00:00Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:30...message to keep on working and keep on building.
00:38Unlucky today, it was a tricky draw, obviously, coming up against a good friend of yours.
00:42I wonder, what is it like to kind of navigate coming up against a good friend?
00:47And also, did anything surprise you about her game today that maybe you weren't expecting?
00:53That's a good question.
00:54I think, well, in regards to playing a friend, of course, Eva is such a good friend of mine.
01:02But I think the difficult part comes in, or the difficulty comes in just kind of knowing that not both
01:10of us are going to advance, you know.
01:11And, of course, as friends, you all want to kind of advance together.
01:17But in terms of being, actually competing against each other as competitors, I think we're very accustomed to it.
01:25And we're all professionals.
01:26So everything kind of just prepared in the same way that you would any other slam.
01:33And I think the difficulty with facing Eva comes from her being a great tennis player and her being a
01:42really good competitor instead of, you know, being my friend.
01:46Yeah.
01:50Still, congratulations on the level you brought and the way you fought back, especially in the first set.
01:55I was wondering, you said on a podcast with Andy Erotic that you felt that when you went to Europe,
02:01when you were 13, your technique was still a little bit wonky because of how you learned tennis.
02:09Do you feel like there's still, do you feel the difference between you and other players are still there in
02:15small things or has that?
02:18I think it's all in perspective, you know, so it's, it's been a long time since I moved to Spain
02:26or since that, that period of time that I was talking about in the, in the podcast.
02:32No, I, I'm top 40 now, you know, I've, I've done a lot of great things and, and the game
02:39at this level is so much more than just technique.
02:42So there's so, so many different factors that build into it, but that being said, I'm super proud of how
02:48far I've come.
02:50Um, and yeah, I'm, I'm confident in myself.
02:54I'm confident in, in how I play even through losses like this.
02:58And I think that's very important.
03:00So, uh, it's very difficult to achieve every single week.
03:03So I, I take that in my stride.
03:06Yeah.
03:10Hi Alex.
03:11I'm lucky today.
03:11Um, you mentioned that you'd want to build on this match.
03:14I wonder if you kind of assess your game and what you feel like you'll take from this and what
03:18you want to improve on, um, just based on, on this one today.
03:21Yeah, I think, um, there were definitely apparent differences, at least how I saw it.
03:27Of course, I have to process a little bit more and then maybe get into it in a deeper level
03:32with my team.
03:33But I think that there were a couple of things that Eva did better than me today.
03:38And that's why, of course, um, you know, I see the difference between players at her, of her level or
03:44maybe her ranking rather than, um, than my, how I would say general level.
03:52And I think that, um, I'm not saying that I can't get there and I'm not saying that I haven't
03:59put out that level yet.
04:01But I think I, I know what work needs to be done in order to make it more, kind of,
04:07more of my average.
04:09Yeah.
04:09And can I ask that, if I could ask a follow-up?
04:11Um, I feel like on the friendship thing, um, older generations of players would very commonly say, like, don't be
04:17friends with people who you're going to compete against.
04:19I wonder if, if anyone's, like, told that to you or warned against that.
04:22And if you, obviously, feel differently, but, like, see the, the other side of, like, no, I, I want, I'm
04:27very young.
04:28I want someone who's kind of along this ride with me.
04:30Yeah, I think, personally, I think friendships are really, really important.
04:36And especially at the age I'm at and, and, um, a lot of the younger girls on tour, maybe if
04:42we weren't professional tennis players,
04:44we would be in university or, or other, um, setups like that where in the environment is kind of already
04:51made for you,
04:52where it's so easy to make friends, kind of, it's just built in.
04:55You're just around people who are your age, who are just, you know, and we are under very unique circumstances.
05:01So having friends and, and just on a personal level for me, um, I really value friendships.
05:06Just as a person, it's nothing to do with kind of, like, with being a player.
05:12And I definitely went through a phase of, um, kind of not being friends with competitors.
05:20Uh, I would say mostly when I was young and I say young, young, like, like probably eight to through
05:27like 11, you know?
05:28So that was kind of like, no, you know?
05:32Um, and, and I think that was partly, of course, it was so long ago, you know, I was coached
05:39by my grandfather and everything.
05:40But I think it was also because you look at the, the players at the top and they're also not
05:48friends with, with other, other competitors.
05:51So I think what the beauty in our generation and now in the present is that us being at the
05:58top of the game, we have the power or we have enough impact to, to control the norm.
06:05So if we're able to show other people that you can compete fiercely and you can, you can compete with
06:12intent and, you know, with that fire while also being friends off the court, then, you know, that will have
06:19a great impact for the generations to come.
06:21I think, I think, yeah, I think you come from a very sporty family.
06:27Yeah.
06:27I'm just wondering what other sports you were good at when you were younger.
06:31And if you think that helped you in your tennis development?
06:35Yeah, I was never good at any other sport.
06:40I, I really, I suck at all other sports.
06:43It's like, sometimes, yeah, I tell my team, like, I don't know how I became an athlete because like football,
06:49no swimming.
06:50Oh my God.
06:50I had to swim like one thing back.
06:53It was bad.
06:54But, um, yeah, I don't know.
06:57I think I just put everything I had into tennis and, and yeah, it worked out.
07:03Yeah.
07:04Hi, Alex.
07:05From four, from four.
07:09I mean, there's this ongoing conversation regarding the prize money.
07:13Some players said players don't earn enough.
07:16What's your position?
07:17What do you think?
07:17Do you make any difference between the top players and the less privileged ones?
07:21Or would you support a boycott eventually?
07:24I, well, of course me, I have also gone through the different stages, no?
07:30And I think all of the players here in, in Roland Garros or in the Grand Slams have gone through
07:34the different stages of, you know, competing in the futures.
07:37And then competing in, and I think we all just want to leave tennis better than we found it.
07:43And I think that's why the top, the top 10 players are, are doing this.
07:47And, and I really appreciate and I admire that they're standing up for, for everyone.
07:54Basically, I think they, you know, being at the top of the game, they represent a lot, um, you know,
07:59they represent the players.
08:00So I appreciate that.
08:01And I think that, well, me personally, I think there's, for my view, I think there's so many factors that
08:07I don't know how Roland Garros is run.
08:11You know, I don't know the specifics and I don't know, um, the finances especially.
08:16But I do think I am on the player side and I will always be on the player side.
08:22I think we need to, um, we really need to appreciate the hard work that we go, go through.
08:29And I think I, I know the, the work that needs to be put in to get at this level.
08:35So I really appreciate what, what the top 10 are doing.
08:39Um, you had some great results on the grass last year and I'm wondering what are your plans in terms
08:46of where will you be preparing and, and which tournaments are you planning to, to, to go back to?
08:52Uh, that's a good question.
08:54I have doubles here.
08:55So right now that's kind of my full, my full, full, uh, focus.
09:00And then I think I will be going to different tournaments than I did last year, but I have not
09:07confirmed.
09:08So wait and see you guys.
09:11Yeah.
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