AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2024

Brenda Fruhvirtova

Press Conference

B. FRUHVIRTOVA/A. Bogdan

2-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Brenda, your first main draw win at a slam. Just talk us through how you are feeling right now.

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: Right now I'm feeling very exhausted and tired from the match. Yeah, maybe I look a little like that. But, of course, I'm very happy to get my first major win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was your first thought right after you win the match?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: There were a lot of emotions. I don't know which match was that for me. I think it was like the sixth maybe or fifth. I don't know.

So, yeah, I was just focused in the moment because I really wanted to finish it. Yeah, it was really amazing feeling to finally finish the match and then to get the win.

Q. In terms of just working your way through that match and getting the win, can you just talk through a little bit your experience of playing the match, and what do you think made the difference?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: I think what made the difference was that I was fighting until the end, and it wasn't really easy for me today because I had some health issues with my wrist. Yeah, there was something else in the match as well. It was very hard for me to fight my way through.

Yeah, the first set I was in a lot of pain there. Of course, it doesn't excuse me, but still it was very tough for me.

Yeah, then I just said, like, in the second set that you don't get the chance so often. The Grand Slams, there are only four in the year. So I was, like, okay, even though I'm not feeling so well today, I still have to fight and try to win as many games and points as I can.

I kind of got the rhythm and started to feel a little better in the second set. Then in the third set I was really in the match, and I was focused and fighting very hard. So that kind of helped me to get through.

Q. I would like to ask about your work with Nicolás Massú. After maybe a month and a half working together, what things surprised you the most about the work with him, and how do you feel working with him?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: Yeah, we worked together very shortly actually, but it's really good. I like it a lot. I feel like he has a good feeling for what to tell the player. Even though we're just one month together, I feel like he knows me very well, and he knows what I need and what he needs to tell me and when. So I think that's very important.

It's really good because Nicolás and Douglas, my fitness coach, are good friends, so it's good to have this atmosphere in the team. Yeah, I feel very good energy.

Q. Two questions. One, you mentioned your wrist. Has that got anything to do with changing the balls from swing-to-swing or tournament-to-tournament? And, two, can you tell us about your next match, who potentially that is?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: Well, with the wrist I have it a little longer. It's not a problem that came from day-to-day. Yeah, it usually happens to me when I have a lot of matches and I don't have really time to recover so much, so yeah.

About my opponent in the next round, it might be Sabalenka. Yeah, for sure it will be a great experience no matter who wins, but I'm really looking forward to the next round, and hopefully I will get some big court or bigger one than today. I'm really looking forward.

Q. Do you think that you are still in the process of learning or discovering your personality or your game style I think on the court in terms of how you want to play your tennis because so much of that will probably depend on how much taller you get, how much stronger you get physically as you get older, but do you have a clear sense as to how you want to play your tennis?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: Actually not really, but my goal is for sure to get physically stronger right now because it's for sure hard to compete with older players. They're much stronger than me, and they have much more power. So that's hard sometimes. So my focus will probably be on that right now. Yeah, so I guess the physical part first and then the game.

I feel like when I feel good and I have no pain, I'm playing good and feeling good with my game. For me it really depends on how I feel.

Q. When you think about or envision what type of tennis you'll be playing in five years, six years in terms of you want to be a big baseline banger, you want to be all-court Jabeur? Do you have any conception of that, of what you envision your tennis will look like?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: I think it's hard to say right now, but for sure against every player you have your own game plan, different tactic for every player and every match.

It's hard to say because sometimes you have to change up some things, but for me it's more about the mental side and fighting for every point until the end. With the game it's really hard to say.

Q. How about your shoulder? At the beginning of the game you have some taping on the back of the right shoulder, but after the break you tied up your hair and just tape was removed. Is it okay for your shoulder, right shoulder?

BRENDA FRUHVIRTOVA: Yeah. When I was serving already in the warmup, I had some pain in my shoulder, so that's why I had the tape there. It was getting a little off, so I took it off because I felt like it doesn't really help much.

Then with the hair, yeah, sometimes I just like to put the hair up because I have pretty long hair, and sometimes it gets annoying, so that's why.