00:03Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:30Hey Alex, we saw that Zeynep and Ivalice and even Jovic, who you obviously play next, celebrated to you on
00:39court.
00:40Can you tell me a little bit about the connection between you young players and also what it's like to
00:46be facing one of them in the first round already?
00:49Yeah, they were so sweet. They were sweet enough to come to me with a cake this morning.
00:56And yeah, each and every one of them are such dear friends of mine.
01:01And I think, you know, I don't know how I would survive the tour without these friendships because it's not
01:09just, you know, my friends from tennis.
01:11They're really my friends, you know, in life, I would say.
01:15And yeah, it's very normal that at times we play each other, we play so many tournaments.
01:26But, you know, we're professionals. At the end of the day, we know how to handle it and we know
01:30how to keep it separate.
01:33So, yeah, there's nothing special that you need to do in terms of the relationship.
01:39You don't need to change anything about it.
01:41Okay, Matt.
01:43Happy birthday.
01:44Thank you.
01:45It's my wife's birthday, too.
01:46Oh, happy birthday to your wife.
01:48These cool women are born this day.
01:53Obviously, you get the enthusiastic crowds.
01:56I'm wondering how that affects your emotions and if ever you have sort of trouble keeping your emotions in check
02:03when you're riding the waves of all the excitement in these buildings.
02:09Because sometimes, you know, players with their emotions, when they go really high, they can also go really low, too.
02:16And I'm wondering if that's been a challenge for you in any way, especially during this past year when you've
02:22had the privilege of experiencing such excitement.
02:26Yes.
02:27I think the challenges that come with tennis in terms of keeping your emotions in check are not solely based
02:37on the crowd.
02:38And, you know, there's so many things in tennis that can make you tense, that can make you excited, that
02:44can make you disappointed during the match that does not involve external factors, does not involve things that are outside
02:52of the court.
02:53So, in the end, with or without the crowd, I think being able to harness your emotions in a positive
03:01way that will benefit you and to keep them in check is a really great skill for every athlete to
03:07have.
03:07I think personally that I've been doing it quite well.
03:10Of course, there are certain moments that are more difficult than others, but in general, I think I've been handling
03:17it well.
03:18Okay.
03:19Okay.
03:19Okay.
03:21Thanks.
03:22Happy birthday from my side.
03:23Thank you.
03:24Of course.
03:24At the Australian Open and other tournaments, there were extremely incredible many fans coming to your matches from your home
03:32country.
03:33I wonder, how big is the hype in your home country?
03:36How famous are you there?
03:38And do you expect here, which is a bit further from the Philippines, to come many fans as well?
03:47That's a very good question.
03:50I think I don't, I don't really know how to answer that.
03:55I do get a lot of love.
03:56I get a lot of support from my home country, which I'm so, so proud of and I'm so, so
04:02grateful for.
04:04But I mean, it's very, it's a very difficult question to answer.
04:07I think it's very relative, not to, depends who you ask.
04:13But yeah, super grateful for all the support.
04:16Yeah.
04:18Hi, Alex.
04:18Hi.
04:19Alex, you had quite a full clay season, almost playing every week.
04:24Just wondering how, how do you, and it's the first time that you've kind of played all these in a
04:28row on clay.
04:28I'm just wondering, how prepared do you feel for this tournament?
04:31Do you feel differently compared to the past on the surface?
04:34And, and in general, are you drained at all from playing all those weeks or how are you feeling in
04:38that time?
04:39Well, I definitely feel more prepared than last year.
04:43I think I have improved a lot on the surface.
04:47Of course, I have such a long way to go, but I think I've improved a lot in the past
04:51year as a player.
04:53And it's, it's really helped me manage the challenge, the challenges that come with the surface for me.
04:59Um, I think I'm super excited for this week.
05:04I don't, I don't, I mean, we do the preparation, obviously, to arrive to the Grand Slams as well.
05:10So, um, I'm feeling good.
05:12I'm happy.
05:14And, you know, nothing on the line, nothing to lose.
05:16So, so I'm really excited.
05:18Yeah.
05:19Yeah.
05:20Just back to that question, you mentioned some challenging moments with your emotions.
05:24What have those moments been and what are your techniques for dealing with it?
05:29Um, of course, the obvious answer would be losses, bad losses, or, um, days where you're not feeling the ball
05:38well.
05:39And, uh, I don't think there's like a specific thing I do to get myself out of that trance.
05:45Maybe I talk a lot with my coaches.
05:47I talk a lot with my parents and, and tell them how I feel.
05:50I think it's always a good thing if you have somebody you can, you can consult or you can, you
05:56know, just share whatever with.
05:58And, and for me, that's my team and my family, um, and my friends here on tour, you know?
06:03Um, but yeah, I think that with even, okay, I am very early in my career on the WTA, but
06:13I feel like I've experienced already so many of those moments, you know, because you start competing or you start,
06:19I started tennis when I was four.
06:22So just being put in that position again and again, again, you just figure out the way, like all of
06:27the players here, you just figure out the way to get out of it.
06:30And, and sometimes it's not something you can explain or it's not something you can teach.
06:35It's just something that we have.
06:37And that's why we're here.
06:40Hi, Alex.
06:40I'm curious because you had such a big Cinderella run last year in Miami and got, you know, a huge
06:45jump in the rankings there and a lot of ranking points.
06:47And now, you know, more than a year later, those points have fallen off.
06:50And maybe I'm curious for you if that's at all like a relief, like sort of, if you have this
06:54big, first time having this big amount of points and big amount of ranking jump, now that you sort of
06:58survived a full cycle past that, and you're still a top 50 player and, you know, the world hasn't ended,
07:03uh, if it's at all relaxing to sort of feel, I don't know, like you're more, more even, you know
07:08what I mean?
07:08I wouldn't use relief as the word, uh, I'm, I'm very proud because, uh, so if we talk about Miami
07:16specifically, I was started 140 and then after that I was around like 75, something like that.
07:22And, um, not only did I maintain that ranking after Miami this year, I was like 40 or something, which
07:28is, which is really good.
07:30And, and, um, of course I'm always hungry.
07:33I'm always wanting to improve, but I'm, I'm really proud of that.
07:36I think that's something I should take pride in.
07:39Um, and we did put a lot of work into that.
07:44Um, but yeah, I think I've, I've done a lot of good things even, you know, at the start of
07:49the year.
07:50So it's, I don't feel like any point in time is, is so much pressure, you know, not even when
07:57I arrived to Miami.
07:59So yeah, I hope that answers your question.
08:02Um, Alex, when Iga prepared for the clay season at the Academy,
08:06I think I saw a photo of you together, but I was wondering, did you hit with her at all?
08:10Or did you get to watch her practice?
08:11Unfortunately, no, I did.
08:13I think I did see her practice from afar and I did watch a couple of points, but I had
08:19already finished practicing that day and I was leaving the next day for another tournament.
08:22So I wasn't able to, you know, time that, that, um, that interaction, but I would have loved to, to
08:32hit with her while she was there.
08:33But I think she had a great time.
08:34Just on that, because obviously with, on the men's side, Rafa was this clay, like, I don't even know how
08:42to explain it.
08:43And then Iga is the same as well.
08:45To get better on the surface, do you watch videos of players like that at all?
08:49Or even with Rafa, is there anything specific on clay that he's told you that you think has really helped
08:54you?
08:55Um, yes, definitely.
08:57There are so many things that you can take away from, um, from both of those players.
09:02And it's, you know, you, you have to pick and choose.
09:08You really have to pick and choose what you're going to take from them because it's, I mean, you see
09:12me and you see Rafa, he's just like a machine.
09:15You know, you can't be, I, I personally can't be like there and running here, running there, hit a winner
09:20like this.
09:21Um, but there are definitely certain things that I've seen in their games that I can implement more in mine.
09:29Yeah.
09:30All right.
09:30Thank you very much.
09:31So, there's, um, yeah, you just, um.
09:35Hi, Alex.
09:36Yeah, magaling, maliagayang, uh, carawan.
09:38Thank you.
09:39So, uh, question ko lang sa'yo.
09:40Very light lang to, so ayoko, medyo, ano.
09:42So, um, so parang nasasanay ka na na yung birthday mo, sineselebrate mo during Roland Garo season.
09:49So, minsan ba napapaisip ka na, uh, namimiss ko yung birthday, yung celebration doon, yung culture, yung pagkain, yung kasama
09:56yung family.
09:57Saan, sa Pilipinas?
09:58Oo, yung parang birthday celebration mo, na dati nandun, tapos ngayon nandito ka.
10:03Alam mo, naka ilang, ilang taon na ako nagsiselebrate ng birthday dito, eh.
10:08So, medyo nasanay na ako.
10:09And, sobrang swerte ko na makaranas ko yung birthday ko dito sa Paris, syempre, tsaka sa Roland Garros mismo.
10:16Um, and, good sign yun, na kapag nandito ako, ibig sabihin, naglaro ako ng Grand Slam.
10:23Kaya, um, nagpapasalamat lang ako sa Diyos.
10:27And, syempre, namimiss ko yung pamilya sa Pilipinas, pero alam ko din na trabaho ko to.
10:33Kaya, um, masaya pa din.
10:35Okay, last.
10:36Um, mas visible ka ngayon sa social media.
10:39Tapos, lahat ng post mo, very, talaga nag-trending siya.
10:44And, uh, nakikita ka na rin namin ngayon sa mga magazine, nagpo-post.
10:49So, alin yung mas nakaka-pressure?
10:51Yung nandun ka sa court, or yung nagpo-post ka for, ano?
10:55Siyempre, yung nandun sa court, eh, malayo, malayo.
10:59Um, yung trabaho ko talaga maging tenista, di ba?
11:03Kaya, um, additional na lang yan yung mga sa magazine, yung social media, yung lahat ng ganon.
11:11Siyempre, um, napakaswerte ko na makaranas ng ganong mga opportunities.
11:17Um, pero ito talaga yung pinapangarap ko, yung maglaro sa Grand Slam,
11:21maging tennis player na professional.
11:25Um, kaya dito talaga yung focus ko.
11:28Um, kaya dito talaga yung focus ko.
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