US OPEN

September 10, 2023

Gabriela Dabrowski

Erin Routliffe

Press Conference

DABROWSKI-ROUTLIFFE/Siegemund-Zvonareva

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Ladies, congratulations. Straight sets. Tough straight sets. Two hours, 18 minutes, the 11-9 tiebreaker in the first set. Just your thoughts on getting through that tiebreaker and how you felt momentum-wise going into the second set.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: The tiebreaker, yeah, the first set was crazy. The tiebreaker was a bit weird, because I had a really hard fall to go up 6-4. I was like, Oh, I'm fine, it's 6-4, and then it kept going. (Laughter.)

But I think what was key is that we started the second set really strong so we got to that 3-Love lead and I think that helped carry us to the end and they couldn't quite catch up. I think it was a good testament to our focus today. Yeah, even though it was really nerve-racking.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.

Questions.

Q. Erin in particular, when that last ball went out, what was that thought? Was disbelief or was it, Oh, wow, that's finished. We've done it?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Good question. I don't know what it was. I think I was just, you know, so happy, kind of relieved in a way, like, it's you're putting a lot on yourself in those moments.

Obviously we both haven't won a slam before, but I think we believed that we could do it. So if it's right there in front of you, you are like, Oh, my God, it's there, and you're trying not to think about that but you are. I would just say it was like pure joy mostly, yeah.

Q. Erin, the historical aspect of what you have achieved, has that crossed your mind? If it has, as far as New Zealand tennis is concerned, what are your thoughts there? The last Kiwi to win a major was Judy Chaloner, the Australian Open doubles in 1979.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Wow. I don't know if I knew that. I think you guys told me the day when we were in the finals.

Yeah, you know, that's why you play, I think. I'm super proud and happy to fly the New Zealand flag every single week. They have been so welcoming, you know. I have, one of my main coaches is in Auckland, I go there every December for my offseason. Obviously born there and lived there till I was four or five.

Then also having the Canadian connection. I haven't really thought about the history part of it, but I'm just really proud. Yeah, I hope I can continue and, you know, make even more history for New Zealand for sure.

Q. Congratulations on the slam. Gaby, your second slam, as well. I just want to ask you, when did you feel the E and G combination that this was a partnership that was going to lead to something like this or possibly something like this as well as the coordinated jumping celebration that you did at the end with the trophy?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: You have won a slam, a mixed slam. First women's slam, women's doubles.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: All good. All good.

When did it start?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: We just started.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Yeah, feels like we just started. Really, I mean, we had a pretty good start in Montreal, in Cincy, we had some good wins. In Cincy, in particular our first round when we beat Shibahara-Aoyama, and they had just won Montreal, I thought that was a good indication we could hang with one of the best teams in the world.

Our second-round loss was a heartbreaker. It was really close and we lost to that team again in Cleveland.

Yeah, we beat some great teams along the way into this tournament, and also at this tournament. I would say for me it started I think when we actually beat Aoyama-Shibahara in Cincy, the belief, the true belief. But I believed before but when you have a win like that it kind of solidifies, oh, yeah, my instincts were right.

Then I think we also had some really good conversations, honest conversations coming into this tournament. We had the tough loss in Cleveland which kind of made us put everything out into the open. I think I'm really grateful to Erin for having the honest conversations with me and I think she feels the same way.

It helps us come into the matches on the same page, and I think that's reflected in our results this week. Because even though we faced a lot of adversity in a lot of our matches from slow starts to momentum shifts to the crowd being completely against us, we really stuck through it together.

Yeah, I think it's really cool what we've been able to do in the short span of time.

Q. If I may add, just in terms of before that match, as a partnership, what made you think before you stepped on the court with each other that you two would be a symbiotic partnership and be ideal for each other?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah. I have watched Gaby for years and obviously known her for a really long time. You know, kind of idolized her. She's been, like, in the interview after the match she has been flying the Canadian flag for the doubles for a long time now (smiling).

Yeah, I really liked her game. I thought, yeah, I just thought that we would be good together. Being on a doubles team, a lot of it is personality as well, and, like, giving your partner what they want and they kind of giving you what you want but also in the same way sometimes giving you what you don't want. That's like the honesty, I think, is like things you don't want to hear necessarily.

So, yeah, I don't know, I've always loved Gaby's game, and I thought, oh, I could play well with Gaby. I texted her. (Laughter.)

Q. Congratulations, ladies. You forged a chemistry so quickly. One moment in the match, the dueling overheads. Yeah, that was probably one moment that wasn't so perfect with the chemistry. (Laughter.) Gaby, you mentioned it was nerve-racking. For the both of you, how were you able to at least compose yourself in the biggest women's doubles match in your careers?

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: For me I was just pretending it wasn't a final because I know I can get in my own way mentally. So I really just was like, hey, this is like first round of the tournament, it's rained, we've been moved indoors on to Ashe. Because that's happened to me before here where I've played on Ashe because it's rained and then there was a break in the singles, and so we've gotten moved onto Ashe.

So I kind of put myself in that position and I was like, All right, this is just like any other match. Because I think if you think too much about the result you can definitely take your foot off the gas or overpress. There's kind of like a fine line between the two.

I just wanted to kind of play within my range, and then, you know, if I could support Erin in any way I could and she could support me in any way she could, we had a really good balance I think overall.

Yeah, except that one mishap. I was just really excited she hit a great overhead. I was like, Yeah.

She was, like, Mine.

I was, like, What?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: We crash into each other and we still made it. It wasn't a great shot, but it obviously went in. (Laughter.)

Q. Just for each of you individually, what does this title mean?

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: I can retire happy at some point now. That's what it means to me.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Not now.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Not now, but at some point I can retire relieved (smiling).

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah, I think kind of everything, it's hard to answer that right now, I'm just a little bit in shock. Yeah, if you'd told me like a month ago or two months ago that this year I was going to win a slam, I would have been, like, You're insane. You're an actual crazy person.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Me too, to be fair.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: We have really struggled, both separately. Yeah, I don't know. This is literally why we started playing tennis when we were little.

Oh, that's enough for me.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Uh-huh.

Q. That tiebreak, talk about momentum, four points for you guys, four for them. It was all over the place pretty much.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: We were up 4-0? And they won four in a row? That just shows, I'm just "see the ball, hit the ball."

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: I'm not, I'm not. I was thinking of everything.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: I didn't know that.

Q. It was messy.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Yeah, tough in a slam final against an experienced team.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: I think it's always going to be messy. I think any slam final, everyone wants it so bad. If you were to go out there and win 2 and 2 and play amazing tennis...

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: That would be the weird thing.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: That would be so weird. So I think we prepared. We visualized and mentally prepared for messy. I guess it worked. I don't even know.