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ROLAND GARROSJune 1, 2014Eugenie BouchardPARIS, FRANCE E. BOUCHARD/A. Kerber THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. Did you have a plane to catch today? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: (Smiling) nope. I just felt good out there. I think I executed my game plan really well, so I'm happy with that. There is always things to improve, and I'm just going to focus on that tomorrow and try to do even better my next match. Q. How can you explain such a great start? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I mean, I'm confident, you know, and I really believe in my skills. I believe I can play with the best girls out there. She's top 10, so I respect her. She can play some really good tennis. I was really mentally prepared for anything, for a battle. I think that mindset kind of helped me, you know, made me realize whatever happens I can deal with it on the court. Yeah, I mean, I was just really going for my shots. That was my intention. It worked. Q. When was the last time you felt your level of play was as good as today? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I mean, I feel like since the beginning of the year I have been improving my game, since Australia I'm at a different level from there. But, you know, I have been feeling that way in practice and in matches recently. Even if it's not always there, I know that I can really play at a good level. Today, you know, with my goal of taking it early, I think that worked really well and really going for my shots. You know, it worked well. But, you know, I have confidence in myself. I can play like this and play even better. There are still things I can do better. Q. Talking about your next match, can you say something about the two players that you might be up against, Suarez Navarro and the Croatian player? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I played Suarez one time at Wimbledon last year. I have never played the other one. My coach will watch that match later today. But I'm still going to have the same mentality going into the match and believing that, you know, I can do well. No matter what happens on the court I can always come back, I can stay ahead, you know, I just try my best. I can't control the score, but I just try my best on the court and try to just focus on my game. Of course, I adapt a little bit to my opponent, but I always want to focus on my game. Q. Tennis is a very international sport. Talk about yourself. You are Canadian by flag. But how much you are Canadian by tennis. Which sort of tennis do you think do you have inside yourself? Is American? Is whatever? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, yes, I'm Canadian. I mean, I think, I have spent a lot of time training in Florida. So I think that has helped my game a lot. When I was younger it really helped me progress. My base is in Florida. I think that's an important part to where I am. I mean, besides that I have a little bit of Irish in me. I don't know if that helps me on the court (smiling). Q. You know going in that her second serve is something that you can attack and it's also something that you're very good at doing. I was wondering if you focused on that at all in practice before this match. If you go out there with an idea that you're just going to go for it hard and if it doesn't work, scale it back a bit. Do you have a plan for that particular part of the match? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: It was one of my goals. You know, I always try to take control with the serve and the return. You know, she has a lefty serve, so it kind of comes in at a different angle. I practiced that. Luckily my coach is left‑handed. Even if he's in his 50s, he can still serve a few. I used him for the warmup. Yeah, my goal was always to move forward. Whether it was on the serve or the next shot or the first shot after my serve, to take it early was really key. I think that helped me a lot. Q. The last two matches you started very poorly. Do you think it was more respect for her today that helped you start so well? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I don't think it was a different level of respect. You know, I respect every opponent. My previous opponent, you know, beat a seed and is good on clay. The person across the net deserves to be there. We are in a Grand Slam, we are playing against the best players in the world. For me, every opponent is worthy of respect. I think I was just ‑‑I had a clear game plan in my head. I was really focused. I know I can play at this level, so it's not like a surprise or anything to me. Like I said, I still have a lot of areas to improve. And, you know, I'm happy with my performance today, but, you know, there is still a lot I can work on. Q. You said obviously you played Suarez Navarro before and you just said sometimes you have to adapt to your opponent. What is it about her game that might be difficult for you and you might have to adapt to in particular? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: She's a bit unique because she has a one‑handed backhand. Not many girls have that. I played her at Wimbledon last year on grass obviously, so it was faster. I think she has a very solid game. I practiced with her a few times, as well. She can really create some good angles, really rip the ball. She's also a very solid player, consistently in the top 20. So, you know, she's a great player. You never know what's going to happen with the match today. I'm not going to pay too much attention, but my coach will definitely give me some tips, see how it goes. Besides that, I'm just gonna work on my game tomorrow and try and get ready for the next day. Q. When the match is finished, do you ask about which result, Raonic or which person, which other player in the tournament? Which is your best friend on tour? And if you can pick this friend to go around in Paris today, now, what you would like to go? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Okay, so what was the first... Like what? Q. I asked about Raonic and the result when you finish. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: If I ask about him? No. I mean, I don't think he was playing when I was playing. Best friend on tour, I don't have one. I don't think the tennis tour is the place to have friends. For me it's all competition. And, you know, I think it's important to, you know, just remember that we're going to play against each other in matches. It's not like we're teammates. To me, it's kind of more competitive. I'm sorry, I don't remember what the third question was. Q. Maybe you have an idea where you would like to go after today in Paris. We are in Paris, remember. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yes. I want to rest and kind of just chill. We're in a Grand Slam, so I want to save my energy for the matches. I have been in Paris many times and I have gone sightseeing a lot. So I'm not in a rush to go sightseeing. But of course, Paris is a beautiful city. If I have a chance after the tournament I'd love to. But I think I'm just going to get a massage and relax. Q. You wanted to improve some things in your game today. But beating a top 10 player, 1 and 2, do you feel you played almost perfectly? Is that as good as... EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, no one is perfect. I think a few times I did a few too many loose errors, and, you know, I can still, I think, kind of step in on her serve a little bit. I could have done that a little bit better. Definitely I could have served better. So, you know, little things that you're just always trying to get better, because, you know, there are so many good players out there that you really have to, for me, it's important to just keep improving every single day. I'm going to take that time tomorrow, try and work on a few things and talk to my coach, see what he thinks I need to do better and keep going. If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward. For me, I just want to keep try to go forwards. Q. You're not going to sightsee, but you can't avoid not eating. This is a pretty good city to eat in. Is there anything special you've been taking advantage of? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Good question. Every night we have struggled to find good restaurants. I put pressure on my mom and coach to find a good one, because my tolerance for walking is about 10 feet. So besides that, we have to take a cab and I still don't want it to be that far. I'm pretty picky. But they've done good jobs. We have found some good Italian restaurants. There's one called VoLita. Actually, I want to go back to it tonight. NoLita, sorry. I don't even know. So good Italian restaurants. Of course, you find great restaurants kind of everywhere. But I have high standards, so we'll see if they can pull up a good one tonight. Q. If you do play Suarez, you have played a lot of matches since then, but do you remember anything specific about the match at Wimbledon that you can learn from? You certainly weren't as aggressive in that one, as I recall, as you are now just on a regular basis. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I think I remember that she was aggressive, actually. And, you know, she has her ‑‑her backhand was really impressive as well. She was able to pull me out wide and go down the line just as easily. So for me, I need to be ready for that. I think with my game now, I feel like I'm a better player than last year at Wimbledon. I'm going to try to use that to my advantage, step in, with the same mentality as today. And we'll just, you know, try to fight and know that she's, of course, a great opponent. Q. What are your impressions of the Genie Army? How many troops are there? Are you in contact? Are you going to order them around? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Clearly not, because they are not here (laughter). I mean, I'm kind of wondering when my Genie Army fans will show up. Maybe I have to get to the final or something for them to show up. Maybe they won't even show up. But the general fan base are considered the Genie Army. So anyone who supports me or cheers for me I appreciate. I just feel so special that they're inspired to play tennis because of me and things like that. In regards to the Genie Army specifically, I'm not really in contact with them. Now, of course, the social media and I casually glance at what they are doing once in a while. But I think it's amazing since Australia most of the cities I have played in there have been some kind of mini Genie Army and I have received many, many stuffed animals this year. I just think it's so cool and I feel so special to have a fan base like that. I hope it continues. I hope the Parisians get their act together (laughter). No, I'm just so honored to have cool fans like that. Q. Is Owen Wilson now part of the Genie Army? Noticed that picture yesterday. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think so. I think he said he saw me play on TV before. So I was excited about that. I'm such a huge fan of his, "Wedding Crashers" and the Google movie. Amazing. Q. You saw the first three seeds going out. Was that something that surprised you, or how did you react to that from the inside? Because people from the outside think it's a big shock to see the top three go out. How do you view it as a player? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I think it's always a little bit surprising. Top three seeds are such great players and champions. I think at the same time in the women's game, you know, a lot of the top players ‑‑ I mean, any player can kind of not beat anyone, but there is a lot of kind of room for other players to move up, you know. But of course, on any given day players can have a bad day and things like that. It just happens. It's life. But I think it just makes the draw really interesting when some of the top names are out and we kind of see some new names that we haven't seen that much. I think it's really interesting for women's tennis. Q. You mentioned Owen Wilson. Did you see "Midnight in Paris"? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I actually have not, and we're in Paris. I'm so disappointed in myself. I might do that today, I'll watch "Midnight in Paris." I will give you a summary next time. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. We feel you are very comfortable both physically and mentally since the beginning of this tournament. Do you have good feelings? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yes, I feel good. I had a good week in Germany last week, so I have a lot of confidence and a lot of confidence on clay. I think my game adjusts very well to clay. My net game has improved as well, which is important on this surface, and I played quite a few matches, so I gained momentum and I feel good. Q. Since your semifinal in the Australian Open, has your life changed a bit? Do you feel that people look at you differently? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yes, of course it changed a bit. I have more self‑confidence. I know I can play at the highest level in women's tennis. And outside the court there are more people asking me to do more things outside the courts. It's part of being a professional tennis player, and I think it's a good thing because it means I have a bit of success on the court. And then, for me, it's also fun to do things outside the court. But the most important for me is to know when I should say no and to be selective to use the most important things to make sure I have plenty of time to practice and to rest. Q. You're saying your life changed. Not long ago you were still playing in juniors. You were successful moving from junior to senior, which is not very easy. And it seems that you're very focused on your goal, which is to become No. 1 in the world. Nothing will make you change your mind? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yes, to me it was important playing on the junior tour until the age of 18, because I played all Grand Slams in junior and I played on big courts. I experienced pressure. And I think it helped me being on the court when everyone thinks you should win and winning the match. That was difficult, but it helped me be strong. So that's why I managed to play well in professionals, because I gained experience. Of course, the level is different with professionals, and I try and improve every day, but I'm confident at the level I should be the. Q. But you seem more mature than you should be given your age. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm not all that young. I feel very old. I think I'm starting to get wrinkles on my face. Do I have some? Yes? Okay, so I just turned 20 three months ago and I feel old. So I want to be the best player I can be as quickly as possible, because one day I will wake up and I will be 30. Q. 30 is fine. EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No. Q. No. 1 sport in Canada is ice hockey. Does that mean that for a tennis player there is less pressure on you? Look at Djokovic and Ivanovic in Serbia, they are huge stars, but in Canada, maybe people don't talk about tennis that much. Is it good for you not to have too much pressure or do you think tennis should be more popular? EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm not focused on pressure from the outside. I have been playing tennis for such a long time. I put pressure on myself, because I want to achieve major objectives in my career, so I want to focus on what I want to achieve. I don't think too much about what people say around me. But apart from that, I think, yeah, tennis is growing in Canada. Being No. 1 Canadian tennis player is an honor. If I can help and grow the sport in my country, I'm happy about it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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