US OPEN

August 25, 2023

Marketa Vondrousova

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Your thoughts on this year's US Open?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: It's the last Grand Slam of the season, so I feel everybody cannot wait to play the last one.

Yeah, I'm happy to be here. Yeah, I had a good week of training, so we'll see what happens.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Marketa, how different does it feel to be at a Grand Slam as a Grand Slam champion?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I mean, definitely more media (smiling). Yeah, I mean, I just want to stay focused on practice and everything around. Yeah, I get bigger courts now, so that's a nice change.

Yeah, I feel like you just have to stay in your head and stay focused. It's definitely more pressure and more people are talking about you.

Yeah, I just want to enjoy the matches and we'll see what's going to happen.

Q. Do you have an update on the tattoo situation for your coach?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, we actually did it here, so we have it.

Q. What is it?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: It's the date of the final, yeah.

Q. What is the key for you game-wise, not talking about confidence, to succeed here?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, so we changed the balls, so it's a bit different. But I feel like I just have to stay in my head and hold my nerves because I feel like everybody's playing great. Now it's a little bit change because I feel like everybody's playing great.

Yeah, I have a little target on my back, so I just want to stay focused and just try to play my game and just hold my nerves.

Q. Your partnership now with J. Lindberg, how excited are you about that? What's the greatest thing about your friend Julie that helps you in matches?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: You mean Julie, my sister?

Q. Yes.

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: The new partnership, it's amazing. I'm happy to sign with them. It's a great brand. They're great people. Yeah, I'm very grateful for that. I can't wait to wear the collection.

And yeah, I mean, my sister, she has holidays now so she can't be here. She has to leave before the main draw because she has to go to school. But she was here for three weeks. It's very important for me to have her here because we're traveling just with coach. Sometimes it's very alone time.

Yeah, I mean, I'm just very grateful that she can be here. She was in the final, so that was amazing to see, just see her cry and everything. It was very, very happy memories for us I feel like. We are such a close family, so, I mean, that's very important.

Q. Your partner, is he here this time?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: My husband?

Q. Yes.

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: He was in London, but he's not here. He has to work. Yeah, he cannot be here. We have two different works, so we have to manage.

Q. There's lots of discussion about the WTA Finals. One possibility is Riyadh and one in Czech. What are your thoughts if the tournament goes to Riyadh? Also, should it be in Czech because there's so many successful Czech players right now?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I mean, that would be great. I know they're still talking about it. I don't know anything. We'll see.

I mean, I feel like it's a very big tournament for us, so we'll see. I feel like they're still talking. It's still in the talk, so I don't know anything more.

Q. What has been the best thing about being Wimbledon champion and what has been the most difficult thing about being Wimbledon champion?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I feel like it's the pressure maybe. It's very tough to, like, meet the expectations after the finals and everything. Yeah, I just really wanted to win some back-to-back matches now in the U.S. swing because it's very important for me to have matches under my belt. I'm happy that I did that. I had two good tournaments.

Yeah, I mean, the best thing, I feel like the fans, it's really nice to see the kids and everybody just wants to meet you. It's a very nice feeling to have.

Q. You and Karolina are in the top 10 now. She was telling a story about being in the ITFs saying, What are we doing here? Can you reflect a little bit on that journey from being sub 150, 200, to within 12 months being where you are now?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: So we also practice in the same club, so we see each other a lot. Yeah, we were playing both 100K in England. I was coming back from injury. She was also coming back. It was very tough times.

But we practiced a lot in Prague. I felt like we played such a great practices. We played some points. Yeah, we were just thinking let's see what's going to happen in some time. Now we are both in top 10, in the same club. We're really close friends also. It's amazing.

Q. In Cincinnati you talked about the importance of keeping the pressure off yourself, to eliminate the pressure you put on yourself. Before Wimbledon you said you would never win a slam. Now are you saying to yourself you won't win two?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, at least I have one, so it's good.

Yeah, for me, I never, like, want to think I can win another. I feel like it's just too much pressure for me if I think that, if I start think about it before tournament, or if I'm in the tournament.

Yeah, I just learned to keep the pressure off, like tell myself it's just a tennis match, it's nothing else. I feel like that really helps me when I'm maybe down in my match or something. I'm just thinking it's just a tennis match, it's nothing else.

I don't know if it's a good thing or no, but it really helps me. I feel like for me it's a good sign.

Q. After Wimbledon you talked about how when you went home more people recognized you. When players come to New York, they feel one way or the other about New York: either love it or don't. How do you feel about New York? What do you feel when you're on the streets, the energy of the city?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I mean, it's not for everyone. I didn't go much into the city. Yeah, I practice here on the big courts. There's so many people watching the practice. It's something different.

For me, I don't really I feel love it, like practice in front of so many people. I mean, it's nice to see the people just shouting at you, want to do, like, pictures and everything.

I can feel it can be too much sometimes. But, yeah, so far, so good.