ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2023

Oceane Dodin

Press Conference

O. DODIN/S. Janicijevic

0-6, 6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Hello, Oceane. Can you tell us how you managed to turn around a match that seemed to have got off to a very bad start, and what happened at the beginning of the second set? There was a game that lasted a long time.

OCEANE DODIN: How did I manage? Well, inside I was panicking, but I tried not to panic after the Love-6. I was stressed. I didn't realize. I think I was unconscious.

My ball was not moving forward. When she did dropshots, the ball was bouncing back at me, and I got caught out by the speed.

I was trying to relax and become more aggressive, and I think that the first game on the second set, which lasted for a long time, was not decisive, but it did me good psychologically to win that game because I could feel that my game was getting better. I was getting my head above water, and it really did me good to win it, and it built my confidence to break.

I'm really happy to have got out of that even though the first set was tricky.

Q. We always say it's difficult to play against another French player. Had you already played against Selena before? Did you know her well? What did you think of her level, which was very good in the first set?

OCEANE DODIN: Well, I played against her five days ago. Oh, I don't remember. But less than one week ago in Strasbourg, and I lost 6-4 in the third.

I didn't know what to expect. It was stressing because I had lost against her last week, but then I learned from my mistakes at the last match, and I managed to not repeat them today.

So she has a game where you have to not let her play her game. She does a lot of different -- she varies her game. That's not what I really like. We saw that in the first set.

But when I managed to be more aggressive and to impose my game, then things go better. That's what I tried to do, and that's what I managed to do today.

Q. Of all of the Grand Slam tournaments I think it's the third time that you have gone through the first round. So, first of all, you have more experience. So far maybe was the problem mental? And it's, of course, Roland Garros. There's always more pressure.

OCEANE DODIN: Well, I'm a player who shouldn't really stress. I shouldn't really think too much about it. In the Grand Slams I put pressure on myself. I think I'm always tense, but as we play more and more Grand Slams, I think we relax a little bit more.

I tried it. It didn't work in the first set, but I tried to come to this Grand Slam taking a step back, trying to play my game without expecting results, but it's hard when you have a -- I can't say an easy draw -- but when you are playing your same level rather than a seed, it's always easier.

But I think with experience we manage the pressure more.

Q. We saw in the first set that you weren't playing your game. As soon as you started to play more lifts and really impose your game, the game went your way. She was asking herself questions. You were looking at the bench in the first set because you looked totally lost in the match.

OCEANE DODIN: Yes, in the first set I was not in it. My arm was not going for it. I was trying to speed things up, but I wasn't putting enough intensity into it.

In the second set I tried to put a bit more intensity into it and to win the rallies as early as possible, and it worked quite well.

As the match went along, I sorted things out more and more. I was less stressed. In the first set I didn't realize because on the court you don't really realize what was happening. From the outside he said, well, your ball is just not moving forward, so I didn't really realize.

In the second and third sets I really felt the difference in my shots and the intensity and the impact of my shots.

Q. Being released and fully playing your game, that will be the key for the next round. You'll be playing against Jabeur. She's a seed. It's a big match.

OCEANE DODIN: Yes, it's a big match, but this is my country. I will be playing with nothing to lose at all. I'm far from being favorite, so I really think I'll be able to enjoy myself and play 100 percent of my game because I won't have a choice.

So I think that it will be a match where I'm going to try and enjoy myself, make the most of it, and, of course, I'm going out there to win. You never know. It will be a very complicated match, but I'm impatient to get there.

Q. During Roland a partnership was forged around cyber harassment of players. Have you used the QR code that is on the social networks? Do you think it's a good thing?

OCEANE DODIN: Well, I haven't used it yet because I wasn't thinking about that at all, but I think I'm going to do it because I took my telephone here. And even when you win, you get cyber harassment. Whatever the results, people place bets on who is going to win or who is going to lose, people insult you.

So I think it's a really good idea. I haven't looked at how it really works. But regarding the number of messages, whatever happens, we have to do something. Although we're used to it over time, it's not necessarily pleasant. Despite everything, we can't do much. We receive hundreds a day. Even when we're not playing matches.

But I think it's a great initiative and a good beginning to prevent this.

Q. For the next round you probably won't be playing on No. 6 or No. 7. You might find yourself on one of the three big courts, even Simonne-Mathieu. What would that be like for you? Is that the first time you'll be playing on this type of court?

OCEANE DODIN: No. I played on it two or three times. That's what we're playing for. We're playing for times like this to play against big players on big courts, and that's what creates the emotion.

But even if it's on small courts, I like it because the audience is very warm. There's a lot of emotion. I don't know if I will be on a big court, but normally speaking, with Ons, who is a seed, I think I will. I'm impatient to be there because these are matches that will remain engraved throughout our whole career.

Q. About your beginning of the season, I think that you didn't go to Australia. Why that choice? Do you think it was the right choice on today?

OCEANE DODIN: Yes, it was the right choice. I did it because I had lost points, and I wanted to try and catch them back. Australia I was in the qualification, so I didn't want to go and do one shot and lose three weeks.

I took the decision to play different tournaments, to go back to the ITF, and go out into the jungle, as we say, because those ITFs are really complicated, but I had good results.

So, luckily, I managed to catch up my points and save all of the points I had. So, yes, it was the right decision.