AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2025

Emma Navarro

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/E. Navarro

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Emma, obviously not the result you were looking for today, but how do you reflect on the tournament overall?

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, it's tough to not get the win today, but there's a lot to be proud of from this week. These past few weeks, I think I've worked through a lot and kind of felt like I wasn't playing my best tennis coming into just the Australian swing, and I feel like I'm leaving here with a lot of positives, lots to be proud of, and definitely lots to improve on.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you describe to us a bit how does it feel to play against such a ruthless player, because she systematically crushes her opponents? Well, you resisted bravely today, but the result was the same. How does it feel to play against such a ruthless player?

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, it's not easy. I think something she does really well is she's really quick, and she does everything with 100% conviction and intensity.

You know, she has a different style of movement and play. It's tough to not be sort of affected by that and not feel like, okay, I have to do everything, like, at the same speed that she's doing it. So that was something, for sure, I felt a little bit today.

And, yeah, she's tough. She'll just, you know, keep going for shots even if she misses one. Yeah, I guess 'ruthless' is a good word. Yeah, it's tough to play against.

Q. Just following up on that. In terms of momentum, how much was your momentum broken when she won that point at two games all, and she won the game after these dropshots hit the ground twice?

EMMA NAVARRO: I don't feel like it was a huge momentum swing. Obviously the score says otherwise. You know, I felt like I moved on, and next game I was ready to play. I thought the next two games I played pretty good. Wasn't able to convert a couple of points. But you know, I didn't feel a huge momentum shift.

Q. Of course, your last year at Grand Slams was really positive for you. Fourth round or better in every one. Now you are in a position when you have to defend all that points. Situation maybe new for you. How is the conversation with your team about that situation?

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, I'm definitely in a different position than I was in last year. I think I had everything to go after, I guess, last year. This year I'm definitely, you know, people are going after me. I'm in more of a position of, yeah, defending, I guess.

But at the end of the day nothing changes. You know, I feel like I still have everything to go after, and I feel like there's only positives ahead of me. You know, like I said, I have a ton to work on, and that's what gets me excited to practice or play every day, just continuing to try to be the best player I can be.

That's always what I'm chasing. You know, hopefully the results come with that.

Q. Emma, just to clarify on that point at 2-2, did you ask Eva for a video review, and she said she couldn't, or I wasn't quite... I couldn't hear on the mic. I heard you saying in the break, Did you see that up on the big screen? What did you say between 2-2?

EMMA NAVARRO: I didn't stop playing. I played the next shot, so I couldn't see a replay. Yeah, I asked her after the point if I could see a replay, and she said, I played it, so I couldn't see it.

Q. Do you think that's fair to expect players to stop a point in the middle of it all, because you obviously knew in the moment, but you're trying to deal with, you know, one of the best players in the world trying to stop the point? Do you think it should kind of be allowed to do it retrospectively after the point?

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, I think it should be allowed to see after the point even if you play. It happened so fast. You hit the shot, and she hits it back, and you're just, like, Oh, I guess I'm playing.

You know, in the back of your head you're, like, Okay, maybe I can still win the point even though it wasn't called. It's going to be a downer if I stop the point and it turns out it wasn't a double bounce. Yeah, it's tough.

I think we should be able to see it afterwards and make that call.

Q. Can I just follow up on a couple of questions on that. Do you place any blame on your opponent at all during the heat of action that she didn't call it? Do you think tennis looks a bit silly if you are able to see ten seconds later that it was a double bounce on the screen, and everyone in the stadium knows, but it stood?

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, it's in the moment. Like I said, it happened so fast. I don't know if she knew or not. Yeah, ultimately, it's up to the ref to make the call. It is what it is, I guess. It's tough to place blame on anybody. It's a tough call.

I think the rules should be different that I think we, for sure, should be able it on look at it afterwards and decide.

Q. How long does that linger on your mind when you are in the heat of the moment, you're playing, you feel like you have some momentum? I mean, I think it was deuce at that point, right?

EMMA NAVARRO: It was her game point at 2-All.

Q. How was the sort of reset process moving forward, or were you not able to reset?

EMMA NAVARRO: No, I was definitely able to reset. I was kind of a little bit frustrated on the changeover. Maybe it bled into one point and then I told myself, It's time to move on, it's in the past, can't linger on it.

Yeah, I felt like, for sure, I was able to reset. Yeah, like I said, played a solid game at 3-2. Just wasn't able to convert.

Q. I just wanted to ask in kind of the theme of the umpiring what you thought about the Australian Open not using the let machines on serve and kind of the decision, again, relying on the umpire there whether it's a let?

EMMA NAVARRO: Yeah, I don't know why that decision was made. I think, yeah, I don't see a reason to not use a let machine. So, yeah, not really sure why that was the decision.

Q. I know you haven't played Iga for a while, but I just wondered what you thought kind of where she's at level-wise compared to last year where it felt like maybe she was a bit more vulnerable towards the end of the year?

EMMA NAVARRO: I think she's playing with a lot of conviction, like I said, and definitely a lot of confidence. Yeah, I think she's playing really well.

I don't feel like I played my best. There were definitely some moments where if I could have closed out a game or, you know, hit a better return at 30-15, things may have been a little bit different.

But, yeah, I think she's playing really well and with a lot of confidence, for sure.

Q. Have you ever had a situation like there was today where there's been a kind no call either for you or for your opponent?

EMMA NAVARRO: Not that I can remember. Not in probably the past year, year and a half.

Q. Her ability to spread the court today seemed like a tough problem to solve. I'm curious from your perspective what do you think tactically you could have done execution-wise you could get it done that would have been kind of to been able to break her out of that ability to control things with her angle and forehand?

EMMA NAVARRO: I felt like I didn't have enough power or depth or height or weight on my shots to be able to really make her uncomfortable, so it kind of felt like, you know, I would hit one groundstroke, and she would rip it back. Then I just would get pushed farther and farther back behind the baseline.

I felt like if I just could get a little bit more weight on my groundstrokes, I could sort of neutralize that. Yeah, court position is a big thing. I feel like she definitely won the fight of court position, which just limited my options from the baseline.

Q. You came into this game having gone to three sets in all of your previous matches and then Iga came through in straight sets. Do you think that that impacted your matchup on the court today?

EMMA NAVARRO: Maybe a little bit, but you know, I felt good physically today. I felt like, you know, legs felt good and mind was right. Maybe a little bit. It's tough to say.

Yeah, I'm not sure.