ROLAND GARROS

June 8, 2024

Tereza Valentova

Press Conference

T. VALENTOVA/L. Samson

6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Tereza, congratulations on winning your first junior Grand Slam title. How much does this title mean to you?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Thank you so much. Yeah, I have no words now. It feels incredible. I'm just so happy now, but I have to focus on the doubles now. So it's a little bit complicated. But, yeah, I really enjoyed the final. The atmosphere was crazy, but it was awesome.

I wanted to thanks all my team and my family that supports me every time. Yeah, like this (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations. What do you think the key to winning the final was today?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: I think it was, for sure, like, more mentality side. It was really tough, because we are in the same club. We are practicing together sometimes.

Yeah, it was pretty tough. I think we played both good. Sometimes up-and-downs, but yeah, it's tennis sometimes.

Yeah, the key I think more head than just normal tennis. Yeah.

Q. Congratulations. You have played a lot on the pro tour and won a number of titles on the World Tennis Tour. What sort of things have you learnt from there that you've been able to bring to this tournament maybe in contrast to when you had your first Grand Slam final at the US Open last year?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Yeah, I started to play more woman's, how you said. I think it's a good step, another one. Yeah, I think it's just good that I won some tournaments. So yeah, some really good matches. I think I'm improving step by step, so yes.

And US Open final, how you said, it was a shame but I'm glad I managed to win it now. Yeah, I'm just happy that I win it.

Q. Can you tell us more the difference between pro tour and junior tour? What's the main difference? Was it easy with the great form you had on the pro tour to switch from junior tournament?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: No, it's not easy at all. I think it's just tennis. Like, I'm just playing, and I wanted to try the best on the court and give it all.

But I think the difference is that the woman's doesn't have, like, more up-and-downs. Yeah, they sometimes have it, but not at all like the juniors. So I think this is the big difference.

Like when you're leading in the woman's or, like, losing, it's not like the chance more, like, to come back. But in the juniors more, but it depends on the player. Just, yeah, you're playing about the money. So I think it can be the difference also.

Yeah, it's just tennis. I'm just playing.

Q. I have seen that you are a fan of Caroline Wozniacki. Can you tell us more how did that came, your first memories, and what were your reaction when she announce that she will came back to the WTA Tour?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Wozniacki or...

Q. Yes.

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Or maybe it's Laura. She likes Wozniacki.

But, yeah, I like her too. It's a good player, but yeah, I have...

Q. What are the player you are inspired by?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Sorry?

Q. You are inspired by what player?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Oh, by Djokovic, like, just like the play, how he's playing. I think it's incredible. Also, Sinner. Yeah, these two.

Q. I want to hear more about your background, where you're from, where you live, who is your coach, and what is your club? Because you said that you are on the same club than Laura. I want to know everything.

TEREZA VALENTOVA: So I'm practicing at TK Sparta Praha. It's nearby Stromovka. It's a very good club. Yeah, I like it here since they won, yes.

My coach name is Uzbechka [ph.] now, Lukas.

Sorry, what was the next questions?

Q. Where you're from and...

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Oh, yeah, I'm from Czech Republic and I live in Prague. It's near to the club. So that's good.

Q. Just about historic day for the Czech Republic having two girls finalists the first time in a Grand Slam that that's happened. How proud are you to have been able to do that for your country and what a moment it is for your country?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Yeah, I think it is a really good moment for the country and for us also. It's something incredible, like, from one club, it's crazy. But yeah, it's really good for our club. Also for the Czech.

Yes, I don't know what to say about it, but yeah, I think we can be proud of ourselves. Yeah.

Q. I would like to know a secret about your country. What do you drink or what do you eat? Because there are so many players in the history, year by year, moment by moment, women, man, all the time. It's a problem of school? School is very good? Tradition? What do you know about Czech tradition?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: It's tough to say. We have a lot of players, how you said, like in the legends and now. So I don't know why.

Maybe we are near, like, to the players so we can sometimes practice together. But not at all of them wants to practice. So it's a little bit tough to, like, get, like, to play with them, but I don't know the secret.

Like, I don't know. We have some good legends so when we were little, we saw them in the TV. So maybe it was, like, little motivation, like, to play. And I think we have good clubs in Czech.

Yeah, I think it's good to have, like, a lot of these players, but also, a little bit bad, like, it's tougher to get into the top, yeah.

Q. Martina Navratilova? What do you know about her, the incredible history of Martina? What do you think about? You have another player which stick in your mind thinking about the biggest women?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Oh, yeah, she's incredible player. I think, like, all of them. They have a good mentality, and also their game is just incredible. They won, like, Grand Slams and play at the Grand Slams.

Yeah, I think it's good, but yeah, I don't know what to say about that, but yeah, she's incredible player like all of them. Yes.

Q. To come back on the final, at the beginning of the match, seems to be easy for you. You were leading 6-3, 3-1, 40-30, and then suddenly things became more difficult for you. I just wanted to know what happen exactly. Did you get tense a little bit? She played maybe better or what was...

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Yeah, I think that I start pretty good. I think she was a bit nervous, but also me. Yeah, leading I think 3-0 or 3-1, however you said. I don't know.

Then she started to play a bit better, but then I started to play better like me. So it was, like, yeah, we started to play better, both. So yeah, it was incredible match.

Second set it was, yeah, I was tense a bit, because I had a volley on the advantage for me so it can be like 4-1, could be. Yeah, it was a bit tough for my head. It was okay, I told myself, never mind, next point.

So yeah, then she started to play better again. Yeah, I start to play bad a bit, or worse it was. Then I told myself that you can do it, like, go for it.

So I go for it, and I manage to win it. So I'm happy.

Q. I wanted to know when you were a child how the great performances of Tomas Berdych, Petra Kvitova, Lucie Safarova have helped you to dream bigger, to say I can be one of those in the future?

TEREZA VALENTOVA: Yeah, I hope that I can be one of them in the future.

Yeah, with Lucie Safarova, I met her here. Yeah, I'm sometimes practicing with her, so that's good that she can give me, like, some good advices. And also, with the good ones from the Czech, so we sometimes practice together how I said before. But that they can told you some good advices that you can stick for them.

Like, all the players are amazing. Just, it's really good, like, that we can saw it's possible to get there. But it's really tough, because it's a long way. So I hope that I'm on the right way and we'll see (smiling).