ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/M. Uchijima

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Another strong performance today and a solid straight-sets match. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm super happy with my performance today. Happy to get this win. Yeah, it was just incredible atmosphere out there. I was really enjoying every minute being there.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You seemed a little annoyed at 2-2, and then you won 10 out of 12 games. What changed?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Oh, okay, 2-2. I thought like -- doesn't matter. I mean, yeah, it's beginning of the game. You are kind of trying to figure out the rhythm of the opponent, just trying to figure out the speed on everything.

I was kind of, like, a little bit off. Then I get used to her rhythm, to her speed. Yeah, after that I start feeling my game much better.

Q. After that emotional final in Rome, how do you feel about these first two wins?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, final in Rome was really emotional. It was tough match. She played incredible tennis.

Going here I was still a little bit emotional about those two finals, but it's another tournament, and we start everything from the beginning. I knew that those matches would not affect my game here.

Yeah, just happy with these two great-level matches.

Q. I'm from South America where you have a lot of fans also looking for your performances. I would like to know how you manage in between the matches when the weather is not helping so much and to get focused for such a high level of the game?

ARYNA SABALENKA: That's the little advantage we get as top players because we play on the big stadiums with the roof, so I knew that no matter what the weather going to be, I'm going to play my match. That's really helpful.

It's help to manage the energy because it's really tough when the weather is like that and you play on the outside courts. It just feels like you're wasting your energy during the day going on and off the court. That's really tough.

I'm really lucky to play on such beautiful courts and have this knowledge that I'm going to finish the match no matter what.

Q. What do you do or what you cannot do to lose this energy? Do you read? Do you look some TV, some movie, or just rest and sleep and wait?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I would just prefer spend some time with my team, play Una, just kind of, like, separate myself from the conditions.

You cannot control. You have zero control on, so I would just prefer to have a little fun with my team.

Q. You touched on it there, and I know you've said before you don't watch loads of tennis. During a tournament like this, how do you balance that? Do you find that you do watch some? Obviously you need to prepare a bit. How do you balance that?

ARYNA SABALENKA: You mean like overall, just tennis?

Q. Yeah, yeah. When you're not playing, are you kind of still watching?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, obviously, I watched Nadal and Zverev match. I watched Alcaraz yesterday. So I still watch some tennis, some great matches. Just like Paula talked on the media, I watched her a lot. I really do (laughing). That wasn't a joke.

Q. How come? Why is she the one?

ARYNA SABALENKA: She's my favorite. I love her so much. I love to see her play, and she's really a great fighter, so it's always great matches.

Yeah, but overall I'm just trying to separate myself from tennis just to have kind of, like, time off, and I spent this one day we have just to -- of course, I practice, but then the rest I try to go for good dinner, try to enjoy the city. Maybe not in this weather, but overall. I would just prefer to relax and separate from tennis.

Q. Speaking of Paula, she's up 6-5, serving. She broke. What would it be like to play her?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, it's always tough to play your friend, your really best friend on tour, I would say. It's always tough, but we know how to manage that. We know how to separate court and life.

So it's always great battle, great fight against her. I always enjoy playing against her. So we kind of, like -- we're good to separate things.

Q. Speaking of watching tennis, did you see any of the match between Iga and Naomi?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I watched yesterday. Yeah, I watched the end of the match.

Yeah, it was just incredible to see Naomi back on the top level. She played really great tennis, and it was incredible to see Iga save that match.

Yeah, it was great-level match. Yeah, of course, I watched that one.

Q. I'm just curious, how did you and Paula actually become friends on the tour?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I think everything started three years ago in Tie Break Tens in Los Angeles. Yeah, that's how we -- no, actually -- yeah, that's how we got to know each other. Then we played doubles in Miami. Since that time, we became close to each other.

Q. It seems like a lot of the top players here nowadays are friendly, but in the past that wasn't the case. You know, with Serena and Maria. When you first came on the tour, did you think it was possible to be friends with your rivals or...

ARYNA SABALENKA: I would say at the beginning I was so close, and I thought that this is the way everything is. Like, everyone is kind of like off and you cannot be friends with anybody, but then with time, with experience you kind of figure out stuff. You getting good with each other.

I would say that right now top-10 players, we are all good with each other, and there is no this kind of big fights in between, like, outside of court.

Of course, on court we are opponents, but off court we are absolutely -- we can talk, we can have fun. Not like we are best friends, but it's not like something, you know, tough. How to say, something crazy, like intense. Intense, exactly.