00:03All right, we'll go ahead and get started.
00:05Deanna, congratulations into your very first Grand Slam semifinal
00:08with a great win over the world number one.
00:10Can you just put into words just how happy you are
00:12to be in this position today?
00:15Yeah, well, for sure, super happy, you know.
00:19Overall, I feel like I'm still in the process
00:21of the emotions and everything, you know.
00:25So it was a tough match, and I'm just super happy
00:29and super proud of myself, the way I handled the emotions
00:32and the conditions today, and, yeah,
00:37just the fight that I put in and the work.
00:40Thank you so much, Ben.
00:42Deanna, congratulations.
00:44You were way down in the score in this match,
00:46obviously set in double breaks.
00:47So what gave you belief that you could still be in it,
00:52and then what were the sort of signs that you saw
00:53as the score started changing, that things were changing
00:57and your hope and belief and confidence were growing?
01:01Yeah, I feel like, you know, obviously I understand
01:05that I'm playing world number one arena,
01:07who is, like, super aggressive tennis player,
01:10and I was like, the conditioners are tough,
01:13and I wasn't, like, putting too much pressure on myself,
01:17and I feel like at 5-3, I was on opposite side
01:21from the coaches' boxes, I was playing against the wind,
01:25and then with arena, putting pressure.
01:27I was like, I got to think of something different
01:30because I was trying to go for, like, more variety,
01:32you know, trying to put more spin,
01:35like, the slices, so it didn't work.
01:37I was like, yeah, you know, like, 5-3, whatever,
01:40I have to change something up now.
01:43And I feel like I kind of, like, just had a relief
01:45where I was like, I got to go for my shots,
01:47I have to be more aggressive, I got to step in
01:49because she's pushing me too much back
01:52and just winning those short rallies,
01:55so I got to be more aggressive,
01:56I got to just do something different,
01:59and then I'm starting to step in more
02:01on her second serve, putting more pressure,
02:04being more aggressive,
02:06and then she got, like, just some couple
02:09unforced errors here and there,
02:11so, yeah, I saw that momentum a little bit
02:14shifting towards my side,
02:18and then I kind of believed more in myself,
02:21you know, just winning second set,
02:23I was like, yay, you know,
02:24she didn't lose the set here,
02:27so I was like, okay, I'm the first one,
02:28so that's great.
02:29And then in the third set,
02:31no, I was like, okay, I already did good,
02:34I won second set,
02:37so, yeah, just try to just keep my game
02:40same as in the end,
02:41just be more aggressive,
02:44go for a little easier shots,
02:46you know, but at the same time,
02:48if I would see an opportunity
02:49where I got to step in,
02:51I got to use it,
02:52but, like, be very focused
02:54because it was, again,
02:56super windy and tough.
02:59Huge congratulations,
03:01that was sensational,
03:01and sorry for jumping to another topic,
03:05but you will play tomorrow
03:06with Maja Chwalinska,
03:07our Polish sensational player,
03:09and I was thinking about your past
03:12and your one match,
03:13I guess, in 2022,
03:14you played with Maja,
03:15what do you remember from that time
03:17and what do you think about this player
03:18so different than others?
03:20Yeah, it's crazy,
03:21of course,
03:21of course,
03:22I remember playing her,
03:23I even remember,
03:24where was it,
03:25it was 60K in Istanbul,
03:27it was semifinal,
03:29she's a very tricky player,
03:31so I'm not surprised
03:32that she is,
03:33you know,
03:34good,
03:35sometimes it just,
03:36you know,
03:36takes time,
03:38but yeah,
03:38she's very tricky
03:39with drop shots and slices,
03:41obviously,
03:41she's a lefty,
03:43so it's going to be a big switch for me
03:45for tomorrow's match,
03:47happy for her,
03:49you know,
03:50yeah,
03:50I'm expecting a huge fight tomorrow,
03:52I feel like both of us
03:54is going to be
03:55living it all out tomorrow,
03:57with a huge opportunity
03:59in front of us,
04:00so I feel like it's going to be
04:02a great match.
04:04I just wondered how
04:05testing you found
04:06the conditions,
04:07obviously,
04:07you know,
04:08Irina struggled with them,
04:09and also how aware
04:10were you,
04:11obviously,
04:11of her struggles
04:12in last year's final
04:13with the wind,
04:14and whether you could
04:15exploit that?
04:16Yeah,
04:17I honestly,
04:17I was warming up
04:18with a closed roof,
04:20I didn't know
04:21that they're going to
04:22open it up,
04:22they were starting
04:23to open it,
04:24like right when I was
04:25finishing already
04:25my warm-up,
04:27I was a little bit surprised
04:29with that decision,
04:32but again,
04:34yeah,
04:34the conditions
04:35were very tough,
04:37was a lot of
04:37some dirty shots,
04:39very unpredictable,
04:41a lot of wind,
04:42a lot of sand,
04:45but I was just,
04:46you know,
04:46I feel like I was
04:47a little annoyed
04:48more in the first set,
04:49but I just,
04:49I just tried to like
04:50keep reminding myself
04:51that it's same conditions
04:52for both of us,
04:53like I gotta just
04:56admit it,
04:57that it's tough,
04:57and I just need to
05:00figure out
05:00what I have to do,
05:01like where the wind
05:02is going,
05:03what should I do
05:03from this side,
05:04what I should do
05:04from the opposite side,
05:07and of course,
05:08I knew the final,
05:10like last year,
05:11I watched it,
05:11I knew that it was
05:12also super windy,
05:15so of course,
05:16I had that thought
05:17in the back of my mind
05:18that she was struggling
05:19with a cocoa last year,
05:21and I was like,
05:22yeah,
05:22I gotta use this opportunity,
05:24like I need to just
05:26adjust and do my best.
05:28Yeah,
05:28last year,
05:29it wasn't just
05:29the wind last year,
05:31Sabalenka said herself
05:32she really struggled
05:33to keep her composure,
05:35and you said
05:35you managed to keep yours,
05:36and she said
05:37she's a very experienced
05:38player,
05:38she's number one
05:39in the world,
05:39she must do better
05:40at dealing with this.
05:42Did you sense
05:44from the other side
05:45that,
05:45you know,
05:46she was affected
05:47by nerves and composure?
05:49I mean,
05:50of course,
05:50I saw some moments
05:51of her frustration,
05:53and I mean,
05:56I know Rina
05:57that she's a very
05:58emotional person,
06:00kind of,
06:00I am too,
06:02but I feel like
06:03this tournament,
06:04what I'm doing
06:05pretty good
06:06is not letting
06:07like my negative
06:08emotions and thoughts
06:10to be in sort of way
06:13of me playing
06:14my best tennis.
06:16for sure,
06:17there was a lot
06:17of moments
06:18where I could be
06:19also super pissed
06:20at myself
06:21and super frustrated
06:22with everything
06:23that was happening,
06:26but again,
06:27I feel like
06:27when I saw her
06:29being emotional,
06:30I was like,
06:31yes,
06:32like,
06:32you're in the right
06:32direction,
06:33like,
06:33you gotta stay,
06:35you just focus
06:36on yourself,
06:37like,
06:38don't,
06:39don't focus too much
06:40on her,
06:41what she's talking
06:41to her team
06:42or whatever,
06:43what she's doing,
06:44just,
06:45I was just trying
06:46to just only think
06:47about myself,
06:48what I have to do
06:49and just go
06:50point by point.
06:53Well done,
06:54Diana.
06:54Did it affect you
06:55at all
06:56or how did it affect
06:57you that you were
06:57playing her
06:59on clay
07:00rather than
07:00on a hard court
07:01where she's had
07:02huge success?
07:03Did that sort of
07:03buoy you in any sense
07:06in the same way
07:07that maybe
07:09seeing the wind
07:10and the conditions
07:11she had last year
07:12and dealing with
07:12that again did?
07:13I mean,
07:14honestly,
07:15there was no clay
07:16left with the wind,
07:18like,
07:19not at all,
07:20so it was very,
07:22very hard to,
07:22like,
07:23slide and everything,
07:26I mean,
07:26for sure,
07:27we know
07:27Arena is a big
07:28hitter
07:29and is a
07:30hard court
07:30specialist,
07:33so I definitely,
07:35you know,
07:36knew that
07:37I could move
07:38better
07:38on clay courts,
07:41so I was just
07:42trying to use it
07:42as an advantage
07:43today.
07:45Hey,
07:45Diana,
07:45congrats.
07:46Two days ago,
07:47Arena was asked
07:48about playing
07:49a lefty and she
07:49said she loves
07:50playing a lefty,
07:51she loves the rhythm.
07:52I'm sure she didn't
07:53mean anything to
07:54reduct you,
07:55but I wonder if it's
07:56something that you
07:57knew or you think
07:58about,
07:58especially when you
07:59hit the four and
07:59down the line,
08:00which was your
08:01money shot today,
08:02it worked completely
08:02well with the wind
08:03and everything,
08:04so I wonder what
08:04goes through your
08:05mind through the
08:06shot.
08:07I didn't know
08:09that she said it
08:10again,
08:10I'm not watching
08:11any press conference
08:12of other players,
08:13I didn't know
08:13what she said,
08:14but for sure,
08:15some players
08:17like more to play
08:18against righty
08:19or like to play
08:20more against lefty,
08:21obviously depends
08:22on the player.
08:25I mean,
08:26I was just trying
08:27to go for my
08:28shots,
08:29you know,
08:29like I feel
08:30like I saw
08:31that she started
08:32to struggle a little
08:33bit with her
08:33forehand today,
08:35so if I saw
08:36an opportunity
08:36where I could go
08:37down the line,
08:38I love the shot,
08:39so I tried to go
08:40down the line,
08:42but again,
08:43she started to miss
08:44a little bit with
08:44the forehand
08:45and then she
08:45started to miss
08:46a little bit more
08:46with the backhand,
08:47so I just tried
08:49to be aggressive,
08:50not letting her
08:51to step in
08:53too much to go
08:54to the net,
08:54to come in,
08:55because she's doing
08:56so good coming
08:57to the net
08:58recently,
09:00so yeah,
09:01I feel like I just,
09:02you know,
09:02like was focusing
09:04more on myself
09:05and what I have
09:05to do to make
09:07her miss.
09:09Hi Diana,
09:10was it difficult
09:11for you at all,
09:12as you mentioned,
09:13Arena was going
09:14to her box
09:15and you could see
09:16that she was
09:16getting frustrated,
09:18was it difficult
09:19for you and how
09:19did you put that
09:21aside and just
09:22focus on yourself?
09:25No,
09:25not at all,
09:26it wasn't difficult,
09:27I mean,
09:29all of us
09:29has like our
09:31moments,
09:31you know,
09:32where we go to
09:32the team
09:33because we just
09:34need to let
09:35our steam off
09:36and they totally
09:37understand.
09:39It's no hard
09:40feelings,
09:40you know,
09:41there's nothing
09:41against the team,
09:42it's just we want
09:43to win so much,
09:44we want to show
09:45some good tennis,
09:46so sometimes it's
09:47just too many
09:48emotions and
09:49and yeah,
09:50I feel like I was
09:52so focused just on
09:53myself today that
09:54I was just trying
09:56to really focus
09:57on what I have
09:59to do and just
10:00go point,
10:01point,
10:01point,
10:01point because the
10:04condition was tough
10:05so I just got to
10:07keep it focused
10:09so much to
10:10help myself.
10:13This is your
10:13first time you've
10:15been this deep
10:15in a tournament
10:16of this size
10:16in singles but
10:17you have a lot
10:17of doubles experience
10:18going deep
10:19in these draws
10:19so I'm curious
10:20how much that
10:21helps you and
10:22then also how
10:22excited you might
10:23be to play your
10:24usual doubles
10:25partner potentially
10:25in a final.
10:28Well,
10:29there is,
10:29we got to win
10:30tomorrow so I'm
10:32not thinking too
10:33too much about it.
10:34Obviously we had
10:36with Mirror some
10:37deep runs here
10:39last year and
10:40then at
10:41Australian Open
10:41but for sure
10:42singles feel so
10:44much different
10:44from the doubles
10:45because for sure
10:47in doubles you
10:48kind of share
10:49your success
10:49together but
10:50here is just
10:51like only you,
10:53it's only your
10:53success with your
10:54team so it
10:56definitely kind of
10:57feels more special
10:58especially for the
10:59first time so
11:02yeah I'm very
11:03happy with what's
11:04happening.
11:06Yeah, this is also
11:07a question on Mira,
11:08I know she's talked
11:08about how much fun
11:09she has playing
11:09doubles with you and
11:10how well you get on,
11:11I just wonder if you
11:11could talk a bit
11:12about your relationship
11:13both when you play
11:14together and off the
11:15court.
11:16Yeah, we're very
11:18good on and off
11:19the court, I feel
11:21like even if we
11:23play each other in
11:24singles we're super
11:26good just you know
11:29like yes we have a
11:30good relationship off
11:31the court but if we
11:32are playing like both
11:34of us wants to win
11:35like there's nothing
11:38against it, we just
11:40want to win and then
11:41like the relationship
11:43off the court is off
11:43the court, I feel
11:45like it's more about
11:45being like respectful
11:46towards each other
11:47on the court and
11:48that's it.
11:49When you're playing
11:50doubles together you
11:50like to sort of have
11:51a laugh, make each
11:52other laugh?
11:53Yeah, of course, we're
11:56enjoying so much
11:57playing doubles
11:57together, I feel like
11:58it's very easy for us,
12:02we have kind of same
12:02mentality, we like to
12:06joke around to be a
12:07little like messy and
12:08childish at some point
12:11but yeah it's super
12:12nice, super natural so
12:14yeah looking forward to
12:15play some more doubles
12:16together.
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