ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2025

Aryna Sabalenka

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/A. Anisimova

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Aryna, great result today. How happy were you to get that done in straight sets today?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm super happy with the win, especially in straight sets against Amanda. We had a lot of great battles in the past. Yeah, happy to get this win in straight sets.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What does it mean to improve your record against her, especially here at the French Open, given that you were 1-3 down on clay having played against her?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I didn't even know that we had statistics on clay. It's very important. I'm building my confidence against her, and I improve my game a lot over the years. I think now I have everything I need to get all of those wins back against her.

Yeah, it's important, you know, to kind of like put some pressure on the opponent.

Q. You mentioned there about having some different things maybe. Just wondered, at the start of the tournament you talked about working on your touch game and that kind of thing. I wonder how much that came into it today against an opponent like Amanda who's so big-hitting.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, she's a big hitter. I knew that I wouldn't have a lot of opportunities for my touch game today. As much as I could, I tried to change the rhythm against her.

I think I did it pretty well, and overall I stayed really aggressive. Like those little moments help me a lot to put an extra pressure on her.

Q. Your footwork these days is really impressive. JUST The amount you are moving your feet and the way you make space for yourself on the ball, how has that improved over the years, and what helped you to sort of master that part of the game?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Honestly, it's so funny, because when I'm moving on the court, I feel like I'm so bad. Then I watch videos of me moving, and I think, Oh, my God, that's a lot of steps, and it's actually quite fast.

Yeah, we've been working so many years with my fitness coach on that part of my game because it was definitely missing a lot. Over the years, like, slowly we were building that very good pace.

Then on that base we put a lot of specific work, footwork. Now to see everything is coming together and everything is working, it's just amazing to see, and it feels so good to know that you are working in the right direction.

Q. I would like to ask you about today's court, Suzanne-Lenglen. The second time you had a chance to play on this court. I read that this is the first time since 2019 that No. 1 played two matches in Suzanne-Lenglen. That's mean anything for you or doesn't matter?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, of course, I would prefer to play on the biggest courts, but at the same time, maybe not everyone can get tickets like on the center court, and then it's good to play on another stadium, which is also big and beautiful, in front of the people who was able to get tickets on that court.

So at the end of the day, if you ask me what I prefer, I prefer to play on Philippe-Chatrier. But why the decision was to put me on that court for the second time, I don't know. I don't want to complain, to be honest. I got my win. I'm happy. Hopefully from now I'm going to be playing only on Philippe-Chatrier. I think I should be, right? So it's okay.

Q. You didn't lose a set since the beginning of the tournament. Next game against Zheng Qinwen, do you expect a tough game against her?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, it's always tough matches against her. She's a great player. Of course, I expect a great battle, and I'm super excited to face her in the quarterfinals, and I want to get my revenge.

Yeah, I want to get this win after Rome, so I'm happy to face her in the quarters.

Q. In the next round you will face Qinwen Zheng again, who beat you in Rome. What do you think is the biggest change in Qinwen in Rome compared to before?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I have to say I was pretty exhausted in Rome. Honestly, I was playing the tournament constantly thinking I shouldn't be playing and I needed a little rest before Roland Garros.

But I think maybe because courts are a little bit slower, so she has a bit more time to prepare her shots, but now I'm fresh and ready to go. So I'm super excited to face her in the quarterfinals.

Q. About your preference playing on the Philippe-Chatrier, obviously your goal is to play the final. So you prefer to play on the Chatrier because you can have some of your information before the really big matches? That it?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, I think because when you play on the biggest courts, they show those matches on the TV, so it's kind of like, you know, more people watching, and you can show yourself to more people.

Also, the court is so beautiful, and it's much bigger. It feels like you're -- the moment you step on the Chatrier, you feel like, okay, this is a big stage, and this is where I'm meant to be. This is where I want to compete, and I want to fight, and I want to bring my best tennis. So I think it's all about the energy of the stadium.

Q. Aryna, how do you feel with this year's French Open compared to maybe just 12 months ago, when you consider last year you came in as the Australian Open champion? This calendar year you're coming in without a major. Does that change your mindset at all as you progress through the tournament?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, I think the mindset is always the same. It's to win as much as you can. So compared to last year, I think I wasn't that complete player that I am right now.

I think in the last year I improved a lot in my game, and I think now going to the French Open, I don't have those doubts that I cannot play on clay, so maybe I'm more confident this year.

Going into the Australian Open and US Open, I know that I'm favorite, and I know I can do really well on that surface. It's a lot of confidence. Before going to the French Open, like previous years, I was, like, I'm not sure. There's Iga and players that are much better in movement, much better in a lot of things. I'm not sure that I'm ready yet.

Now going to the French Open I know that I'm ready, and I'm super excited, and I really hope that I'm going to be very proud of myself by the end of this tournament.