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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 10, 2017

Coco Vandeweghe

Wimbledon, London, England

C. VANDEWEGHE/C. Wozniacki

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk us through the match today. Why do you think it went well for you?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I think I just stuck to my guns mostly. It wasn't as straightforward as maybe it might have looked out there. I can't tell you how it really looked, because it didn't feel that straightforward.

Caroline is a tough opponent to play. There were some difficult moments, difficult games. I mean, up a break in the first set, you know, you think that's pretty easy going. But she fought back. Anything can really happen in a tiebreaker.

I think for myself, just sticking to my guns was definitely key.

Q. She really makes you earn every point.
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yes. I mean, that's what makes her so difficult to play.

Q. The schedule today, do you find yourself scoreboard watching at all?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: No. I don't really ever look at the scoreboard too much. I don't see it flick by.

Q. Are you aware of the frenzy of activity going on or are you able to focus on your match?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: No, I mean, it's not any different. I like Court 3. It's a nice atmosphere in that court. It's very quaint with everyone kind of 'on top of you' is the wrong word, but close to you. So you feel the energy of the crowd a lot more.

I think that keeps me very into my match and what I'm doing.

Q. The last match after we talked to you, you said your confidence was sort of not skyrocketing, but it was up there. Do you feel that way now, confidence growing after every match?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yeah, I had a game plan going in. Like I said earlier, I stuck to it. I want to win on my terms, but at the same time I don't want to lose because of somebody else dictating me.

At the same time I'd be more satisfied in knowing that I did everything that I could that day within my control. That's definitely been focus points for me.

Q. Are you allowing yourself to look ahead? This is probably the best chance you've ever had to win a Grand Slam title. Do you allow yourself to even think anywhere near that far ahead?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: No chance. If I didn't do it in the first round, I'm not going to do it now.

Q. Over the past month just about every press conference has been asking about your new coach. This was a big win today. What kind of input did he have? Any quirky anecdotes?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Nothing new as of yet. I know he was celebrating last night with his team, 30-year anniversary. They all got together. I think this tournament has been very special for him on his own terms.

But, no, I mean, he's kept the same kind of mantra through the start of us working together now. Even more condensed in that way of focusing on first point of every game, you know, just paying attention to myself. That's been pretty much it.

Q. Do you think there's an evolution for young players? Was there for you? Was there a feeling you belong in second weeks, deeper into second weeks, getting used to the whole feeling of it? Or are all the matches just the same?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: No, no, I mean, there's a lot of different things that go along with every match. I mean, it could be the opponent you're facing on the other side, whether it's a friend or someone that you don't care for that much. I mean, everyone has those players. It could be just the round that you're in.

I definitely think the more you're in those situations, the better you get at them. I've definitely learned in different scenarios how to manage myself, just being there and practicing in that environment. There's no other way to simulate it besides being there.

I don't know if it's necessarily a feeling of belonging, but a feeling of comfort in where you are.

Q. Which parts of your game are you most pleased with?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I would say just my mental side of the game. I think that's what I'm most pleased about.

Q. Rybarikova, like the French. How much will the match be different on the grass? What do you take from Paris?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Hopefully I come out with a win. That will be the difference.

Q. Pat obviously is one of the great characters of the game. Is there a fun encounter or story, something about the great language barrier between Californians and Aussies?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I have more of a language barrier with my physio. He's Argentinian.

No, nothing as of late. Like I said earlier, you know, the day off, he's just more living in kind of his 30th anniversary last night with his team, celebrating that moment. Nothing new.

Q. You mentioned a few press conferences ago about feeling more focused on court. Do you put that down to your new coaching setup?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yes, I would. I think it's kind of the demand he has in that regard. It's hard to explain how he demands it, besides just the respect factor of, Okay, he's asking this of me, so I'm going to do everything in my power to give what he's asking.

Q. Do you think what he achieved in his career inspires you to want to be a better player?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I think that's hard to say right now because it's so new. I actually haven't even thought about it because I never even thought this would be a possibility in a coaching-player relationship.

Q. How did the two of you first connect?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Basically my agent suggested him as a coach. There's three options. So I was on my way back to California. I called him when my agent said that he was interested. That's how it came about.

Q. At the beginning of the tournament people were talking about how wide open the women's field is. Do you still feel it is that way heading into the quarterfinals?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I guess. I mean, there's still a lot of good players in the draw. There's Grand Slam champions still in the draw. I don't know if it's wide open. You still have to win the matches in front of you.

That's all I can really think about, is myself really. I can't really focus on what other people are doing or how they're feeling.

Q. When you played Rybarikova in Paris, what impressed you the most in her game?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I don't know. It was a match of a lot of different things besides tennis. I can't really tell you.

Q. How was it a match other than tennis?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Those are personal.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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