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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 8, 2019

Alison Riske

Wimbledon, London, England

A. RISKE/A. Barty

3-6, 2-6, 3-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What would you say is the key of your success?
ALISON RISKE: I'm so thrilled. I think honestly the biggest key for me has just been to battle from start to finish of every match that I've been a part of. Judging by the scoreline, they haven't all gone perfect. I feel like I've been there in every moment, looking to impose myself.

I'm really most proud about that. I think just being tough has been the key.

Q. How does it feel to make your first Grand Slam quarterfinal?
ALISON RISKE: I'm so incredibly excited. The fact that it's at Wimbledon, my favorite Grand Slam, the place that I had always dreamed to be in the last eight club of, they can't kick me out now, I'm here to stay (laughter). I am just over the moon, so happy.

I'm looking to keep it going.

Q. You've been working with Craig O'Shannessy recently. What did he tell you and how has it impacted you?
ALISON RISKE: My coach, is that who you asked about?

Q. Craig.
ALISON RISKE: To be honest, I don't speak personally to him. That's all done through my coach. My coach and my fiance are big on stats, getting as much information as they can against every opponent I play. I'm so grateful for that.

This isn't just me out here. It's my whole team. I'm just grateful for every piece of information that they relate to me. I do my best to execute.

Q. So you've never spoke to him before yourself?
ALISON RISKE: Yeah, I've met him. I don't sit down and do stats with him personally.

Q. Ash has been in pretty good form recently. What were the things prematch that you looked at that could be areas you could have exploited in her game?
ALISON RISKE: I think right now Ash is playing well. I believe that I am, as well. I'm here to battle. I think that if I just bring that fight every point, I think that good things will happen.

I think that my return is super solid. Every time I get a second serve, I'm looking to attack. I'm just looking to come forward as much as I can. I think when I'm doing that, my best tennis kind of comes from that.

Q. Of course, you're winning matches in three sets, obviously mentally tough. Within the matches, you lose an important point on a bad error, at 3-1, missing an overhead, you even get upset with yourself for a second or two, then come right back and play the next point, a big serve on the next point. Do you do any type of special work for recovering from a disappointing point?
ALISON RISKE: I don't remember in particular the points you are describing. I do know if it was on an overhead, I was looking to be aggressive with my forehand. I was losing them in the fashion that I was trying to execute and trying to go for it.

I think that it's really a lot easier to forgive myself when I know that I'm trying the right thing. I'm doing the right thing, but I'm just not executing.

Ultimately if I'm able to buckle down ever so slightly, give myself a little bit of a different target, pull that in, things are going to turn my way eventually.

Q. Going into this match against the world No. 1, what was your mindset like? What did you come thinking? What did your coach and fiance tell you?
ALISON RISKE: I think ultimately it just came down to being ready for a battle. Like I said multiple times already, nothing is ever going to be perfect out there. If it is, it's very rare. I just think I was ready for whatever was going to come my way.

I knew exactly what I was trying to do out there, what I was trying to execute. I knew that if I did them better than 50%, I was probably going to come out on top.

Q. You've managed to focus on your tennis, have wedding plans sorted out. Everything focused on in the right way?
ALISON RISKE: I think I'm going to have to get married -- I wish I could get married more often. Maybe we'll have to renew our vows because it's worked out well having that on the horizon. I'm looking forward to it so much.

Everything is pretty much already in stone. I'm not really stressed about it. I haven't been stressed about it really from the beginning probably because my fiance has been doing all the work (laughter). Yeah, I'm still looking forward to it.

We both love Wimbledon equally as much. We love London. We would love to live here, love to be a member of the All England Tennis Club. Just throwing it out there (smiling).

We love everything about it. All the people here have been special. Phil Brook, from the first time I came to Wimbledon, he's remembered my name. I think it's something that is really important for someone like me who wasn't top 10, top 20, but Phil always remembered my name. That was something really special.

Yeah, there's just been a lot of good people here in London that have looked after me.

Q. When it comes to challenges facing the No. 1 player in the world, then Serena Williams, how would you describe that and your thoughts now looking ahead to playing Serena for the first time?
ALISON RISKE: Yeah, I think it's super exciting. I played doubles with Serena, but never played against her. It will be an interesting match. Again, I think today was a great preparation for me going into the Serena match.

Again, I'm ready for a war. She's the greatest athlete I think that's ever been on the women's side. It's going to be a huge challenge, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. Any specifics of what you need to do to be successful against her?
ALISON RISKE: Got to go for it. Yes, just go for it, play my brand of tennis.

Q. Ash opened up with four aces, then two aces in her next service game. How do you regain your equilibrium after that, stop the spiral?
ALISON RISKE: Yeah, I felt like it was very unlikely that that was going to continue, because I've never had that happen before. I had confidence that as the match wore on, first-serve percentages would probably start declining. I was going to have looks ultimately.

If I didn't, she served like that, that's just too good. Ultimately I just hung in there.

Q. I'm sure you didn't lack your own motivation. Was there anything extra you took from the women's world champion soccer team last night?
ALISON RISKE: Gosh, that's brutal, because I really don't follow them. I was really happy for them (smiling). They did an awesome job, so congrats to them.

Q. Talk about your record on grass this year. You've won 14 and only lost one match. How did you put that form together?
ALISON RISKE: Well, I definitely think I've always had success on grass. I didn't realize I was 14-1. I never really thought about the numbers till you said it.

Yeah, I just feel like from the first time that I stepped foot on a grass court in Birmingham in 2009 or so, 2010, I don't even know, I just felt at home. I felt very comfortable on it.

I think my game suits it, suits the grass. I enjoy everything about it.

Q. We know the WTA can be a terrible grind. You seem so elated, laughing, beaming. Talk about the joy you're feeling now, what it means.
ALISON RISKE: It's actually funny, I think the WTA Tour suits me so much because I enjoy practicing, I love competing. I don't like doing much at the end of the day. I just feel like the tour for me is really at home.

Yes, there are a lot of times where you lose tough matches, but you know at the same time there's going to be a chance next week is going to be better. I feel like that hope and that possibility is what keeps me going.

I do love to compete. I love everything about what I do. I'm really proud, really proud of what I've done. I've stayed through the tough moments, fought through them. To get a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam I think is an amazing thing. Hopefully it doesn't stop now.

Q. Is this going to help your UTR rating?
ALISON RISKE: I'm sure it's going to help it. I'm sure it's going to boost it a little bit, at least for the next three months.

Q. You mentioned how well-suited your game is for grass. I'm interested in your movement. What do you focus on moving on grass as opposed to clay and hard court?
ALISON RISKE: Yeah, that's a thing. When I go on grass, I don't really think about anything. It just kind of happens. It's just something that I feel like I've been natural at since I first stepped foot on it. I don't know why. I don't know how. Just kind of has been.

Yeah, that first hit on grass coming from the clay is probably my favorite hit of the year (smiling).

Q. You mentioned Phil Brooks. It's his last year. You played Mallorca, had some amazing matches. Talk about how important it is to have somebody like a chairman to be close to and caring?
ALISON RISKE: I think that's one thing that always set Wimbledon apart for me personally, is because they always made every single player, at least from what I witnessed, feel like they're awesome and they're doing a good job. They remember you. They remember your name. They remember if you did well a couple weeks ago.

I think it's really special that you can walk into a Grand Slam and someone says, Hey, Ali, good to see you. Great job in 's-Hertogenbosch. I think that's really rare.

From the first Wimbledon I played, I met Phil. The next year he remembered me, remembered who I was. I was feeling like, Oh, my gosh, does he do this with everyone? I felt so special. Do I get a membership right now, what happens? He was amazing.

Jill, his wife, the same thing. I met her once. I just saw her. I warmed up indoors today. Jill was hitting on the court next to me. She stopped and said hello. It's things like that that are really special.

Going along with that, I think for the late Paul Hutchins that passed away -- sorry (tearing up).

THE MODERATOR: Pause for a second?

ALISON RISKE: Yes, sorry.

THE MODERATOR: Time is nearly up. I think we'll wrap-up there.

ALISON RISKE: What I was saying is Paul was there from the first Wimbledon, too. He would always have me to hit on the grass before Wimbledon started.

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