00:02Welcome back to Roland Garros, how has your preparation been obviously coming here with
00:07the Rome title, does that change anything, any more energy?
00:11Well definitely lots of great things happening and special ones as well, I mean firstly coming
00:21off winning in Rome, a very special feeling for me to be here in a good form and of course
00:31you know, Gael lost Roland Garros as well so for me it's just a special one and I try
00:38to enjoy it as much as possible with all the buzz that is going on.
00:44Elena, on that Rome run where you beat three of the top four seeds, all Grand Slam champions,
00:50when people now talk about you as one of the genuine favourites for the title here, what's
00:55your reaction to that?
00:59Well it's, I think I've been living with that for quite a few years now and for me it's all
01:04about just trying to focus on my game, on my performance, not to go too far with the thoughts
01:13about if I can win the title or not, there's still like lots of matches to win to get that
01:18title and you need to be fit, you need to be mentally ready and there's, I mean, still
01:26lots of work ahead.
01:28So for me it's just important to focus on the first round, one match at a time and be ready
01:34for anything that comes my way.
01:37Is it difficult focusing like that specifically here, specifically with Gael's last tournament
01:43here and I mean you have a lot going on around this specific edition of Roland Garros, does
01:48it add any pressure or it's the same for you?
01:51No, it's the same for me.
01:53It's not adding any pressure.
01:54I think it's of course a bit more things going on and of course I feel like he's also excited
02:04and nervous and, you know, just lots of feelings that he's feeling, but it's more about him,
02:13you know, in a way and not about me performing well here because, yeah, it's just, my mind
02:20is one thing and his is different so I just want him to play well here, I want to enjoy
02:25with
02:25him, you know, this last Roland Garros journey and, yeah, just be there for him.
02:34Hi Alina.
02:35I just wanted to ask you about the really great match you played against Iga in Rome.
02:40She's talked a lot about how she's kind of figuring out her game right now.
02:43I wonder what stood out to you in that match that either worked well that you were able
02:48to kind of attack from her or if anything seemed different or surprised you, anything like
02:52that?
02:53Well, we always played some tough matches, tough sets, even sometimes when she beat me
03:00into sets, but we've been two really competitive ones, so I was expecting really a tough, high
03:10intensity battle.
03:11We practiced also earlier in a tournament together, so I knew kind of what to expect and she as
03:19well.
03:20I didn't notice too much, I mean, she's always bringing lots of intensity, lots of, you know,
03:30just dominance on the court and especially on the clay.
03:34So I was trying just to be there ready and find, you know, the small opportunities, you
03:40know, to, if it's on the return or on the serve, just to try to take the initiative back.
03:46But I don't think it's something necessary that against her, but against her you need to,
03:52I mean, you don't have many opportunities as for other top players.
03:57You need to use them.
03:58as soon as you get them, you need to be ready to take this.
04:02Good morning, Elina.
04:04It's the third time that you came here in Paris with a win in Rome, but with the three matches
04:13that you won against Iga, Koko and Elena, have you felt more confident now or before in a win
04:24in Roland-Garros this year?
04:26I think now more, but I think it's still early to say because, I mean, I need to start a
04:31tournament
04:31well, but now I'm more calm, I would say.
04:35Because at that time, eight years ago, it was more of like, okay, now I need to win.
04:43I need to win Roland-Garros, you know, is like my kind of the goal.
04:48Now I'm more calm about it.
04:50Of course, you know, I feel like I am in a good form, but for me, it's all about trying
04:56to enjoy this journey and not put too much pressure on myself and not just think too much
05:04about what can happen.
05:06It's just all about, you know, preparation, mental preparation and physical preparation.
05:12Now, you know, it's for me, it's always been saying that, you know, physicality and really
05:18being mentally fresh is the goals because when I'm ready to fight, when I'm ready to be physically
05:23strong on the court, I can play good tennis.
05:26So this is the goal for me and then we'll see what happens.
05:34You mentioned that calmness there.
05:36What has changed then over the years?
05:38Is it just the stage of life you're at that you feel more calm now?
05:42I think now I'm just more fine with the way that, you know, my career is, it is how it
05:52is.
05:52And, uh, it's, uh, okay, you know, if, uh, I don't win a slam, it's also fine in a way,
06:00because, uh, if you're not okay with that, I think you can just eat yourself from inside
06:06and all the time not happy about what you do on the court.
06:10I think my career, uh, even if I finish tomorrow is, is okay.
06:16And, uh, um, if something happens, um, I will be fine with that and I'll be still a happy
06:23person and, uh, will live my life, uh, good if, um, yeah, if I don't win a slam.
06:30So I, I just want to have this mentality now because I think when you're younger, you, of
06:35course you want to win slam.
06:36This is the goal number one and, and you are so upset and can really damage yourself mentally
06:44if you, if you don't, uh, if you'd not succeed.
06:47So I think for me, I just want, you know, I'm still, I still believe that I can win, um,
06:54a grand slam, but, um, I'm also fine if it's not going to happen or if it's not in the
06:59cards for me.
07:01Elena, um, going back to the Rome run, you defended so many break points specifically
07:06in those last three matches.
07:08I wonder if you approach those points differently mentally or tactically each,
07:13I mean, when you face such a pressure moment in a match because you won so many of them.
07:19I don't approach it differently, but, um, I think with, uh, with the way that I've been
07:26good with refocusing myself in tough situations, been great.
07:30And I always try to work on, uh, this mental strength and it happened in Rome.
07:36I'm very happy that it happened actually at the moments where I needed the most against the top
07:41players, because I mean, this is the ultimate goal to be ready to, to, to make it happen.
07:47And then the big matches, uh, of course, you know, it's, uh, maybe easier in a way to do it
07:54when you are play, playing like a lower ranked player or, uh, earlier rounds because you're more,
08:00more relaxed and, you know, still trying to find a way.
08:03But when it's like, what the final semi-final final it's, that's where it matters the most.
08:08And that's where you have to bring your, your best.
08:10And I'm very happy the way I could handle myself in a tough and, uh, really, um, the right,
08:19the right way.
08:20And yeah, just, uh, just really, uh, pleased with that.
08:24Hi, Lina.
08:26Um, you have already said you had a great career and also a quite long one already.
08:30Uh, I wonder, uh, um, do you think, uh, the perception of women's tennis over the course
08:36of these years has changed in a good way?
08:38And do, do women in tennis, uh, finally get the respect they deserve?
08:43I think it got better with, um, with years, um, and also the, the level of women's tennis
08:52really raised for the past, uh, years.
08:54And, um, I think also with, you can see it with, uh, sponsorships, with, uh, different
09:01kind of, uh, events that, uh, now, um, women participating, the views, uh, for the TV as well.
09:10So I think, uh, now it's at their top, um, because if, when I started, I think it was,
09:17yeah, still like working, still building, um, building in a way.
09:22And now it's, yeah, it's been great, I think, for women's tennis and, uh, yeah, just, uh,
09:28I think it's nice to see that evolving.
09:36Hi, Lina.
09:36Uh, you were, uh, in the stands for, uh, Stan in Geneva.
09:41Can you explain, uh, what do you think about him?
09:43And, uh, if you see him maybe sometime off the court with Gael, uh, in Switzerland?
09:50Uh, yes, uh, yes, Gael is very close with him.
09:53So, of course, I, um, I was happy to join, uh, to join Gael for, uh, Stan's match.
10:01It was great to see him win, uh, his match there one more time in Geneva and his, uh, home
10:07country.
10:08So it's, um, I mean, he's such a big inspiration.
10:11I think he's done, you know, still competing at 41, I think.
10:15So it's, um, yeah, great, uh, to, to see him.
10:20His amazing career as well, you know, in that generation with, uh, um, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic,
10:27Amar, you know, winning, uh, slams, um, you know, being, uh, a big competitor for, um, for them.
10:35So, yeah, it's, um, just, just great to, to still have him, uh, for the last year
10:40and really enjoy his, uh, backends down the line.
10:45Thank you.
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