SYDNEY TENNIS CLASSIC

January 15, 2022

Paula Badosa

Press Conference

P. BADOSA/B. Krejcikova

6-3, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Congratulations. Third career title. How excited are you?

PAULA BADOSA: Super excited. Well, after the level of this final, even more. So, yeah, amazing week, amazing final. I'm very happy.

Q. It was a very hard-fought match. Not much between the two of you, but what do you think made the difference?

PAULA BADOSA: Details. Maybe one winner that I hit, one serve, maybe she missed one ball. Sometimes, these kind of matches, it's one point or two.

I had the same experience in Indian Wells final. It changes for nothing. I'm really happy that I won my way. I think the good thing is that I played in a very high level and that I fought until the end.

Q. What is it about your game that works so well when you play Barbora, three wins out of three matches that you all have played?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, I don't know if it's something special. I just try to play my game. I try to be aggressive.

She's a very aggressive player, as well. She opens very well the court, very talented. I tried to stick there, I tried to serve well, I tried to take my opportunities. Well, for the moment, the head-to-head is 3-Love, but with her you never know and it's always going to be a tough match. She's an amazing player.

Q. We are on the eve of the Australian Open now. This has to be a major boost of confidence for you. Just talk about that aspect and going into Melbourne.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, of course it gives me a lot of confidence, especially with the level I have played this week. Of course tired. I play Monday. I will have to fly tonight, so let's see how I recover.

But I will try to give my best there. I'm playing in a high level. Let's see. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Congratulations on a fantastic week. On the week and the level that you were able to play, is there a sense of relief that you have been able to start this season after how well you finished last season, that you're hitting this level already?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, of course a little bit of relief and confidence, starting the year like this. It's amazing feeling, and it shows me that I'm going in a good way, starting, because maybe last week losing in first round you always have a little bit of doubts.

But after that match, I think I worked very hard the next days. I was playing doubles, as well. I tried to take that loss in a positive way. So then I had this reward the next week, so it's very nice for me.

Q. You're on a pretty fantastic streak with respect to tiebreakers. You have won like 10 straight. Haven't lost one since the Olympics. You talked about small margins and how one point one way or the other can decide things. Two big wins in tiebreaks at this point. Talk about what has been the key for you to maybe change mentality, change how you treat a tiebreak that seemingly has gotten these wins for you.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I know the last tiebreak I lost. I even remember against who it was, so imagine. Mladenovic in Olympics.

But, yeah, I think it's small details in that moments. I don't know. I like to play at the limits. I try to give everything there. I try to compete to play that point and finding the balance of being aggressive, as well.

So, yeah, for the moment I have been winning all the tiebreaks, but for sure I will lose some tiebreaks. But still, I'm very happy that in that important moments I'm bringing my best tennis and I think that if you want to win tournaments you will have to win a lot of tiebreaks, so I'm very happy about that.

Q. We saw you play this match, the match against Kasatkina, and the ability to be aggressive and step in, really, really gun your shots. I know that maybe in the past, obviously you always had the power, but you seem to be dropping back more behind the baseline the last few years. So can you talk a little bit about that evolution and that change in your game and how much more comfortable you are now as an aggressive player?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, I think that was my goal. That was something I really worked hard on of course on practices, but I think it's very important to do it on matches, because it's when you start to maybe be more afraid to do that.

I think I did a very good step forward on that, starting with my coach, Jorge, he helped me a lot on this big change. Trying, sometimes it's tough for me, but going more to the net or going more for it in the returns.

I'm really happy about that. For me, it's very special to win tournaments on hard court, because maybe I was playing very good on clay and I was maybe being more with power but more spin, trying to play with more spin.

So for me, this change, it was tough mentally at the beginning. And even I think I was starting to do that in Ostrava, and then in Indian Wells it went very well but it was different courts. I think here in Australia the courts are faster, so that change was a little bit tough for me. We were talking about that. But I think my coach helped me a lot on this big change, because one of the things that I have to improve a little bit is to accept that I have to miss, and sometimes I don't want to miss, so that's a little bit the battle that I have mentally.

But I'm really happy that I'm starting to do it and that I'm winning tournaments and amazing players and in these kind of courts that they are maybe not the ones that I feel more comfortable.

Q. You and Barbora shared a nice moment at the net. I'm curious, I think you guys were both talking kind of -- yeah, what was the exchange like?

PAULA BADOSA: I think she's an amazing player, but person, I think -- I really like when people are very good players and they are very humble and they're normal. She's one of the players, I always said, when I played against her in Indian Wells she's one of my favorite players. She's very, very talented and it's very beautiful to see her play.

At the net, well, she said that I played amazing match. She played a high level, as well. We gave everything there. We wished each other the best for the season and next week.

It's very nice, as I said in the ceremony, we broke into the top 100, it was like the same year, almost the same week. So it's very nice to now be in both top 10 and playing big finals, and I hope we can play much more, because it's very nice to play against her.