ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2024

Olga Danilovic

Press Conference

O. DANILOVIC/D. Vekic

0-6, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. A great result for you here. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match and how you're feeling right now.

OLGA DANILOVIC: Thank you. Well, I feel tired and I feel very happy. I lost the first set 6-0 and I was already, you know, I mean, not in my mind but it looked like I'm going to be quick.

So I'm just very happy I managed, you know, all those tough situations, tough points. I handled myself very well, and yeah, I'm really happy to be through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How is your knee with this patch, especially after 3 hours and 8 minutes? What exactly changed in the tiebreak to turn it around since you were behind right from the start of it?

OLGA DANILOVIC: Well, my patch on my knee is a new trend that I'm trying. I mean, it's just enough load on my knee that it's helping. I have had some problems with the knee, and I'm just trying to take the pain away. Let's say like that. For now it's good, so I'm just keeping on the patch because it works (smiling).

And in tiebreak, you know, I told myself, I mean, we played already for three hours, and in that moment you don't think about if you're tired, not tired, if your forehand is working or not working. It's just in my mind was, like, next one, next one, next one, next one, just hanging in there.

Yeah, it worked out.

Q. Yesterday you said every win has its own history. I would like to ask what's the history in your point of view for today's victory? You came back from 6-0, you played three-hour match, won in a match tiebreak. What's the most important thing for you mentally? What did you learn the most?

OLGA DANILOVIC: You know, my coach, he says always, Very important to win the last point. So that was kind of my logic.

But this one, it's very special for me, because, you know, yesterday I had a very big win, but I had to handle myself, you know, okay, I finished 6:30 and I knew at 11:00AM I'm playing another match.

So I don't know. I left my phone, I left everything, I just did my routine as every day, and I came here, not starting well, and I'm just happy that, you know, I went day by day playing against top players and my game was still there.

I was, like, fighting every point. Even it was going good or bad, I was fighting. The whole thing about today's match I think is to trust in yourself, I mean, because there was nothing else. She played great; I played good. So at the end of the day, it's just couple of points, you know, just to trust yourself, to believe in yourself, and to never give up, I think.

Q. Novak is such a huge figure around the world, but just talk a little bit about his role in Serbia, and have you met him, spoke with him, has he shared anything with you?

OLGA DANILOVIC: I have talked about Novak billion times. I mean, don't get me wrong. I will talk again. For me it's no problem. I talked yesterday in the press.

Q. I can ask a different question.

OLGA DANILOVIC: Yeah, sure. As I said yesterday, what we have in Serbia, I don't know if we actually, like, appreciate it that much, because he's the best player in the world by far, and it's just something that having that kind of person in the same sport as me, I'm going to talk about myself, I'm not going to talk about other people, but for me it's just, you know, he's very humble and nice guy, especially that he's No. 1 in the world and he's, for me, the greatest of all time.

But he's really proud to represent our country, that he's really open for us to talk, you know, like some things, I don't know, I come to him with some day-to-day struggles that I have on court, and he's really happy to share his thoughts with me and what he learned, what kind of mistakes he did so maybe I don't have to do them.

So it's just something that I try to appreciate as much as I can. I played with him United Cup this year, and it was like a bucket list for me, let's say, to play doubles with him and to win. It was such a relief when we won, because it was something that I really wanted to have, to say, you know, I played with Novak and I won.

Yeah, I don't know, I hope we appreciate, as everyone, that we can witness something like that in this moment. Yeah, that's it.

Q. Can you share a little bit of what some of the suggestions or some of the things that he overcame early in his career?

OLGA DANILOVIC: Well, I mean, those are the talks that we have between each other. I don't want to share anything, and it's not something, some magic, I don't know. We all do the same thing all the time.

But, I mean, what we see on the court is what he says. You know, it's like fight till the end. The mentality he has, we are all seeking to have that, you know. It's just something that it's out of this planet.

So I think just some tips, let's say, that he says. Very simple. Very simple things. There is nothing complicated. Simple as it can get.

Q. Why do you think you cried like that at the end of this match? It was something for us to see. I'm not criticizing it in any way. I'm just curious if you, in the last hour and a half or so, have given thought to what was really going through your mind and overwhelmed you like that?

OLGA DANILOVIC: I mean, those are tears of relief and happiness. I mean, we played for 3 hours and 8 minutes. Sit in one place for 3 hours and 8 minutes and you're going to be bored. Your heart is going to get, like, up, because being in that level of stress for 3 hours and 8 minutes, I don't know if it's healthy, I mean, at the end of the day.

It just goes out, everything from you, you know. For me was just big, big relief. Just that moment of I deserved it kind of moment for myself. You know, not to anyone else. I mean, of course to my team, but more to me, like, okay, I deserved it.

I fought every shot. Every shot that I could get to hit back, I did. So it was like a proud moment to soak it in, let's say like that, and to, I don't know, and to enjoy it for a moment. Because yesterday I didn't have time to enjoy the victory that I had.

Q. How do you explain your success here coming back to last year and the year before? On clay, what are the keys for your game to blossom on this surface?

OLGA DANILOVIC: I like clay. I was born on clay. You know, in Europe normally we all have clay courts that we practice since we're young. I like long points. I like to be creative on court.

I don't know. It's something that I enjoy here in Paris. I don't know why, to be honest, and as I said before, I don't want to know why, because that's the whole magic of it.

But, I mean, every match I get is like a blessing, and playing in the biggest stages of our sport is a blessing. I try to take as much as I can. I think the clay suits me a lot. I'm not saying I'm not playing good in other surfaces, but for sure clay is something that I enjoy and I feel the most comfortable. And my knee likes it.