Garbine Muguruza
Q. Could you talk about what maybe you have a practice already, so how to you feel about the weather and the condition of the surface and everything at this tournament?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I had quite a lot of practices here already. Good, just trying to prepare as much as I can for this tournament, like every tournament. For now I feel good here. Their conditions are very different than in Dubai.
Yeah, I’m getting ready and trying to be healthy and good to start a tournament.
Q. Could you explain how different this condition is from Dubai?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I think the court is different. It’s not that fast. The weather also, I think here it is a little bit more cold.
Well, it’s not my first time here playing in this court, so, yeah, just having as much practices as possible to go to the first match already.
Q. You obviously had a fantastic year last year with what you did at Wimbledon, Wuhan, Beijing, WTA Finals. Is that going to be difficult do you think to match up to that this year, to do the same again?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: For sure. I think it was amazing year, an amazing end. I think the level was really high. Obviously to keep that all the time in every year is going to be hard, especially when you did it once, and next year you’re like, Hey, should I be doing this the same? It’s hard to know what’s going to happen.
Hopefully I can at least match it. If not, I think it will be kind of normal, you know, not reach that all the time. We’ll see. We’ll see.
Q. Just looking at last year, you must have been very pleased with the way you finished the year, because after Wimbledon you had one or two not-so-good tournaments, but you finished year very well.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, for sure. Very happy the way I end last year.
When you’re like you reach a very high point, there’s always a fall down kind of. So, yeah, I just think, well, my best year so far, so, yeah.
Q. Could you take about the possible opponent you’re going to play, either Shvedova or Hibino?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: With Shvedova, I know her obviously more. She’s been a lot of years on the tour. I think I played against her I think two or three times.
Hibino, I don’t think I know her. I’ve never seen her play. But I’m going to check a little bit today. I think they’re playing the first match. I don’t know. We’ll see.
I think every match I’m playing, especially the first round, are the more difficult matches.
Yeah, I’m not really looking who I’m playing. I just want to focus more on me to be ready and just face the challenge.
Q. You just said handling the pressure the success of last year is the kind of the path for you. Yesterday, Angelique Kerber, she said she won the right time, the Grand Slam right time in her career. Now she’s mature and she knows how to handle pressure and everything. You reached the final in Wimbledon when you were quite young. Do you feel like you reached the top level too fast or too quickly like that?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I don’t think there’s an age to reach the top. I think it’s great when you’re like playing good. But being young and also having success, it can be very good and it can be very bad.
We’ve seen some cases you’re young and you’re like, I’m playing good, I’m doing a lot of things. But it’s also hard because you’re not as mature, like Angelique Kerber said, like she can maybe handle more or she’s used to more.
It’s a very thin line there keeping that balance. Just with time, you can deal better with that.
Q. If there was one match in your career that you could go back and play again, play differently, which match would that be?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: That’s a good question.
Q. Would it be the Wimbledon final?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think everybody hoping that is going to be the answer, which I think is going to be the answer. Obviously, it’s a Grand Slam final and winning that match, it means a big difference. So obviously I’m going to say that one.
But I’m pretty happy the way I played that match. You don’t know how that first Grand Slam final is going to go.
Q. Is there anything you would have done differently?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think, I mean, you cannot be more calm and less nervous. That’s impossible. So I was pretty happy the way I played. Maybe just, I don’t know, be more calm, breathe more, but that’s impossible.
Roberta Vinci
Q. Which was better today, the victory or being in the top ten?
ROBERTA VINCI: Both. Both, yeah. I’m so happy finally I’m in the top ten. Also today was a tough match.
It’s always tough to play first round. So windy. The court is little bit strange. Sometimes it’s fast. Sometimes it’s slow. Completely different than Dubai the last week.
I’m so happy for both.
Q. Did you think maybe one year ago you could be in the top ten?
ROBERTA VINCI: No, no.
Q. Had you given up?
ROBERTA VINCI: One year ago, no, no, I didn’t expect this. Of course three or four years ago, I was 11, my ranking. I had a lot of chance to be top ten, but I never.
So, no, I didn’t expect. But I try hard, work hard, and now I’m pretty happy.
Q. What changed? Was it all because of the US Open?
ROBERTA VINCI: Nothing changed in my team. But of course after the US Open, my life is a little bit changed. I reach my first final at the US Open. Beat Serena. Then I play so good in China. Step by step.
I’m in confident. I’m good. That’s why probably I’m in the top ten right now.
Q. I want to ask you one question about your career. If there was one match that you could go back and play again, which match would it be?
ROBERTA VINCI: Maybe against Flavia at the US Open quarterfinals. I lost against her in maybe two sets. I was 12 or 11, I don’t remember. If I won that game I would be 9 in the world. So if I can change, yeah.
Q. What could you have done better in that match?
ROBERTA VINCI: I don’t remember. But I lost, that was the thing. I would like to change the result.
Q. But that match rather than the final last year?
ROBERTA VINCI: Well, of course if I also like to change the results of US Open. But in my career in the past was better.
