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MUTUA MADRID OPEN


May 4, 2015


Garbine Muguruza


MADRID, SPAIN

S. KUZNETSOVA/G. Muguruza
6‑3, 5‑7, 7‑5


THE MODERATOR:  Questions in Spanish, please.

Q.  Tell us something about the match.  Can you give us your opinion of it?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  The singles or doubles?  Well, it's not been a really good match.  Both of us didn't play really good tennis.
But, well, it was a complicated match.  It's sad, because this tournament means a lot for me.  You always want to give your best.
But I had my opportunities and I didn't go for them.  It's Kuznetsova.  She's a good player.
You cannot do anything but now focus on the doubles, and next week I'll go to the next tournament.

Q.  There was a moment in the match where you were 6‑3, 4‑3 down with set point for Kuznetsova.  I talked about it with you, with your trainer.  Before in those matches you let them go, and now you have like a Plan B.  Even if you play bad, you're still there.  Do you think this match is on the right path?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  Yeah, well, before my mentality was a little bit more weak.  Maybe I let it go before I should, and that's what I'm doing right now.
I try not to give the matches‑‑ even though I'm down, I think that if I continue to keep doing what I'm doing I will have my opportunities.  We are all nervous when we're going to close match.  You have to count on that.
So I had my opportunities, and each match I demonstrated to myself that when I keep on going and don't let myself down, things work out.  Anything can happen.  Either I win or lose, but I have possibilities.

Q.  Yesterday you were talking about the consistency.  For younger players it's a little bit more difficult.  Do you think you were lacking a little bit of consistency?  The second set you were doing really well, but not in the third.
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  Well, I think it's a match that we started 3‑Love then 3‑All then two games on the other side, two games on our side.  It's been an up and down match.
Everyone has been going up and down like a rollercoaster.  In the third set you're more nervous, because that's the last set you're going to play.  She played really well.  In the third set she was playing pretty solid and she had some really good points.
That was the difference.  Small details made the difference in that match.

Q.  Let's talk about the positive things of the day.  Last year you made it far in the doubles.  Do you think this year you can win?  Do you want to do well in the doubles here in Spain?  Can you talk about the tournament?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  Well, I love to play the doubles, especially because with Carla.  We have a very close relationship.  We get on very well and we have a nice time together.
So hopefully we will do as good or better than last year.  Of course here in Madrid we have shown that we really like doubles.  We're playing well and we do it with a lot of joy.
It's bitter, but sometimes sweet.  Doubles is different from singles.  Today I managed to end the day with an a smile.  A couple hours ago I didn't have a smile, but now I have a smile because of the doubles match.

Q.  What do you learn from a loss like today?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  Well, you learn the things that you have to be better in those points, where the more veteran players demonstrate where you have to be better.  Perhaps in those important moments I have to be a little bit more focused and commit less errors.
At the end of the day, it's just the errors.  Serve, a ball that just goes out by an a little.  But you have to keep on going.  I have proven to myself that by playing regularly, even though I'm down, I can nearly win.  I proved that to myself, so fine.

Q.  You're No. 15 in this year's race.  Is the top 10 a goal for you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  I don't know how many times I've answered this.  Well, top 10, I don't know.  Not really.  Well, I mean, of course it's a goal, but I'm not thinking about that for this year or the next one.  Nothing.
I think that I will be up there if I continue doing things well.  If you have in your mind a goal like that it's for sure you're not going to make it.  You have to have more short‑term goals.  If I think about the top 10, it's, I don't know, too much.
I just have to be better and better and not think about those kind of things.  I just have to do better things.

Q.  The other day I was interviewing Serena's trainer and we were talking about you and last year's match.  He said that you were a great player.  So are you working on being more consistent?  If you're working on that, how do you see yourself?  Do you think that you're doing things well?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  Well, I consider myself a player that likes the show, the central court, the big rivalries, a lot of people.  I like to face those players.
So my goal is to be more consistent in those important matches, with the players where I can play against the big players in the center courts.
For now I'm doing better than last year.  That is at least what I think.  You know, you always don't want to lose against players lower ranked than you.  You want to play with people on the your level or higher ranked players and make it to the important rounds.
If you don't do that you'll not rise in the rankings.  It's the most important thing for me, and the most difficult, as I said before.  Because of my age, I think the inexperience makes you go like a rollercoaster.  Just because I'm young.  And I'm working on that.

Q.  You were talking that you like the show, the central court, all the media on top of you.  You have a lot of media on you.  Here in Spain we're waiting for players like you that make tennis big again.  What do you think about that?  How do you handle the pressure of the media?  Is this a little bit difficult for you?  Have you talked about this with your trainer?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  Well, you know, there are two faces to that.  There are positive and negative things.  If you're in the spotlight you're going to have a lot of criticism.  Of course if you do bad things you'll have that too.
You'll always have that side, but it's also a recognition to your career, to the things that you're doing well.  People are cheering for you, supporting you.  Going to the court and seeing all the crowd applauding and supporting you, that's great.
The other day I was surprised when I came in here and saw all the people and they were supporting me.  That's why you play.  You like people there supporting you.
They're are also bad sides to that.  But that doesn't matter.  You cannot take that.

Q.  The season so far is going as you were expecting at the beginning of the year?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  I think that the people have a lot of expectations on me.  They expect a lot from me.  When I started the year I said, I'll try to do better than the year before.  I'll do what I'm doing maybe a little bit more consistent.
I don't know.  I think I'm on the right path.  I'm really very happy because I'm going up.  Well, there are some matches that you lose because of small details.  Maybe some are disasters; others you play really, really well.
Right now I'm happy with the year so far.  As I said, on clay I feel very well.  We will have grass then.  I'm thinking of the next tournaments.  You know, I'm going to leave be behind this defeat.

Q.  You were talking about stability, but I would like to know tennistically, technically, what do you think you have to develop?  Your backhand?  Can you say something about that?  What would you like to be better at in your game?
GARBINE MUGURUZA:  You know, it's complicated, but I think that technically the moment where I am right now, it's not so important.  I think the mentality is the important thing right now.
I think my forehand and backhand are fine.  You know, you just have to be ready whenever you come up to the net.  You don't have to change that, it's just the mental part.
But also physically you have to try to stay away from the injuries, because I don't want get injured.  That's all.  Nothing specific.  I have to get up to the net.  That's true.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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