THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2024

Lulu Sun

Press Conference

L. SUN/Z. Lin

7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: How did it feel out there for you today?

LULU SUN: It was definitely tricky conditions today with the wind and waiting with the rain as well, and she's a tough opponent. We had a lot of rallies as well as she had great serve games.

So it really came down to just a few points. During the tiebreak, exactly as I said, it comes down to a few points. So just really nailing it down to each point and fighting each point is what got me through, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you realize what you've achieved? You're the first New Zealand woman since 1959 to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon.

LULU SUN: (Laughing.) That is something that definitely doesn't come by often, and I'm super grateful to be in this situation. You know, I feel definitely the support through the people and through Tennis New Zealand, and I'm super happy and grateful each round to be able to be here.

Q. Can you tell us about your background, please. You were born in New Zealand.

LULU SUN: Yes.

Q. Went to Switzerland. Your dad is Croatian, is that correct? Your mother is Chinese? Just tell us about your background, family, please.

LULU SUN: I was born in the south of New Zealand. Very small town (laughing). Practically more sheep and deer than people. I spent a few years there with my grandma and my mom.

Then I moved a little bit to Shanghai. I stayed there for kindergarten a bit until we moved to Switzerland. My mom, obviously, she's very keen on education. She always told us that, yes, sports and whatever you dream of is important, but as well to get that education is important as well.

My dad is Croatian, yeah. My stepdad, he's German-English, so he's from here (laughing). Growing up in Switzerland, I didn't spend too much time there when I started playing more and more juniors. So it was whenever I was traveling basically and training didn't have the opportunities to be there much. But yeah, I'm basically traveling all the time, yeah.

Q. Your education was in America; is that right? Texas?

LULU SUN: Texas, yeah. I finished my studies 2022, I believe. I think I was lucky because COVID happened, and I didn't know going into college that that would happen. I had an injury that year, and my mom, she was really worried. She was, like, I don't know when you're going to do your exams, you have to focus on your studies a bit before you go 100% in tennis. I guess it was kind of luck, if you will, and timing.

So with COVID I was able to do something and to study and finish, which is really good because now I can go 100% in my tennis.

Q. How many languages do you speak? Of all your background, in which way do you think each country affects your tennis ability?

LULU SUN: I speak three. They're in different levels, obviously (laughing).

But I mean, Chinese obviously from my mom's side, is very disciplined, hard-working. From my dad's side, Croatian, he's from the seaside, so very laid back and calm. I guess that's a good combo.

Also, I think from my mom's side I get that not -- like, I guess, feistiness and competitiveness. So it's a good combo, I guess. And then Swiss side is, like, neutral, yeah (laughing). Then from New Zealand I get that adventure side come out of me.

Yeah, so I'm really happy to be able to have so many cultures and backgrounds with me even though sometimes I'm not, as I said before, 100% in each one. It's impossible to be.

I'm really grateful to be able to at least have some of it.

Q. You may be aware if she wins, Emma Raducanu could be your next opponent, possible Centre Court schedule. Just wondered how would you feel about that.

LULU SUN: I mean, I would be super happy to be able to have that opportunity to play against such a great athlete. She's, obviously, been far in the Grand Slams before, and she's, I'm pretty sure, Wimbledon's favorite since she's from here.

But, I don't know, playing on Centre and playing against her is an opportunity that I would be happy to play, yeah.

Q. Another Emma question. She's got striking similarities to you, backgrounds and everything. Have you ever spoken to her or spoken Chinese to her?

LULU SUN: No, I haven't. I've only crossed paths in the locker room, but I can see why you would think that we have similarities. Obviously, we were born in different countries, our moms are Chinese. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of, I think, half-Chinese people out there in the world and also people who live abroad, not only that are half.

I think that we're lucky to be able to experience that. I think a lot of times we feel as though we're not included in anything, because we're not one person of somewhere, but I think it's kind of special and to be able to blend in each and everywhere.

Q. The name of your English stepfather and where is he from?

LULU SUN: He's from Devon, yeah.

Q. What's the challenge like to do press conferences in multiple languages when your level of fluency varies?

LULU SUN: It will be definitely tricky. Sometimes my English doesn't even work. That's what happens when you speak multiple languages.

I also was learning a bit of Spanish in school. I recently was very interested in learning Japanese, but then I'm now learning Korean because I thought that if I learn the grammar part of Korean, it would be similar to Japanese, and that would help.

But I love languages even though it's sometimes annoying and complicated and frustrating, but it definitely -- when you learn languages, it helps to learn the culture as well of the people of such languages.

So even though sometimes it's difficult for me to express sometimes, I'm really lucky that I'm able to speak those three, yeah.

Q. You said before that you had three good quality matches on grass before Wimbledon. Are you surprised about how well you've done during this week and the level you've been playing at?

LULU SUN: Yeah, definitely. I wasn't expecting to be here at this stage, but I've just been playing match-by-match. Yeah, here I am (laughing).