US OPEN

September 7, 2023

Karolina Muchova

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/K. Muchova

6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on a great tournament. Obviously tonight did not go the way you wanted it to. Your thoughts on the match.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Oh, my thoughts on the match. Well, two days back I was sitting here and I think I said something like I was feeling it from the start until the end, and today I was not feeling it from the start until the end (smiling).

Yeah, I'm pretty sad about the outcome, that I didn't put the best out of me on the court. Yeah, just kind of sad about the performance.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Obviously you weren't, as you pointed out, weren't feeling it from the start. You had a lot of unforced errors in the first. Did you use that time during the long delay to kind of change things in strategy, or was it just a mental reset? What was your reaction to having such a long...

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Well, I tried. I tried to take it as a positive kind of. I could talk to my coaches. They were trying to wake me up (smiling).

So, yeah, I tried, but I think then after the break I actually played a little bit better, but it was not enough to, yeah, to play great against Coco, to beat her.

Q. A great tournament. What is it about how, I don't know if you feel like you change or if you take them on differently, but when you're down match points and the way you save them, play them, what is that?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I don't know. What is that (smiling)? It's usually as well in normal life when I get into critic point, I usually pull all the best out of me. So maybe that.

But, yeah, I don't know. I think under pressure I can play good, but yeah, with a match like this I cannot wait until, yeah, when I'm, like, in the corner to play the best tennis I had to play just like all the time, and that was unfortunately not with my day today.

Q. In terms of Coco's speed, is it hard to play without thinking about how fast she is in terms of her court coverage and how much pressure that puts on you either from the baseline or at the net?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah. I mean, she's moving well. She really gets that extra point back. So you have to be focused and finish points. You have to be, yeah, really there on the court and then see where she is running. You have to think where to put the ball to finish it at the net or try to play it earlier.

Yeah, what more to say about that?

Q. At the beginning of that second set when you were locked in, all of a sudden Coco had stopped and then with the crazy episode that we saw, what was your vantage point of that? You walked off the court first right there. What was your whole thoughts of all of that that was taking place?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: First of all, I didn't even notice. I just thought it was, like, fans screaming, cheering.

And yeah, I thought it might be fast, but then the supervisor told me it can be five or hour, you know. So I'm, like, Okay, so can we leave the court? We were just standing there, and then they told us, yeah, we can leave the court. So what to wait there for? They didn't know the situation. Yeah, then I saw the glued guy there (smiling).

It took some time. Yeah, I just wanted to get off the court and then keep myself little warmed up and, you know, not just to stand there.

Q. Have you been told exactly what they were protesting? What are your thoughts as a performer when you see people are protesting social issues like that?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, I mean, it happened at Wimbledon, as well. We see it here and there on some occasions. Not just with tennis.

It is what it is. I mean, it's obviously changed the rhythm a little bit and, yeah, what can we do about it? People.

Q. You were wearing that sleeve I think for the first time this tournament?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah.

Q. Did that hamper your play? I mean, you said you weren't feeling it today. Whatever was wrong with you, I don't know if you want to explain what caused you to put the sleeve on. Do you think that was hampering you?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Well, I have a little trouble with my arm, so I just tried to do everything I could improve it and to not feel that much pain. So I tried the sleeve. I had some tapes under it. I thought it will work better with the sleeve than just with -- and that it can help, as well. Yeah. That's why I wear it.

Q. How did this match against Coco compare to your other matches this tournament?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: How was it?

Q. How did it compare? Did you feel more anxious or...

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: No, I didn't really feel anxious. I mean, I didn't feel so good on the court today compared to other matches. I mean, every match is different.

As I mentioned before, two days ago I felt like I cannot do a mistake on the court and the other matches it's tough to compare because every match is different. This one today you need to bring, you know, maybe 100% to beat her because she's top athlete, top player. You really need to be there to get a chance to get a win.

I don't think I played my 60% today, so I had not zero chance, but even if I had chance there, I didn't take it today.