THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2024

Yulia Putintseva

Press Conference

Y. PUTINTSEVA/I. Swiatek

3-6, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do your victories at Wimbledon motivate you to perform successfully at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris? What does it mean to you to be a role model and inspiration for Kazakhstani female tennis players? Do you realize that such remarkable victories inspire thousands of Kazakhstani children to take up tennis?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: This is three questions, not two (smiling).

I'm going to start with Olympics.

Honestly, for now I'm just focusing on this tournament since this tournament for me is still going. So I'm not thinking about any others. I'm focusing on myself here.

Second of all, yeah, I'm glad that if I inspired some people in Kazakhstan, I'm very happy with that. We have a good team right now. Elena is playing very, very well. I'm trying to follow and just trying to do my best every day.

Yeah, what was the middle one question? I lost it.

Q. About inspiration.

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I'm glad to be an inspiration of someone (laughter).

Q. In Rome you were in a similar position against Iga. You lost the first set, up two breaks in the second. Did that cross your mind this time and what did you learn from that match?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I mean, at some point I was playing fearless. I was just, I can do it, I have to believe 100%, I have nothing to lose, just go for it. Also my coach told me, no matter which shot you're doing, believe 100% and just follow.

It's when the turning point happened, I start to play, like, really, really good. I think, yeah, today I'm happy, extra happy, because she didn't lose it; I took it. Like, I was playing really well. This is for me the most important.

Q. Eight consecutive wins on grass. How important do you think your title run in Birmingham was to get your best tennis for today?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: Honestly, the title in Birmingham give me a lot of confident that I can play and I can be good on grass, because before that my statistic on grass wasn't that successful. Let's put it that way.

Last year I won none matches on grass. I mean, entering the tournament like Wimbledon, when you have five consecutive wins on grass, it's pretty good. You feel this surface much, much better. Yeah, just give me confident.

Then here, it's completely different tournament. You still have to prepare. You have to be ready. The opponents here can be like No. 1 in the first round, for me at least, could be a wild card. Kerber was a wild card, but she's great on grass.

Yeah, I'm just moving on match by match.

Q. You were made to wait quite a long time between sets. It looked like you were very effective in moving quickly between points, making Iga uncomfortable. Was that a deliberate tactic?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: Honestly, not at all. I was a bit, like, not annoyed, but she took a lot of time off the court. I don't know what's the rules are. She just went, like, to the toilet break. I don't know like what happened, how many minutes she was taking.

Honestly at some point I was so bored. I went like I thought she was coming. Then I was like moving, moving, she's not there. Again moving, she's not there. I was kind of getting bored.

Then I was just super excited about the third set, that I was playing so well. I was just give it a roll. I was not rushing on purpose. Honestly, I think every time I'm playing my service game, I'm not taking much time. I never going for a towel or anything. I'm just going.

Q. What does this mean to you, to beat the No. 1 player, the top seed here?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I mean, it's good. It's great (laughter).

It means a lot. Honestly, I think I deserve it because all the year I've been playing well. I've been unlucky with some matches that I lost very, very close.

But today I was, like, really focused and was, like, Okay, this time I'm going to take it. I'm very proud of myself that I stepped in and I did it.

Q. You play Ostapenko next. You've played her before but not on grass. What are your thoughts about that match?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I didn't think about this match yet. I need to relax. I'll think about it tomorrow.

Q. What is your personal attitude towards Iga Swiatek?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: What do you mean?

Q. Do you like her? You don't have any personal relationship with her?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: No, I don't know her. I mean, I don't know. She never, at least what I see, she always like in her zone with her team. She don't talk much to anyone.

I mean, I'm not entering that bubble (smiling).

Q. Do you remember any game when you played better than today?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: Tough to say. Honestly, I think when I played Cocciaretto in Birmingham, I was playing also very, very good, very focused. But today because the opponent was different, like really, I played very good. I was not missing much. I was always there.

I don't know. Like, I didn't think of it, did I ever play better or not.

Q. To lose only three games in two sets to the No. 1 in the world is a big achievement. When Rybakina won, was big win for Kazakhstan, what about you and Kazakhstan? You go sometimes there? You live there? I know you working in Mouratoglou.

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: Before, but like 10 years ago.

Q. Where are you staying now? There is no residence when you lock in your bio.

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I mean, I'm kind of like everywhere. I'm playing a lot of tournaments so I'm not really practicing as much. I don't have, like, much time to practice. I'm following whatever the tournaments are.

But when I have time, I go to practice either in Kazakhstan, in Astana, capital, or I'm practicing in the States. Like, if I have off-season, I always do preseason for Australia either States or Dubai. I'm in between. I'm here or there depending on how the team goes. I'm always following my team.

I mean, team Kazakhstan, they're always trying to organize something. I'm always following them decision. I think what they do for us, it's very, very huge. The support is, I mean, very big in terms of conditions, how they build the courts in Astana. It's great to see.

Like honestly, they're building up more and more because of Elena, hopefully because of me, but not so much. Anyway, yeah, we have a great, great base there. I'm going in sometimes, yeah, to practice there.

Q. You mentioned last year your record on grass hasn't been that great. What changed?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. Probably the coach helps. I mean, I started to work with new coach before the preseason, we start trying together.

I mean, maybe because I had nothing to defend here, I also playing better, to be fair. I mean, I don't know. Like, it just clicked and I'm playing good now. That what's the most important.

Q. How much will a big win like this build your confidence going forward in this tournament and the rest of the season?

YULIA PUTINTSEVA: I mean, it's great. It feels great. But every match is a new match. I cannot focus on what's in the past. I mean, today I did great. But I have another upcoming match in two days.

Yeah, I need just to be in my zone, just keep on working, keep on believing.