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ROLAND GARROSMay 26, 2014Taylor TownsendPARIS, FRANCE T. TOWNSEND/V. King THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. Found yourself down pretty quickly in the first set. Talk about the comeback, and also what it was like to just play in your Grand Slam debut. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: It was awesome. I mean, I had so much fun. I was really nervous at first, but I tried to fight every single point. Every ball that came on my side, I just tried to get it back, and worked on being positive the whole time. It wasn't over, and that's what really showed. I just kept trying to focus on every single ball that came on my side and just get it back and just do what I knew I could do, just loosen up. It was a lot of fun. Really exciting. It was a huge moment for me, and I kind of took it really well. After I settled down, it was great. Q. How do you feel about your progress just the last few weeks, last couple months? TAYLOR TOWNSEND:  I think it's amazing. I've been working really hard. These are the moments and the things I've been working for. It's nice to see my hard work paying off. This is what I've been working for as an athlete, as a professional tennis player. These are moments that I work for, just mentally trying to really bear down and focus on my mental. I mean, we haven't really changed much. Just really trying to be mentally strong. That's really kind of what has came through in all of the matches I've played and won. Q. As far as milestones go, what does your first Grand Slam win mean, where does it rank? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, it's huge. This is a huge opportunity for me. At the same time, like I said, this is what I've been working for, so I hope to have many more ‑ not only first rounds, but many more rounds. It's great that I won my first round, but the tournament is not over and I'm not satisfied. I want to continue to press forward and do the best I can in this tournament. Q. How nervous is nervous? You said you were nervous at this beginning. Give us a sense of what you felt like before you went out there, when you first got out there, in the warmup. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, before the match I was trying to really zone in on everything, the whole moment, just take in everything. Just really tried to take some time to myself and just relax. My team talked to me and they kind of calmed me down a little bit as well. Just went over some strategy. Basically, they just let me go. They were like, You're ready. That made me feel a little bit more comfortable when I went out there. Like this morning I was going crazy I was so hyper. I don't know. But then in the warmup, I mean, I warmed up fairly will well. Just tried to focus on seeing the ball or whatever. Then she came out playing really well. I'm not even going to lie. I didn't make her play much, but the balls we play and the rallies we did have, she was taking control over it. I felt like there were some things I had to do on my end to kind of give her a little bit more of a challenge, so I just kind of settled in and just was enjoying every moment and every ball. Q. Talk a little bit about working with Zina and what she brings to the table for you, what the difference is, what you think that she's given you. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, both my coaches. I have Zina here and my coach Kamau over there. We've just been all working on mental. First of all, we worked on establishing a team and having a strong bond with each other. That was the most important thing. In both of the places I train in D.C. and Chicago I work in foundations, or train in foundations. You know, the community is really strong, so I have a lot of people supporting me and backing me. I have a lot of support in that, so basically it's just really comfortable. We've just been working on a lot of mental. Like I said, we haven't changed much in my game. Just trying to understand the game, how to play the game, and she's brought that element, as well as Kamau has brought that element of just understanding how to play. It's just become a lot more fun and a lot more interesting. Q. A lot of tennis players talk about working on the mental side and improving mentally. When we think about tennis, you can do drills to improve a backhand, a forehand. What do you do get better mentally? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, like I said, it started with just understanding the game. I watched a lot of film. I watched film of myself as well as other players, just seeing what they do well; movement, how they move; how they manage big points. We just kind of looked that. We didn't really change anything in my game. I was just really trying to understand how to play the game. No better people than Djokovic and Nadal and Federer and Serena and even past champions ‑‑ and Zina is one. She played, so she really understands. So that's kind of the biggest thing. I just started really watching a lot more tennis and kind of engulfing myself in it and trying to see how they manage their moments. I know that the same moments come, and the pros manage it‑‑ the ones that are at the top are the best at that. That's why they're No. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Q. Pump up jam today, what were you listening to walking out there? Gotta know. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Raise the night by Steve Aoki and Waka Flocka. Q. You talked about bonding and community. Talk a little bit more about that. Explain in a little bit more depth, what you went through or what that means to you specifically. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Sure. Well, when I started training with Zina, I went to D.C. That was a new area for me, so a lot of people that I met and that were backing me were new. I made a lot of new relationships. I'm training through the WTEF with Zina and Willis Thomas. With that, I just met a lot of new people and built strong relationships and have so many people that are supporting me. That's a great feeling to see and know that every day that you walk through the door that people are rooting you on from day one.  When I went to back to Chicago, I'm from there, so a lot of the people where we train are still there that were there when I was six and eight. So it's great to see that and to know also that my family and old friends that I went to school with and just people still in Chicago are rooting for me and backing me. We're just building relationships, and also we're just becoming a basically a huge family, you know. It's great. It's a good feeling, because I have people to support me. Q. And when you tweeted out a little while ago, I think from Florida, Thank God I didn't go Southside on that girl. What was that about? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Oh, my God. (Laughter.) It was just this whole debacle. The girl that I was playing was up set. Everyone knows that I take volleys first. She was upset that I wanted to take volleys first. She was like, Why do I have to be uncomfortable? I'm like, Well why do I have to be uncomfortable? So I just didn't say anything and I let the referee handle it, but I was just so upset. I was just‑‑ it was like, You know what? I'm just glad that I was calm. That's all. That's what I meant. (Laughter.) Q. You get Alize Cornet next, the No. 1 French woman, so on a big court here. What are your thoughts on that, playing a main draw match on one of these big stadiums? What that's going to be like? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Well, I'm excited. Well, when I played in the final of the juniors obviously it's different, but we played on Court 1. It was like packed, so I kind of know what that feeling is like playing in front of a lot of people. But, I don't know how it is when they're all cheering against you, so... Obviously it's going to be a tough match. I'm looking forward to it. I think that I'm playing really well and I'm in a good place right now. I'm looking forward to it. I think it'll be great. Q. Talk to any family yet? Mom? Anyone? Telephone? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I just turned on my phone. It was going nuts when I was coming over here. I haven't checked any messages yet, but I will talk to them when I get out of here. Q. How did you settle on Zina? Did she come to you or you to her? Obviously there is lots of coaches out there and you were down in Florida at that point in time. TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, well, we kind of went like that. (Twisting fingers.) She came to the US Open in 2012 and we kind of hung out a little bit there. Then I saw her again at the City Open and we hung out a lot there because that's in D.C. Then after that, I mean, we had been talking off and on, but, I mean, we kind of like chose each other, you know. Kamau, I've known him for years, so it was kind of like a no‑brainer when I decided to start building my team. He was like definitely a part of that. Q. Is there anything that's unsettling about sometimes being in Washington and sometimes in Chicago, or you feel like both are home base enough? TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah. I mean, it's no problem at all. It's a successful, functioning team, as you can see. I mean, I'm doing fine. I have no complaints. Like I said, we're all strong and working together for the better. Me and everyone on the team. It's a group effort. No, nothing unsettling about that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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