00:00Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:33Hi there, Irene. Congratulations for your performance tonight.
00:38There was a real sense of occasion tonight, a big night session match, you and Naomi, and we all saw
00:46how well you both played.
00:49It's three and a half years since a women's match featured in the night session here.
00:53It was you against Sloane Stephens.
00:57To put it very directly, does it piss you off that it's taken 33 night sessions and three and a
01:03half years for you or any other woman to feature in the night session here?
01:08First of all, I'm really honoured that today's night session match was our match with Naomi.
01:15It was really enjoyable to play. It was great. Yeah, great emotions.
01:21It's not pissing me off, to be honest. Me personally, I really like to play early matches and have like
01:28kind of like day and a half off.
01:32But if you would ask me if I would like to play more often night sessions, I would say, of
01:38course, I would like to because I experienced really crazy atmosphere.
01:43It was really enjoyable. It was really cool to play.
01:45So if, if they would come back to me and ask, would you like to play in a session, I
01:51would say, yes, definitely, yes, the atmosphere was really cool.
01:55But at the same time, I have nothing against playing the first match or the second match, because then you
02:00have more time to rest and to recover.
02:09Do you think it's important for women's tennis to have some, at least some night matches, because it has been
02:16such a long time where it's just been a huge run of men's matches?
02:19Does it maybe, I don't know, say something negative about the women's game potentially?
02:27I think it's really important that they put our match today as a night session.
02:31I think that's the, the right move.
02:34And I think the atmosphere and the attention that this match brought going to show them that probably for the
02:41future, they should consider putting at least sometimes women matches at night.
02:47So I hope that this is the beginning to this match.
02:51It's like we open up that, the door for women's night sessions.
02:57I mean, when you're playing as well as you did tonight, how much are you kind of thinking?
03:03How much do you just get into a kind of flow state?
03:06I'm just trying to take it one step at a time.
03:10While playing?
03:12While playing?
03:13Yeah.
03:13Yeah, I'm just trying to focus on my game, on the game plan, on still improving my game during the
03:20off days.
03:21And I'm just trying to, you know, bring the fight every time and bring the best level I have every
03:27time I'm competing on that beautiful stadium.
03:30Yeah.
03:31Congratulations.
03:31Before this year, you had not played Naomi for a long time, like almost eight years, and now you've played
03:35her three times.
03:37Yeah, that's crazy.
03:37In like three months.
03:39What has it just been like to sort of get to play her a lot and sort of get to
03:42learn more about her as a player, maybe, I don't know, as a person too, just as you've been closer
03:46to her suddenly?
03:47Yeah.
03:47And just what have you learned about her as a presence?
03:51Yeah, I feel like this year I'm just getting to know her.
03:55She's definitely a fighter and a great player, and I'm super happy to see her kind of like back on,
04:04maybe not on her best tennis, but getting there.
04:06And after giving a birth, that's something unbelievable and inspiring.
04:12So I'm just happy to see her back and happy to play matches against her.
04:16It's always a battle.
04:17It's always challenging.
04:18So I'm just, yeah, enjoying our battles.
04:23One of the biggest surprises of this tournament is, I think, Maja Hvalińska.
04:30You can even play each other.
04:33Who?
04:34Maja Hvalińska.
04:35Oh, yeah, sorry.
04:36Yeah.
04:37Never mind.
04:38It doesn't matter.
04:39You can even play each other in the next, not next, but round after the next.
04:43Well, just taking one step at a time.
04:46You're looking really far.
04:48Yeah, yeah, of course.
04:49That's right.
04:49But what do you know about her?
04:51What do you think about her tennis?
04:53I've been watching a couple of her matches just later stages.
04:59And I saw her practicing by accident, like, a couple of days ago.
05:05I feel like her game suits, like, Clay suits her game really well.
05:11She's, from what I've seen, like, she's moving well.
05:14She's changing the rhythm a lot.
05:15She's kind of, like, one of those, like, really smart players and really great in defense.
05:22So, I feel like Clay really suits her game and definitely a fighter.
05:27I've seen her fighting, especially today, against a French player.
05:30It's not easy, never easy.
05:32And she played really great tennis.
05:34So, yeah, definitely future top player.
05:39Irina, congratulations tonight.
05:40When you get to these stages of a Grand Slam, how, and I assume people who haven't won a Grand
05:45Slam before maybe do start looking ahead or feeling a little bit tight.
05:49How much, when you get to this stage, do you lean on your experience and saying, like, no, I've been
05:55here before.
05:55I know what not to do.
05:56I know where my head needs to be.
05:58How big of a benefit is that for you?
06:00Yeah, I just remember whenever, when I won my first Grand Slam, all I was telling myself that if I
06:08will be able to bring my fight, if I'll be there, like, trying to do my best with what I
06:12have at the moment, I'll be, I'll have my opportunities.
06:16And that's basically was my mindset when I won the first Grand Slam.
06:21So, at these stages, every time, I'm just trying to focus on myself and making sure that when I'm there
06:27competing, I'm fighting and I'm doing everything I can with what I have at the moment.
06:32Because, you know, sometimes you have great days, sometimes you feel like nothing is working and you have to fight.
06:37So, that's my mindset is basically that I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get this beautiful trophy.
06:47Just on your next opponent, Diana Schneider and kind of what you make of her game and the challenge of
06:51playing her.
06:52Yeah, she's, she's a great player.
06:56Very, I'd say like tricky, tricky game, changing, changing the rhythm a lot and moving well, great serving.
07:05So, it's, it's, I'm super excited to face her for the first time and super excited for the fight.
07:13How do you find that?
07:15I love it, actually.
07:16I love the rhythm and surprisingly, actually.
07:21But, I always liked playing lefties.
07:25Just curious, I think you only played her, someone else, one time before.
07:28I'm curious how eager you are for a chance to play against Serena Williams now that she's coming back to
07:34the tour.
07:35I didn't get it.
07:35If she's back in singles or doubles?
07:38Doubles so far, but singles in the future seems likely.
07:41Yeah, I mean, that's fun.
07:42That's cool.
07:43She has a really cool personality.
07:45She's fun and she's a legend and it's, it's inspiring to see, you know, and I'm actually excited to see
07:51her play and probably face her.
07:53So, it's, it's very cool.
07:55It's very good news for tennis.
07:58Here, Ina, congrats.
07:59When, when the draw is, you know, going the way it is with all the shocks and upsets in both
08:03men and women's tournaments, is it scary for you?
08:07How do you stay calm in the face of, you know, trying to defend your ranking as world number one
08:11contender for the title?
08:13I think because I'm not really focusing on that and I'm not really overthinking, I was able to kind of
08:19like separate myself from what's going on this year at the Roland Garros.
08:25And, you know, I mean, I've been around and anything can happen.
08:29That's tennis, that's sport, you know, and I'm just trying once again, you know, to be focused on myself and,
08:36and make sure that when I'm there competing, I'm bringing my best level that I have.
08:42And I'm there, I'm fighting and I'm, you know, I'm doing everything I can to get this trophy.
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