ROLAND GARROS

June 8, 2023

Miyu Kato

Tim Puetz

Press Conference

KATO-PUETZ/Andreescu-Venus

4-6, 6-4, 10-6

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, you guys. Grand Slam champions here at the 2023 Roland Garros. Just give us your tips today to how you won the match and came back after dropping that first set.

TIM PUETZ: Yeah, I think dropping the first set was tough, because we were up 4-2. I think we might have even had a breakpoint to go up 5-2, and, yeah, they did well to come back. Basically just like we did in the second.

I thought for the most part we were a little bit behind in the second. They had a breakpoint at 4-3 to go up 5-3. With Mikey serving after, it would have been very tough to come back from that.

We just hung in there, believed in ourselves, and did really well. Played a really good super-tiebreak in the end. I think I speak for both of us that we are really, really happy to be, yeah, called Grand Slam champion.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations to you both. Miyu, I wanted to ask you, at what point did you think, I'm going to be a Grand Slam champion during this run? Did you think you had a chance after you beat the Australian Open champions in the quarterfinals?

TIM PUETZ: You understand? When you think we will win? Maybe at 9-6 maybe? He asked when do you think we will win the tournament? After first round? After second round? When did you start believing?

MIYU KATO: (Shakes head.)

TIM PUETZ: Never? Come on. (Laughter.)

THE MODERATOR: Next question? (Laughter.)

Q. Tim, when do you think it might have been in the cards?

TIM PUETZ: Yeah, good question. Probably after yesterday. You know, before that, so many things can happen in mixed. I feel every mixed is wide open no matter who you play, no matter who is seeded, who is not seeded.

Then, of course, you get to the stage of the tournament, you get to semis, you have played three matches already. After winning the semis, we played four matches, and you kind of get a feel for how the mixed works, you know. Especially me, because I haven't really played much before.

And then of course you go into the final, you play with no ad, and the super-tiebreak you have a chance almost against anybody, really.

So, yeah, of course, I thought today was kind of an open match. And, yeah, maybe the real belief set in maybe after yesterday.

It was probably also good to play so quickly after yesterday. You don't really have time to think about it. You don't have time to think, oh, you're in a Grand Slam final. You practice one more time, you warm up today, and you play.

Yeah, maybe after yesterday.

Q. Congratulations. A question for Tim. Seems like you looked a little bit nervous when you were serving 5-4 in the second set, and then you started off really good start on the tiebreak, match tiebreaker. Can you talk a little bit about your mindset from the last game of the second set and that tiebreaker?

TIM PUETZ: Yeah, I thought the last set, the last game in the second set wasn't great, to be honest. To make two double faults there is really not good. It's worst thing you can do as a server.

But, yeah, somehow we were lucky to get out of that game. We were lucky to win the set. Then, of course, you know, in a super-tiebreak, anything can happen. Goes so quick one way or the other.

Yeah, you just try, try to make first serves, play solid points. You know, not really do anything special. You just try to continue to play, play every point, fight every point.

Before we knew it, we were up 8-3. Honestly, I thought of the three points we lost, there were probably two in there that we shouldn't have lost. Yeah, I thought we played a really, really good super-tiebreak. Then maybe got a little bit nervous for them to come back to 8-6.

The mindset is the same. You just continue to play, and it goes so quick. Two-and-a-half minutes later it will be over anyway. You just try to do the things we have been doing for, I don't know, in our case probably 25 years, both of us we've been doing this. You just try to continue to do your best and hope for the best outcome.

(Questions in Japanese.)

TIM PUETZ: Can I say one last thing? I think it's for the both of us. Sorry, I should have done that when the English colleague was still here, but I hope people can still hear that.

I think we have been asked so much about much more about what happened a few days ago in Miyu's doubles than actually us playing mixed together. Yeah, while all this was -- I think we have said enough about this, about that we disagree with the decision and so forth, and most people... Anyway, there has been enough said about that.

Just to sum that up, we haven't really had a chance to say also, yeah, a thank you to the tournament, to the Grand Slam board, to the supervisors, whoever, we don't know who is actually involved in that, but the standard procedure would have been to take us out of mixed, as well. This would have been standard procedure. If they had just gone by the rules, we would have been out.

Yeah, even though it's a thank you with a little pain in our hearts still, of course, especially in Miyu's, but they took into consideration what has happened, they went kind of out of their way to talk about it, to even let us keep playing mixed.

So, yeah, we are really thankful. We wouldn't be sitting here otherwise. We have a very happy day. We are called Grand Slam champions now really only because they took into consideration what was going on.

So, yeah, also to kind of sum that up, to end this topic, this is the last chance we get to talk together about that. You know, yeah, thank you to whoever was involved in that, Roland Garros, the Grand Slam board, I don't know who is exactly in that, but yeah, it was great from them to, I think, end up doing the right thing in letting Miyu play, and, you know, I think it ended up just being right.

You know, Miyu, sitting here today, not crying anymore, I think is a great thing (smiling). I think this is a good end to this whole story while here in Paris.

(Questions in German.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Congratulations.

TIM PUETZ: Thank you.

Q. Tim, it was a week that was rich with positive emotions and the negative. Has your role been more important than a normal doubles role? Did you need more psychology? Has this story given you extra motivation to win the double mixed title?

TIM PUETZ: Well, frankly, given what's happened, I must say the next round I was extra motivated to win the match. For Miyu really. Not really because she was my mixed partner, but given what had happened, it's tough, tough to see that. Even though she's not my mixed partner, you feel so low for this person.

And in any case, we have spent a lot of time now together, given the matches we have played, and with this situation and all that, I tried to help her on the court, during the press conference as well, because it's difficult for her. I tried to help her, and I'm very, very happy that we're here today with smiles on our faces.

And, yeah, I hope that now we can leave this behind and here. That's for her mainly that she can drop all of the negative emotions she's had in the past days here in Paris and so that she can focus on the next weeks to come with a Grand Slam title so that she has an appetite to continue and fight and I hope to play well in the weeks to come.