ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2025

Daria Kasatkina

Press Conference

D. KASATKINA/P. Badosa

6-1, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. A strong performance from you today. Can you talk about what your thoughts are on the match?

DARIA KASATKINA: Well, thank you. Yeah, it was a tough match, even though the first set was quite easy by the score line, but it was very tough. I was pretty nervous before the match.

Yeah, in the second set, you know, this fight appears. Yeah, the game got little bit more tense, but really, I been proud of myself how I was able to manage that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. There was a pretty big celebration at the end. What does it mean to you to play that well at this stage of the tournament?

DARIA KASATKINA: Well, honestly, it means a lot, especially now because, you know, last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court. I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff.

Just I would say felt little signs of burnout or something like that. Yeah, I'm really happy that I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favorite tournaments.

Playing much better. Feeling much better on court. I think that's the most important, and, you know, getting these wins, yeah, it's super important to me, especially now.

Q. What is it about Roland Garros that suits you? I think it's 24th win out of 33 matches or something here.

DARIA KASATKINA: Well, I don't know, honestly. First of all, the courts here are amazing. Honestly one of my favorite courts, they're super-good quality, the atmosphere.

I just know this tournament so well. I've been here, like I played a couple of times as a junior. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you, and automatically the place become special.

Then playing, I don't know, I think it's my tenth professional Roland Garros, so it's been a history. Every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium and stuff. I mean, I think it's important.

I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow, yes, this place, it's been always nice to me.

Q. You are such a complete player, and sometimes it looks like the emotions are a little difficult to handle, but what do you think the top-10 players are handling better than you or you can improve to get on this track?

DARIA KASATKINA: Well, you know, there is only 10 spots in top 10, and we have a bunch of very good players nowadays. Sometimes it's not just about you but about the other players as well, you know, performing a bit better.

Honestly, the tennis, it's a mental game, because at the end, yeah, someone can hit a forehand or backhand better than you, but at the end of the day, everything comes to mentality and this fighting spirit and who managed the nerves and the thoughts during the match better.

Honestly, I've been in top 10 a few times, so I know this feeling. I know more or less what you need to be there. In my case, it's to be super consistent mentally and physically every single week, which is not easy, honestly, because I mean, we have a lot of tournaments in different countries. You know, the jet lags, just everything. Sometimes you just wake up and you don't feel the ball. Sometimes you wake up sick. Life happens (smiling).

At the end, I think it's important to stay always positive because it's very easy to get on the wrong track to go downhill when you are losing a couple of matches and then you feel that you are so bad and stuff. This is very easy to, you know, get in the hole and very difficult to get out of it. So I think it's important to always stay on this right path and work hard, of course.

Q. How do you get on with Mirra?

DARIA KASATKINA: I hate her (laughing). No, I'm kidding.

Q. Is she somebody that you've helped during your career, helped her progress?

DARIA KASATKINA: Me?

Q. In any way, shape, or form?

DARIA KASATKINA: The only thing I'm helping her it's to get on the vlog. No, honestly, Mirra, she's a very nice girl and an amazing player. We've been, like, quite good with each other. I can even say that I think we are kind of friends. So, yeah, she's super young and super talented, so she will achieve a lot of things.

We're going to have just the second match. We practiced so many times, and we're going to play second match of our career. So let's see. The last one in Ningbo was a big drama match. Let's see what gonna happen here. We never met on clay before.

Yeah, looking forward to this. It's going to be fun, I guess.

Q. Just also wondering about when you were talking about feeling a little bit of burnout in the last few weeks, Alex de Minaur, your now counterpart as the men's No. 1 in Australia, was talking about exactly that the other day. Is it something that concerns you often, or is it most of the time you just brush it off?

DARIA KASATKINA: Well, honestly, in this one I was agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough. I mean, we have a completely packed schedule. There's no spot for anything.

I mean, it's not normal, but I think it can happen that the person who is traveling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel this feeling that he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. I mean, this can happen. This is our job.

I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. Yeah, we are super lucky we are having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel, like, around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes this also happens that when you give everything to something, sometimes you can have this thing that you are tired and you need some rest.

Yeah, it's normal. We are all humans. This can happen.

Q. What do you have to do against Mirra when you come up against her? She said that you all have also practiced already in the tournament here, and she was also asked what she thought of your interviewing skills.

DARIA KASATKINA: What she said?

Q. Was not impressed. Any response?

DARIA KASATKINA: I was right. I hate her (laughing).

Well, she is not the one to talk about it because actually she had opportunity to interview players in our Rome vlog, so she took the camera, and she went to talk with someone in the restaurant. It was terrible, okay (laughing).

Also, the filming skills were not on point, so she needs to learn. I thought because also I saw, like, she I think bought the camera also, and she's now trying to film something.

Yeah, I wish her good luck, especially in editing. I want to see how she going to do that, but I mean, as you guys understood, this is the way we communicate with Mirra. You know, we're just giving little shit to each other all the time and just joking around. It has nothing to do with -- it's just the way we communicate.

We are very good with each other. We were having ice bath together right now a couple of hours ago after the match. Yeah, but I think I have to improve my interviewing skills, so it's okay. I will work on it (smiling).

Q. What do you have to do in the match?

DARIA KASATKINA: I have to run a lot. It's going to be long rallies. Mirra, she's not giving anything for free. You know, to get every point, I'll have to die on court. I'm ready for that. This is I'm working for.