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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 28, 2012Taylor TownsendMELBOURNE, VICTORIA T. TOWNSEND/Y. Putintseva THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Congratulations. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Thank You. Q. Can you believe it? Are you in a state of disbelief? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I am. On the court I couldn't really get it together. Didn't really hit me till I got in the locker room. I asked Gabby, I asked, What has happened again? Q. You were crying out there. She was crying, unhappy. Why the... TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Tears of joy. I mean, it's really exciting. I mean, it's a dream come true for me, you know. A lot of people were supporting me, and my family and everything are just so proud. It was just a proud moment for me and kind of just rushed‑‑ the feelings kind of rushed in. Q. What were your expectations when you came here, or what did Kathy present to you should be your expectations, first trip here and all that? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I mean, Kathy didn't present really any specific expectations as far as winning and losing is concerned. She just wants us to go out and play our best every match and leave it out on the court every match. I guess that's pretty much what a coach can ask for, just leave it out on the court and just keep working on the things that, you know, we worked on in practice, and also having a good, positive attitude throughout the whole tournament. So that was one of her expectations, actually. But my expectation was to just go out and play my game and play within myself every match and not really conforming to the game styles of these other girls by playing at the baseline but, you know, moving forward and being aggressive, how I play. Q. The third game of the third set, that crazy game with the volley that went over and came back, can you talk about that play and that game? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Oh, it was actually shocking. I mean, I just tried to get up to the overhead. It kind of shanked off my racquet. I mean, it was a good point. It got me the advantage in the game, so I was like, Yes. It was good. Q. I'm assuming you never played on such a big arena? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Never. Yeah, it was actually really cool. I mean, the last time I played I had Hawk‑Eye at the US Open on Court 17, and I got really nervous. I was like, I don't know if it's out, I don't want to challenge, like‑‑ you know, I got nervous. But this time, I was like, I'll challenge. It was fun. Q. How much do you think that previous Hawk‑Eye experience helped at all? Did that sort of take that part of the newness away from today? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Definitely. I didn't feel like a newbie. I felt like I knew what I was doing and then kind of went over and clarified with the guys, like, Okay, we get three challenges per set, right? (Smiling.)       Q. I know we talked earlier in the tournament, but at what point in this week did you think like I could actually leave here as a champion? When did it seem tangible to you? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, I mean, I just‑‑ I went into the tournament feeling that way. I mean, I have been really confident how I have been playing. I have been playing really well. But, I mean, I wasn't gonna come here regardless. This is a long trip. It's a lot of money that's being spent. We weren't gonna come here if I wasn't confident that I could win the tournament. So that's a belief that I had in myself, but, I mean, definitely when I got through the quarterfinals, I was like, you know, you have three more matches and you can win this, you know. So I just took one match at a time. But I thought, after I got through the quarters, it was like, okay, more motivation. Q. Do you think it's gonna be hard for you to like slow yourself down and not push yourself too fast, now that you've had this success? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No, I mean, I'm just gonna keep doing what we've been doing. I mean, I'm playing a pro tournament in about a week, so I'm just gonna start from the drawing board, start on square one. I'm playing quallies. It's a great opportunity. It's 100,000, so I'm just gonna go there and do my thing. Q. Which tournament? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: It's the 100,000 in Midland. Q. Have you talked to your family? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I did. My mom was like going crazy, and so was my sister. I was like, Hurry up. Call dad. So she called my dad. He was screaming, but he couldn't hear me. I told him I was gonna call him later. Q. Were they able to follow it at all? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, they were watching it on TV. So that's exciting. I mean, they stayed up. My dad told me that he didn't get any sleep. Q. Do you watch a lot of pro tennis when you're here at a tournament like this? And do you watch the men or women more? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I definitely watch the men more. I just think it's more interesting all around. I was in shock. I stayed up watching Federer/Nadal. Literally the points were so intense and the movement and everything. I honestly couldn't believe the shots that Federer was hitting, and I couldn't believe that Nadal was getting them back. So, I mean, it was an adrenalin rush for me, but I like watching the guys better. Q. What do you remember mostfrom Federer and from Nadal from that match? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I remember Federer hit this sick backhand or something cross‑court, and he came to net, and Nadal just wasn't even looking. He was like (demonstrating), with a forehand, just hit a winner down the line. I was like, God, I wish I could do that. Q. The fact that Rafa is a lefty, does that make it more interesting to you? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah. I mean, I like the way he hits his forehand, just going for it all the time. And his serve is really good, too. I like to pick up different things that the guys do, you know. Q. You showed a lot of emotion on court, especially in that third set when you saw that she was getting a little bit frustrated. Did that help you mentally, knowing that you may have had a bit of a mental edge over her? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, it did, but I wanted to make sure that I focused on myself, because I actually made the mistake of getting into things like that when I played her at Eddie Herr. I played her in the semifinals. She was getting really emotional about the same time I was, too. So it was like I got into the emotional part of it, and it kind of distracted me from playing the points, you know. But, yeah, I just kinda tried to focus on myself and just make sure‑‑ I was like, Okay, just keep playing one point at a time. That's what I kept telling myself: one point at a time, one point at a time. Q. I noticed on a couple of changes of ends you were flipping through a notebook. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Uh‑huh. Q. Was that just basic match notes or supportive messages from family? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, just basic match notes for me. I just have a little blue notebook that I actually left at home and I was really depressed. So I was like‑‑ I have a spare notebook, so I think, I'm gonna write some stuff down. It's little key reminders for me. Q. There are not a lot of players your age who are moving forward that much going to the net. Is it something you pick up naturally, or are you working on it? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Actually I have pretty good hands. I have pretty good hand/eye coordination. Ever since I was young, when I started playing tennis, we always did volleys. Mr.Young and Ms.Young and all of them, they always taught me just to move forward. So I mean, it was something that was engrained in my head since I was young. I guess the game style just kind of grew on me and I kept doing it. I have become more comfortable with doing it over the years. Q. Are there any American girls that are a little bit older than you that you've kept in touch with or that are kind of mentors for you as you kind of start to make your way? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Um, no. I don't think that there are very many American girls that are my mentor, I would say. But I definitely do talk to them and ask questions, you know, because obviously the older ones have had a lot more experience than I have, especially playing women's Grand Slams and main draw and everything like that. I mean, I talk to Madison Keys a lot. I see her every day in Boca, and we train with, you know, some of the pros. So, I mean, I definitely ask them questions about some of the higher‑level tournaments, but I don't think I would consider them my mentors. Q. Do you feel like with Grace and those crop of girls in Boca that it's a team effort or that you're each on your own? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I definitely think‑‑ well, I look at it more of like a team. We all support each other, and we all push each other to work hard. We practice together. During practices we push each other, and that's pretty much what we can‑‑ that's all we can do. We're really good friends off the court. We have fun on the court. In fitness, we push each other and everything like that. But when we're in competition and playing against each other, obviously it's a single sport so we are gonna kind of distance that. Q. Do you have your eye on any special present or something you're going to buy to commemorate this trip to take home? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: That's a good question. No. Actually, I've gotten my family gifts. I have gotten my mom a baseball cap, I've gotten a few kangaroos. I acquired two koala bears now from the trophies. So I'm very happy from that. I think that will just be my present. And I'm so happy I got a towel. (Laughter.) That's really what I wanted. Q. The big one? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, the big ones, like this (demonstrating). Q. What have you learned about yourself this week? You took two titles. What have you learned about yourself? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, I've learned that‑‑ I mean, if you just compete and work really hard, anything is possible. You know, the family support and the support of people that are around you is key. You know, positive energy and people constantly telling me like you can do it and stuff, it's all the people that are back in Atlanta, that are back in Chicago, that are here, just the support base was really good. I also learned that I need to keep myself calm on the court, because that's when I play the best. (Smiling). I've learned that. Which is good. Q. A lot of pros just take the towels. You're not ready for that yet? Are you not ready for that kind of attitude? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I was actually surprised that I saw four towels, like two towels on one seat, two towels on the other. I was like, Whoa, I'm gonna snag these. (Laughter.) That's exactly what I did. Q. So you have two towels really? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I now have five. Q. What will you guys do to celebrate maybe tonight? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Um, well, we have to come back here I think at quarter to 6:00 so we can present the actual trophy that we get to keep, which is good, because I was getting kind of sad when the lady was like (demonstrating). I think we're gonna go and have a nice dinner and hang out with friends. Then tomorrow we're gonna hopefully go to a place where we can hold koala bears and pet Australian animals, like kangaroos and stuff. I'm really excited. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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