US OPEN

September 6, 2023

Marketa Vondrousova

Press Conference

M. KEYS/M. Vondrousova

6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Obviously not the results that you would have liked, but can you reflect on the match in specific and your tournament run overall.

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I mean, she played a great match. You know, it was very tough.

Yeah, I think I actually played, you know, good second set. She didn't give me much chances in the first one.

Yeah, I was just trying to fight. You know, it wasn't enough, but I'm in quarters here. It's my first time. So I'm very happy overall.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congrats on a great tournament. Just tonight tough luck with the breakpoints, 0 for 9. What do you think was going on there? Bad luck? Did she play them particularly well? Was it nerves? What do you think?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I mean, I don't think it was nerves. I mean, I played, you know, some good points. It wasn't enough. She was serving extremely well, I think.

Yeah, she put many first serves on the breakpoints, so I think from her side it was so good on the serve. Yeah, was just trying to find a way. Yeah, just all credits to her today.

Q. When you play a player like that with so much firepower and you're in a position where you need to kind of play goal-keeping a little bit, what is the key for you typically to solve that puzzle? What didn't happen today?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I mean, I'm always trying to play maybe longer balls, you know, and today I felt like I was under so much pressure from the first point. Yeah, there wasn't so much to do, honestly. It was very tough.

You know, even on my serve when I put second serve I was under very much pressure.

Yeah, I mean, I feel like the second set, I had chances, so, you know, it could be, you know, it could be, I don't know, 6-4, 6-3. Yeah, I did zero breakpoints. So that's tough luck.

I mean, that happens. I feel like she did a great job today.

Q. What makes her forehand so tough to deal with?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I don't know. The power, you know, it's so fast. I feel like if you put slower ball to her forehand, even though today on her backhand side it was the same. (Laughter.)

I felt like it's just the same. If you play to the forehand or to the backhand, it doesn't matter.

Yeah, I mean, I was just trying to fight, you know, run for every ball. Yeah, she was just too good.

Q. Was it difficult to sort of get started again after the delay in the first game? You don't get to warm up again, I guess. Was that part of the reason you got off to a bad start?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, so I had a breakpoint in the first game. Then, like, it just slipped. Yeah, I figured it wasn't so good.

Yeah, it was a bit scary, you know. So this never happened to me, so it was, you know, kind of scary.

So yeah, I was a bit, you know, I was a bit, I don't know, like I don't want to say, like, I lost focus, but it's kind of like strange situation.

Yeah, I mean, actually, like, she was playing such good tennis. Then, like, I tried to come back in the second, and I feel like the second set was much better.

Q. Now that you faced Madison, you have faced a lot of the big powerful players, Aryna, Ons with her forehand, what makes Madison's forehand specifically -- I know her backhand was firing today too -- the forehand, what makes her forehand different than Aryna's, specifically?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I feel like you don't know where she's gonna play. She can play line, she can play cross. I feel like today she just played, you know, great on both sides. She was playing also great, you know, the forehand when she was running around the court so that was very tough.

I feel like, you know, she's feeling great here. You know, she had the support. I mean, it was really like I couldn't do much today.

Q. Wondering what your thoughts are on Karolina's chances for the rest of the tournament, up against obviously Coco and, yeah, with the Final Four set, what do you think for your friend?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I watched her yesterday and she played amazing match. I feel like she has big chances. I'll be rooting for her, for sure. We are very close, and we actually, like, I feel like we are real friends. It's nice to see her going so deep into the tournament. I feel like, you know, she can handle the big situation, big matches. She loves to play on center court.

Yeah, I'm gonna definitely watch tomorrow.