00:04Emma, une performance a été en place.
00:06What were you most pleased about in your match?
00:09I came into today a little tired.
00:12It was a quick turnaround from last week.
00:16I think I'm running a little behind on sleep.
00:19But I think I knew today was going to be about perseverance.
00:23And that was kind of my word of the day.
00:26And I just wanted to persevere through any tough moments.
00:30And I think I did a pretty good job of that today.
00:37Hey, Emma, congratulations.
00:40Granted, the sample size is small, right, since you've come back.
00:43But you've won six straight.
00:47How far do you feel like you're off from maybe even your peak form
00:51like last year when you were top ten in the world?
00:53I mean, do you feel like you're getting close again?
00:56I think so.
00:57It's hard to say.
00:59But I feel good physically.
01:01I feel good mentally.
01:03And I think, you know, it's kind of a challenge of putting those two together
01:09in the best way you can.
01:10So I feel close.
01:12But definitely there's more work to be done.
01:15You know, you're coming off that big win.
01:18And you just mentioned, you know, trying to catch up on sleep, whatever.
01:23Was there any concern of a letdown, you know, coming off such a high of how you ended last week?
01:29Yeah, I think it's naturally just in the back of your mind, kind of.
01:33You don't want to have a big win and then go out first round of a grand slam.
01:38You enjoy playing.
01:40But I did it last year, not coming off a big win.
01:44But I lost first round last year.
01:45And, you know, life goes on.
01:47And you keep working and you come back stronger.
01:52So maybe if there's a silver lining to that match last year is that, you know,
01:57realizing the super scary worst case scenario is it's going to be okay.
02:04All right, Emma, great to see you back.
02:09I'm just wondering, do you think it should be normalized a little bit more
02:15because you're only human beings, tennis player.
02:18It's a tough job when you take some time, need some time for yourself
02:22to step back for a certain period of time.
02:25just that it's more like a normal process in this world.
02:31And secondly, how was the support during that time
02:33where you had to struggle, where you struggled a little bit with yourself?
02:37Yeah, I definitely think it should be normalized.
02:41The tour is, it's really tough and it's long and it's arduous
02:46and it takes it out of you.
02:47And, you know, I think fans of the sport,
02:50they see us on TV for an hour and a half, you know, every few days.
02:55And that's kind of all they see of a lot of things that we're doing on and off the court.
03:02So, yeah, there's a ton that goes into trying to be at the highest level of your sport.
03:09And it's kind of constant body and mind management.
03:14And that takes a toll for sure.
03:16So, yeah, I think it's important to normalize it and, yeah, take some time if you need.
03:27And how was the support from the tour, from fans, family, from colleagues?
03:32Jill Teichman had also some time off because of burnout.
03:36Was there any communication between you two?
03:39Yeah, no, I didn't talk to Jill,
03:42but I talked to some of the other players and I tried to take a step back from the tour
03:48and I didn't follow results or watch any tennis while I was not playing
03:53and just wanted to feel like a regular person, a non-tennis player first before a tennis player
04:00and spent a lot of time with my family and friends at home
04:04and kind of just, yeah, got to feel pretty regular.
04:07So, that was really nice.
04:10And, yeah, it's made me appreciate a lot of things coming back to the tour.
04:23Sort of brief for you to play a two-set match rather than the three-set grinds.
04:29What has been the sort of hardest thing about getting used to coming back
04:35after a rather extended absence
04:37and how much of a shock was it when in some of the recent tournaments you did go long
04:46and you were out on the court for a long time, especially with the heat these days?
04:51And it looks like it's going to extend for a little while.
04:55Do you feel like up to doing that at this point?
04:58Yeah, I do.
04:59I think the hardest thing about coming back was just the mental side of the sport.
05:04There's feelings and thoughts, I guess, that you can't replicate on the practice court.
05:11You know, you can only practice playing through those things in a real match environment.
05:17So, that was something I knew was going to be a challenge
05:20and it's something that I've worked through a lot in the last few tournaments I played.
05:27and I'll continue to work through.
05:29But, yeah, I'm feeling good and it's nice to get a two-set win.
05:33But, you know, if it would have gone three today, I would have, you know, felt prepared for the challenge.
05:38So, yeah, I'm feeling good.
05:39Maybe this, Matt, and then Ava.
05:42Next up, you have Ava again.
05:45How do you, you know, how do you, you know, it was a three-set match,
05:49but you kind of ran away within the third set last week.
05:53How do you guard against maybe the complacency of playing someone that you just played again?
05:58and, you know, how, you know, do you have to, do you think about, like,
06:01maybe changing tactics or strategy or anything going into this match?
06:07I'll talk to my coach tomorrow and kind of put together a specific plan.
06:12But, you know, I know Ava will be coming after me.
06:16I think it's honestly easier to play somebody you've lost to recently.
06:20You know, there's a bit less pressure.
06:23So, yeah, I'm kind of the one that's got to defend a win from last week.
06:27But I'll try to kind of prioritize the helpful thoughts
06:33and put the unhelpful ones to the back of my mind.
06:37But, yeah, I'm excited to play her again.
06:39She's obviously a really, really talented player
06:43and has got a great head on her shoulders.
06:44And I respect a lot of what she's doing.
06:47So, I think it will be a great challenge,
06:49kind of a bummer to play an American in the second round.
06:52But it is what it is.
06:54So, I'll be ready to go.
06:56Ava?
06:57Emma, you've just talked a lot about the mental work
06:59in addition to the physical work that you were kind of doing.
07:02When you were off the tour, I wonder, like, what that looked like for you?
07:06Was it something you realized right away that you were like,
07:09okay, well, I'm focusing on kind of my health and everything like that.
07:12I'm also going to need to, like, keep my head on my shoulders
07:14and kind of be preparing to come back for the tour, like, when I feel good for it.
07:18I just wonder how you, like, knew what you needed in that moment
07:22from a mental health perspective.
07:26I think you never really know what you need.
07:28You're kind of just guessing always.
07:31But I think the biggest thing for me while I was home,
07:34my top priority was just feeling as healthy as I could.
07:38And then secondly, just, you know, kind of fostering some different parts of my life
07:44that I'm not able to on the tour.
07:46So, you know, getting to see my family and my friends, like I said,
07:50and just kind of feeling like a regular person
07:53and getting to do things that I'm not able to do on the tour.
07:57So, yeah, those two things were kind of my main focus.
08:02Last one, please.
08:03Yeah.
08:04I just wonder, how do you handle pressure?
08:06Do you put yourself under pressure?
08:07What do you expect from yourself in this phase of your career?
08:13Yeah, I think pressure is something that I and all of us have felt
08:19from the time we were really young.
08:22You know, having people tell us we could be really good.
08:25It's, I guess, a familiar feeling.
08:29And it's kind of, that's one of the biggest challenges.
08:34You know, what can you do under pressure
08:37and how well can you manage your emotions
08:40and just manage your mind in those moments
08:44when you're really feeling the pressure.
08:46But it's something I actually really like to overcome and manage.
08:50It's part of the sport that I think takes a lot of thoughtfulness
08:55and, I guess, self-reflection.
08:59So, yeah, it's something I enjoy taking on.
09:02Chris, we were just about to wrap on this year.
09:05We'll do, I mean, it's up to you.
09:07I'd love to.
09:08I missed everything else.
09:10Okay.
09:11We can say it all again if you want.
09:13You can tell me if you want to talk about it.
09:15But over time, last few months, there have been struggles
09:21and challenges for you mentally and physically.
09:23And I just wonder, we all have seen what you are
09:27or what you can be at your peak,
09:28the type of tennis you play, the identity you have.
09:30And for you, is there a moment or are there moments sometimes
09:34where a player like yourself of your stature
09:37can forget that identity and has to kind of reconnect with it?
09:41And if so, how would you approach that challenge?
09:44Yeah, I think definitely.
09:47I think over these past few weeks,
09:49that's kind of been the journey I've been on.
09:53And, you know, I think I kind of surprised myself last week.
09:56Just, yeah, being able to have a result like that,
10:00I didn't feel like, you know, I'm a player that's able to beat
10:04top ten players when I came into the week.
10:06And I kind of just kept plugging and, you know, kept moving along
10:11and doing all the things that I feel like give me the best chance to win.
10:15And it ended up working out.
10:17So, yeah, I think, yeah, that's it.
10:21All right.
10:22I think that's it.
10:23So, yeah, I think that's it.
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