US OPEN

September 4, 2024

Beatriz Haddad Maia

Press Conference

K. MUCHOVA/B. Haddad Maia

6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Bea, if you would, your thoughts on the match.

BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA: Well, today I didn't play my best tennis. I think Muchova, she had a good part from her. She deserved to win. From my side, I didn't play the level I was playing in the last matches, so I'm very unhappy with that.

But also, I learned a lot. I have a lot of positive things from this week that I'm gonna take with me and today took me to learn. So that's the way we try to think, and now I will try to understand, to learn with the lesson. Yeah, let's go for the next one.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations on a great tournament. In terms of just the learnings today, what do you think you will carry forward from this?

BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA: Yeah, the first lesson, for sure, is, well, to be more calm and to understand that the match is long. I'm a person who fight a lot, and I was trying to concentrate, and for sure today I could not concentrate on my tennis. I was, yeah, not focused only in one thing. Took me a lot to be on the match.

And it's strange, but yeah, it's tennis. So I need to improve that, yeah.

Q. What has it been like the last couple of days for you emotionally, and how do you think that affected your ability to focus today?

BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA: Yeah, it was more emotional from my side. As I said, it's tennis. Sometimes we have some things on and off court that can bother us, but yeah, today was my fault. Like, I couldn't concentrate. It was my first time on Ashe. It's different. It's huge. It's, like, noise all the time. That's no excuse (smiling). I think I could manage myself. It was not anyone.

Yeah, I had to learn with that. I'm a person who work very hard, and I know I will create more opportunities. My team works very hard, and I know that we are in the right way to learn for the next time we step on this court. We're going to be stronger (smiling).

Q. Are you feeling okay physically? It looked like maybe you were having some trouble with your chest in the match.

BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA: Yes, I was, but I'm feeling okay. Thanks for asking.

Q. Playing Karolina, because she plays a style that is maybe not common on the women's tour, the attacking, getting to the net, things like that, how much does that put added pressure, you know, for you when you're playing her?

BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA: Yeah, I played her, well, recently two times in two years, I think two times, Cincinnati and I remember Ostrava. She was playing at home. For me, she's one of the best tennis players we have on the tour, and she has a lot of skills.

Yeah, I think, well, she deserved it. I didn't put pressure on me because of her. It was me and myself, it was my ghosts inside my mind (smiling), and I know all the tennis players has that. Today was inner, like, fight. I couldn't, yeah, manage that.

Well, she deserve it and she make her part. I wish her all the best for the rest of the week.