?

MAYAR SHERIF: Definitely I'm more calm. I'm more composed, more confidence about where I can get. I feel like the Madrid experience gave me a lot of mentality to see where I can get. Now passing the first round feels like, okay, I got this. The next round, I also got this.

I don't feel any more nervous first rounds and the second rounds as much as a couple of years ago.

Q. Mayar, you said it's your favorite Grand Slam. You always play good tennis here in Paris. Can you describe us what you feel when you arrive in Paris.

MAYAR SHERIF: I mean, it's very nice, the history here. Paris, all the buildings, the food, everything is very nice. So I really feel comfortable. We're also staying at the Champs-Elysees, every time we go out of the car, we're like, We're in Paris, this is super nice.

I feel very comfortable here. The people are nice here. They're treating us the best. As I said, the conditions here fit my game very well, so I feel comfortable with everything.

All my family are here. It's like a dream for them coming here, to watch me play as well. So that got me pumped up and excited to win while they're watching and while they're here.

Q. So all the sisters are here?

MAYAR SHERIF: Two of them. One of them is coming hopefully, and my mom and my two aunties.

Q. Is one of them the aunt -- was it the aunt who told you you're never going to make it? Who was that?

MAYAR SHERIF: No, that was one of my sisters. Yeah, she's not going to get into my box. She's not going to be there.

But one of my aunties, she's crazy about tennis.

Q. What's her name?

MAYAR SHERIF: Hoda.

Q. I'm curious, do you remember when Ons won here in juniors? Because you're similar age. Do you remember at all when Ons won here juniors and if that was something that, like, you paid attention to at all at the time? It was 2011.

MAYAR SHERIF: I think I left juniors very early because I couldn't afford traveling. It was something huge for everybody. But as I wasn't playing juniors, I wasn't really into this kind of play yet. But definitely it caught everybody's attention. I mean, she's a big star while she was very young.

Q. Was it upsetting not being able to play juniors at the time, do you remember? Or did you accept it?

MAYAR SHERIF: It was upsetting not to be able to follow your dream because you cannot financially, even though you feel you have the potential, you can put all the hard work. You know you can make it, but you don't have the resources, and that's what I felt.

It was more of a burning or, like, a bad feeling inside that I think that translated into the hunger that I had after I graduated from college.

Q. Speaking of when you come here and especially after Madrid and everything, what was it like when you got here? Are you so used to now knowing where to get your credential, where to go, and having even the day -- you're probably going to have two days off now. All the stuff, you have your routines. You know what to do now?

MAYAR SHERIF: Yes. Now everything is much easier. When you arrive as a freshman somewhere, you are, like, Oh, what's here, what's there? You get nervous. You are meeting new people.

Now I know everybody around. I know all the players. The players know me. I know how everybody plays, more or less. They know how I play. So I know where everything is.

As I said, that nervous feeling of playing here the first time, Oh, let's see if I can win a round. That maybe sometimes anxious feeling that you feel, I don't have that anymore. I feel like that gives me an advantage on the court.

Q. You said you are really looking forward to the next one. Can you talk about Potapova a little bit? She's having a good clay season herself. How do you see that match?

MAYAR SHERIF: She's a feisty player. I know that. She has very good strokes. She moves well. She's kind of complete. She was a very good junior.

I'm just going to go out there and put a plan and follow it and see what I can do.