00:03Magnificent match, I already know how you're feeling, so I'm not going to ask you your thoughts on that.
00:08So if you would, for this historic press conference, turn your attention to the young lady in the first row,
00:13Emery from the U.S. Open Lemonade Stand, who will have question number one.
00:17Everybody pay attention.
00:20Go ahead, Emery.
00:21Hi, Elena, congratulations.
00:22How does it feel to win the U.S. Open?
00:24It feels amazing, it's still so difficult to process what happened, too many achievements these few weeks.
00:34I'm super happy, very proud of all the work.
00:40Yeah, it's just amazing, difficult to find words, but super happy.
00:45Okay, thank you, Emery.
00:46Thank you, Elena.
00:48One question each, big room.
00:50I'll try to get to as many people as possible.
00:55Elena, congratulations.
00:58Things were cruising, and then all of a sudden, it seemed like Sabalega had set point.
01:02She went to second set.
01:02How did you, between sets, what did you do or think to kind of reset and put yourself in a
01:07position where you could dominate the third set the way that you did?
01:09I feel like the match was so close, and even first set, I got early break, and then it was
01:17kind of a little bit easier to step in, to be aggressive.
01:23And then in the second, we were going both, like each game, we were taking our serve, and I feel
01:32like she just played in these important moments, more aggressive, and she just went for the shots.
01:40I had some little opportunities, made a couple mistakes, but then in the third set, I told myself that I
01:48can still do it.
01:50I need to focus on my serve and just risk a little bit more when I have the chance.
01:56Brian.
01:59Congratulations.
02:00Now that you don't have to worry about it anymore, would it have been a little strange feeling at all
02:06to wake up on Monday and be number one if you had not won this match?
02:10What does it mean to you to have done both?
02:13Well, it's going to be very different to wake up next morning knowing that you won't just use open, achieved
02:21a number one ranking, and it's kind of a relief, you know, because you do all the routines for the
02:29past two, three weeks.
02:30It's a lot of work, a lot of nerves also, so yeah, I feel that it's going to be amazing
02:37to wake up knowing that you achieved such big things.
02:41Thanks, Matt.
02:43Elena, well done.
02:45If you go back a year, you weren't doing so well, and then you've been on this incredible run to
02:54sort of rise up the rankings, win the tour finals, win the Australian Open, become number one, now win the
03:00U.S. Open.
03:01Was there something that happened a year ago that sort of changed you and launched you on this journey that
03:10you can think about, any changes you made, or did you think it was possible?
03:17Yeah, of course, I always believe that it's possible.
03:20We've been having great results, and of course, not every year is the same.
03:25I won Wimbledon in 2022.
03:28Then I wasn't winning the slams, but I played final of the Australian Open the year, next year.
03:36And I think we were always there, and of course, on your path, you learn a lot, a lot of
03:45things happening.
03:45And I feel like now I have a great team, great people around me, and we just continue the work,
03:54and it finally paid off.
03:56And I'm super happy, very proud, and it's never easy.
04:02Even now, I finish here, I rest, I celebrate, and then still the tournaments are coming up.
04:11You still need to play, you still need to compete with the same players, and you still need to do
04:15your best.
04:16So, yeah, it's an amazing journey, and hopefully I can continue and stay at the top as long as possible.
04:27Congratulations, Leonard.
04:28In the first set, you were missing a lot of first serves, but you were still dominating.
04:32I'm wondering how you felt about that, and just what you were able to do to sort of keep rolling.
04:36I think you were serving only at like 28% in the first set, which is very low, but still
04:40you won the set.
04:42So how were you feeling about your game?
04:44Yeah, I was thinking about this, and that I need to really improve the first serve percentage.
04:51It was not going, but then I was still trying to pick a spot and at least go a little
04:57bit more with the second serve.
04:59And a few double falls here and there, but I kind of had a plan in my head, and I
05:06was just sticking to it.
05:08And, yeah, I feel like after, in the important moments, my serve got better, and it helped me a lot.
05:16Well, Elena, how would you describe the rivalry you have now with Arena, and what do you see in the
05:24future for it?
05:27Well, I don't know what the future will bring, but it's always very difficult matches against Arena,
05:38and I feel like we push each other to be better after such tough battles.
05:47And, yeah, I feel like not only with her, but also other players, top players,
05:55and you always want to try something new to change in your game to be better.
06:02And I don't know what the future is going to bring, but I hope success and some more wins.
06:13Elena, congratulations.
06:15Four years ago, after you won Wimbledon, you came here, played on court 12, and lost in the first round.
06:23And I know you were not too pleased about that placement of being on court 12.
06:28Actually, I was not saying anything. I was okay.
06:33Okay, my apologies.
06:35How has your love of New York grown from that moment after winning Wimbledon and being on the outer courts
06:43to, obviously, now?
06:45Yeah, well, I came here for some 10 years ago as a junior, and for me, it was already such
06:51an amazing place,
06:52and it was so loud, so different from other places.
06:56And honestly, after winning Wimbledon, a lot of things were happening that year also.
07:04And I feel like, especially here, no matter which court you play, it's always full.
07:12It's always amazing atmosphere.
07:13And for some reason, New York wasn't my best place for tennis for the past years, but definitely now it
07:22changed.
07:22And I hope that next time when I come, it's going to be again until the very end.
07:28Great.
07:30Elena, you were just saying about celebrating.
07:32How would you celebrate? Dance all night? Get drunk?
07:35What would you do?
07:36And was this the toughest of the three majors to win?
07:43I feel like they're all very difficult, but in different ways.
07:50And definitely I was nervous the same as other slums finals.
07:58And you don't sleep so well, you don't eat that well.
08:01And I feel like this tournament was just kind of more stressful because I was playing for number one, one
08:12of the matches.
08:13And then, of course, this injury, which happened the week before.
08:18So every day was kind of a challenge, but I felt like in these situations, I was more calm than
08:27when similar things were happening before.
08:32Celebrate?
08:33Celebrate.
08:34Well, with the friends, with the team, for sure.
08:38They've been helping out so much that I actually don't know what we're going to do yet, but I'm sure
08:43it's going to be a lot of fun.
08:45Chris?
08:46Elena, congrats.
08:47It was just 23 days ago that you retired from that match in Cincinnati with Iga with your injury.
08:52So I'm curious to know.
08:53You said yourself that you were shocked that you were able to be back and healthy.
08:57So when you took the week off without the racket, what was that time like?
09:01What did you do during that week?
09:02And how did you manage to get in good enough shape to win this title?
09:05Well, it wasn't the best time for sure because I was so upset and I didn't know actually how it's
09:12going to be day by day.
09:14We arrived to New York.
09:15We did MRI.
09:16It didn't look that great.
09:18We had to talk with a lot of doctors to get the opinion what we should do.
09:23I was lucky enough to have a very good doctor.
09:26She's in Australia.
09:27She was on the phone with us all the time.
09:30And somehow with the team, we made a plan and we were sticking to it every day, discussing what we
09:39can do.
09:39And, yeah, first seven days I was just going from my hotel room to the gym, three hours there, spending
09:46a lot of recovery, treatments, and, yeah, a couple dinners to also a little bit switch the mind.
09:56And we went first day, I think, when we arrived to the cinema.
10:00And, yeah, after that, I just continued to work, but unfortunately not on the court.
10:05We have time for two more, Akasaki and then the young man behind you.
10:09Oh, congratulations.
10:11In the last game of today's match, you made two double faults and two aces, and eventually you closed up
10:18the match with ace, which is very beautiful.
10:21But what causes, you know, this thing?
10:24Did you try to, you know, go for more on the server or you felt some pressure?
10:32I don't know.
10:33It's, of course, it was pressure.
10:36It was nerves.
10:37It was difficult to keep the focus.
10:40And I feel like in the first serve, I actually wasn't going that big.
10:46But then in the second, yeah, maybe I was just stopping the arm, but I think it was coming pure
10:54out of emotions.
10:55And, you know, that on the other side is a great player and she can go for her shots.
11:00And that I actually need to win it myself.
11:06And, yeah, I feel it was just a lot of pressure, nerves.
11:12Last question.
11:13Congratulations, Elena.
11:14Elena, you've gone to the world number one right now, won Australia in Wimbledon in the U.S. Open titles.
11:20So getting into 2027, is your focus going to be more on achieving that elusive career grand slam?
11:27And would that be your main priority, getting into 2027?
11:32Well, the main priority, as I was saying before, I'm not getting younger, is try to keep myself healthy
11:39and definitely choose the calendar correctly, the training process.
11:50And, of course, the goal is always the biggest tournaments you want to win, to win them.
11:56So the grand slams and, yeah, just try to find the balance, try to be stable.
12:05And, yeah, we will see what's going to happen.
12:09But definitely it's still a lot of work to do.
12:12And it's the job we've never done, to be honest.
12:16All right.
12:17Thank you very much.
12:18Congratulations.
12:19Thank you.
12:19Congratulations.
12:23It's from Kazakhstan.
12:24She's from Kazakhstan.
12:25Maybe last question.
12:26I'm the only Kazakhstan reporter from here.
12:31Do you do any native?
12:33No, no, no.
12:34In English, I will be asking in English.
12:36Maybe one question.
12:39Yeah.
12:39Should I do it with you?
12:39I only work from Kazakhstan, and I would like to congratulate you back here.
12:43If you're up here with one or two questions.
12:46Thank you so much, Joanna.
12:48Congratulations on this historic milestone.
12:50This means a lot for a lot of young people in Kazakhstan that follow you.
12:55What would be your message to Kazakhstani people that be watching you and rooting for you tonight?
13:01Well, the message is, I would say just a big thank you for all the support, for belief.
13:09And I'm not there yet.
13:12I'm planning to come.
13:13And I want to share these moments with all the people in Kazakhstan who supported, who watched, and especially kids.
13:23You know, I always say there are so many kids that are coming and just, yeah, coming to the tennis
13:29facilities.
13:31They all want to play tennis, which is, I think, a great thing.
13:34And, yeah, just celebrate such an achievement for the country all together.
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