AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2025

Belinda Bencic

Press Conference

B. BENCIC/N. Osaka

7-6 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Belinda, not the way anyone wants to win a match, but you have equaled your best result here in Melbourne. How do you feel about that?

BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, of course, not the way you want to win the match. That's for sure. I really felt for her. I've been injured before, so I know how it feels.

Of course I think I will be more happy maybe tomorrow. Yeah, it's cool to be in the fourth round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congrats on advancing, Belinda. You said the last few weeks you're way ahead of schedule just in terms of being able to compete again and even the level you have been able to play. I'm curious right now with the round of 16, how do you stop yourself from getting ahead of yourself and thinking that it's all going to be, like, you're right back to where you were?

BELINDA BENCIC: To be honest, it's not really -- you know, like before I would always have more expectations if I would have bigger results, but it's not the case here.

I mean, I don't even have to remind myself. I think like my body just tells me. If I see Bella, I just see her being only eight-and-a-half months now. Really happy with how the comeback is going.

I don't really feel like my expectations are coming back. I'm just happy with every match I get to play. Obviously on this level it's very different. I feel like I can improve and get better.

Obviously it's tough to say, but it's not really about, you know, winning right now. It's really about improving myself and getting back there, you know, to be able to kind of also, you know, play the biggest tournaments again and be up there ranking-wise. Yeah.

Q. I just wanted to clarify on your camera message, was that to your mom or what you wrote to Naomi?

BELINDA BENCIC: That was to Naomi.

Q. Kind of from the outside, it feels really normal already that you're kind of back close to your top level and competing with the best in the world, and yet you only had your daughter eight-and-a-half months ago, I think you said. Does it feel normal to you? Has this all happened quickly, more quickly than you were expecting, or did you feel ready when you came back to make that progress quickly?

BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, I mean, I just took it very slow from the start, you know, my comeback. I was listening a lot to my body. It's such a big change, physically mostly. Then you start to play, and obviously you realize, okay, your tennis is there.

So I took time, you know, to play last season some smaller tournaments to kind of, you know, get in the rhythm of playing. Obviously, like, mastering the logistics of traveling with Bella and everything.

I would say, you know, if we wouldn't have gotten into the United Cup as Team Switzerland, I would even consider maybe not even playing here in Australia just yet, because I just would think it's too early maybe. But I'm happy we came here.

I felt like the United Cup and also in Adelaide I kind of got to play matches and through qualifying. That helped me a lot to just kind of get the matches in.

Then I'm just really taking it match by match and being, like, appreciative, that I'm able to play against top players and kind of testing myself.

Q. Was there a moment when you started training for your comeback, where you were like, Phew, the game is still there?

BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, obviously not right away, but after a few months of practicing, for sure you feel that I have done this all my life, like I'm playing since I'm three years old. I feel like that's like riding a bike, like your tennis is going to be there.

But obviously the physical part is the most difficult, and it's definitely not 100% yet. I definitely feel like I can improve a lot on my movement, on my reaction, and you know, on different aspects of my physical performance.

Q. I wanted to ask about your decision to play the small tournaments, first of all. Sometimes when players come back from maternity leave, they maybe want to start playing the bigger tournaments, but you chose to play ITFs and build up. What was that like? Why did you decide to do that?

BELINDA BENCIC: Well, for me it's kind of, like, logical. I think you cannot just be out for a year and a half, I think, and kind of expect that you can just jump in right where you left off.

I think there is definitely something to build up. Obviously I think the most important for me was to see and test my body, to test also, you know, playing back-to-back matches, and obviously try to play a little bit on the lower tournaments and also work my ranking back up.

I don't really want to come here, like, from a cold start and just, you know, take wildcards and maybe, like, lose first round twice and then win a round. That's not going to help me to come back.

It's going to help me if I can really build and win matches and play matches and play three-set matches and, yeah, kind of improve myself by playing. Yeah.

Q. Was that tour kind of weird to be back at ITFs, which at some point in your career you probably thought you had left behind?

BELINDA BENCIC: No, I have done it before. I kind of enjoy it. It's very low-key. There is no, like, circus around anything (smiling). It's just nice. It's just the tennis court. You play a match, and you go back to the hotel. It's cool (smiling).

Q. You had Bella on April 23rd. How quickly were you back training on court, in the gym? How many hours did you do at the beginning? What did that look like?

BELINDA BENCIC: One day after birth I go back to the court. I played eight hours (smiling). I'm kidding.

It's really difficult to stay because you're obviously not training. It's like trying to move your body a little bit. Obviously after pregnancy I was just dying to work out a little bit or go to the gym or just have a run. It was really nice, and obviously you want to get back in shape in any form, even if you're not a professional player.

So I would say maybe, like, two months after birth I hit for the first time. It was, like, five minutes on the small court. Then, you know, I would increase every day by just a little bit.

Just do a little bit of fitness. Obviously, like, do a lot of pelvic floor exercises. A lot of physio from the start. Then I would increase, depending on how my body would feel.

Q. Belinda, you'll face either Coco or Leylah in the next round. I'm curious if you have any thoughts about each of them as an opponent?

BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, I mean, I know both really well. I played Leylah a couple of times. She's uncomfortable player. She's lefty. She tries to take the ball early.

Then also Coco, obviously one of the best players in the world right now. I was able to watch her a little bit when I was just lying on the couch for the last nine months (smiling).

Yeah, so of course very difficult opponents.

Q. At the beginning, you said that it's not about results at the moment. Is there something that needs to happen? Do you have something in your mind as to what needs to happen before it gets to everything being about results again, so to speak? When will that moment come?

BELINDA BENCIC: I mean, as soon as I will feel that I'm 100%, and I'm, like, ready to go. Obviously I think it's all about learning and improving. Of course, it's about winning. That's why we're here.

But at this moment, I still like call this a little bit as a test. I came here to see how it's going to be. Obviously I didn't expect to be in the fourth round.

So I'm not going to change my expectations based on the result here.