Elina Svitolina n'a pas résisté à Iga Swiatek en quart de finale de Roland-Garros. L'Ukrainienne rêvait de retrouver les demies Porte d'Auteuil mais n'a pas pu faire chuter la reine des lieux.
« Le tennis, partout & toujours ici », sur
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« Le tennis, partout & toujours ici », sur
https://www.tennisactu.net / Tennis Actu
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00:00BNP Paribas, partenaire des plus belles histoires de Roland Garros, aux côtés des ramasseurs de balles depuis plus de 50 ans.
00:30J'ai reçu un peu, donc j'ai reçu un peu avec des expectations de l'équilier, j'ai eu voulu jouer dans le final, j'ai eu un grand match, avec des battes, beaucoup de choses à me prendre pour moi et j'ai juste me sentir bien.
00:51Hi Aline, we could see that there was a lot of wind on the centre court, how much did it bother you today?
01:03Well of course it was difficult, but it was for both players, you know, I feel like on one side it was more difficult to play than another, and then we were just, you know, dealing with that.
01:21Iga played well in the first set to close it, 6-1, and yeah, she dealt with that better in the first set than me, then I tried to, you know, to bring my full focus on how to really play against the wind, with the wind, and of course, you know, playing Iga here is not easy in general already,
01:49so, yeah, it was a lot today.
01:54Hey Aline, what do you take from this match, because yes, Iga is very hard to play against, but you lived with her for the second set, and she's probably the best clay court player there is,
02:06so, like, personally, what do you take as a positive from a match like this, in which you were very close for more than a set?
02:14For sure, a lot of positives from me, not only from this match, but I feel like, in general, the tournament for me was very good, the clay court season was very good,
02:23I played really well with different kind of players, and won a lot of matches, and of course, today, Iga already, doesn't matter on which surface, but she presents a big challenge, so you have to play your best game against her,
02:42and especially here, I feel on this court, she won many matches, she won many trophies here, so, of course, you know, she's feeling full of confidence,
02:54and, yeah, you need to play from the first point until the last point, your best time is to beat her, but, yeah, as I said, I'm happy with the way that I can challenge, you know,
03:08the top players, and that's what I'm training for, to try to, you know, to find the way to beat them, to try to find the way to be back in top 10, this is my goal,
03:23and I try to work really hard for that.
03:26Elena, after this match, what can you say about Iga's game, because she was struggling during previous tournaments, and now she regained confidence,
03:36probably, how you look at her game now, after this match?
03:41I think she's playing, playing good matches, for the past matches that we played against each other, she played really well,
03:48even the match before that we played in Miami, I think she, she was playing very well, it was two tough sets in Miami,
03:59today, I was not playing as well, on the first, but then on the second, it was, it was a good, a good level, and I feel like she's, she's striking the ball well,
04:10I mean, it's difficult for me to say, because I don't watch her every, every match that she, she plays, but against me, she, she plays really well.
04:20Alina, well played, you mentioned that you've had a great clay court season, and you've won a ton of matches, been really consistent,
04:29I'm curious, how, how much closer do you feel to, you know, your goal of being in the top 10, and also just competing for the biggest titles in general,
04:37which I'm sure is what you want to do, right?
04:39I feel pretty close, well, in numbers as well, I mean, I'm not that far, game-wise as well, I feel like that I, I was able to, to play well, and consistent, to be in top 10,
04:57you have to, to be consistent, week in, week out, of course, sometimes there, there are tough moments, tough matches that you, that you face,
05:06but that's how you, how quick you, you can come back and regain your good form.
05:11So I feel I'm winning a lot of matches, I feel I, I play well against top players, I'm not that, that far, but I still need to, to work on few things to, to hold this level,
05:25and, yeah, just try to, to find, you know, this, this extra, something, you know, to, to try to, to get over, you know, the quarter-final, to be in semi-final,
05:42and to be, you know, in the finals, it's, of course, you know, you have to perfect your, your game.
05:48It's difficult to say, they are both top players, they are both, you know, been playing really well at this tournament,
06:08and, uh, um, they played, uh, many matches, uh, before, in the past, and I think it was, like, um, some, some of them, uh, went, uh, Svantec way,
06:21some of them went Sabalenka way, so, yeah, it's difficult to say, I feel like it's 50-50, but, you know, Iga, she, uh, won here, um, multiple times,
06:32I feel like she's, she's back in a good form, so, yeah, it's, um, I feel like, you know, she, she is the, um, she is the one who has, uh, you know, um, the, uh, advantage, you know, on this court,
06:49because of so, so many matches, like, she, she won on, on that court, she has a great, uh, confidence, uh, there.
06:57Elena, you just touched on top 10 aspects, um, is that the end goal for you, is that the one thing that you really want to achieve,
07:08because you're very, very close at 13 now, um, so, or is there more than, than getting back into the top 10?
07:17Uh, of course, this is not my end goal, um, the ultimate goal is to, is to win a Grand Slam, to, you know, to, to be at the, the top of, um,
07:27WTA ranking, um, but, you know, I, I try to, to take it, uh, uh, step by step, try to take my time, um,
07:38and, um, it's, it's important for me to, you know, to just, uh, sometimes, um, sit and realize how much, um, I've done, how much work I've done,
07:52and, you know, coming back from pregnancy is, is, it's not an easy task already, so, um, sometimes I just want to, to sit, to relax, to, you know,
08:03to tap myself on the shoulder and say, okay, you are, you are on a good path, you are doing well, um, there's not so many people who've done that before,
08:12and you are on, uh, you know, you are on the, on the good path, so just continue working and continue doing your thing, and good things are, are coming your way.
08:20And I feel, I feel, um, that I have a good chance to, to play good tennis, to challenge the top players for, for the titles and some tough matches.
08:31Uh, I have this belief and I want to continue working, otherwise I wouldn't be here playing and competing, I will be just sitting home and, uh, you know, enjoying my retirement.
08:44Elina, um, I want to follow the, the subject of returning to tennis, because you changed, it seems like you changed your approach in, on the court.
08:53You know, you're much more attacking, and you're very brave with your shots, and I wonder, like, what changed for you, and how women's tennis has changed,
09:01and did it force you to be more attacking than, than it used to be?
09:04Because it seems like, you play now the tennis of your life, but still the ranking is not, like, where it was.
09:10So maybe talk about the field, and why did you, maybe, or if you, change your approach?
09:15I feel definitely tennis, uh, improved a lot, uh, power-wise.
09:21Um, I feel that, and also, not only power-wise, but also, um, people now are taking more risk.
09:30As before, it was, you know, more like a chess game, you know, all about, you know, trying to, trying to, to build the, the point.
09:38Now, the points are shorter, and, uh, quicker, uh, serves are bigger, um, and you have to really find quick, the way to, to find the opening, uh,
09:51in, in, in the rally, in the game. Um, I feel, yeah, you need to, to be more, need to take more risk.
09:58Um, so yeah, therefore, after, um, after I, um, came back, after pregnancy, for me, it was important to, um, to find, you know, this extra power in me, um, and, um, yeah, try to, to build, uh, to build my game around that.
10:18I feel my surface is, is improved a lot, uh, also the speed, um, and, uh, yeah, that's, I tried to focus on these little things that, uh, um, that, uh, can, uh, that can help me to, you know, to, to be back, uh, in top 10.
10:35Yeah, thanks. Well, actually, two, two more questions. Uh, you just talked about, uh, coming back. Uh, I was wondering, uh, would you like to play older than Gael?
10:44He's already 38. Uh, will you try to beat him and to outlast him on, uh, that regard? And the second question, back to the match you played today, uh, was there a time in the second set where you believed you could pull off the same comeback you did against Jasmin?
10:56Yeah, regarding your first question, um, no, I wouldn't want to play that, that long because obviously, uh, I want to, to have more kids, you know, I want to, um, yeah, just have a happy retirement and not, um, play, you know, that, that much.
11:18Because for me, uh, I've been on the tour for so many years and, uh, um, it's, um, sometimes can be difficult, uh, can be lonely and, you know, sometimes can have, uh, tough moments.
11:32Um, and I have so much else, so much things outside of tennis. So for me, I'm, I would be fine, you know, to, to stop, uh, earlier than, than Gael, Gael's age now.
11:46Um, um, and regarding the second question, um, I mean, I didn't really think about the, the comeback. I tried to focus on, on my game, um, point by point.
12:01Of course, uh, I had the belief that I could take the second set because it was close, you know, uh, five all.
12:08Um, but, uh, yeah, I mean, it's, um, it's a tricky one when you're playing Iga.
12:15Of course, she's not giving you three points. You need to really work hard to, to get them.