THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 8, 2025

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Press Conference

A. ANISIMOVA/A. Pavlyuchenkova

6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Anastasia, you nearly pulled it back there in that second set. Talk a bit about how your match went for you.

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, well, first set I have to give her credit because I thought she was playing incredible. I couldn't touch the ball at the beginning. It was coming really fast to me.

But also, the court was completely different. It was my first time playing on Court 1. I found it very, very fast and the grass even shorter. In a way it was different.

I don't have luxury of playing on these big courts just because the previous match, okay, we played on Centre, but I thought it was slower and different. Obviously her game was different. So it took me a while to get adjusted.

Then, I mean, it's not like it was too late, but when I actually started to feel better, it was already 6-1, 5-2. Then I just fought till the end. I gave everything I had. Came back from match points down and had 6-3 in the second set. So that really sucks.

Yeah, given all my earlier this year disease that I was diagnosed with, and yeah, Epstein-Barr earlier this year, and I thought pre-season I couldn't even practice. I didn't know if I be even here now. I kind of have to be happy what I've done the last three weeks.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were really emotional leaving the court. Did you feel, okay, if I win that second set, maybe it would turn for you, or was it something else?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Oh, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I couldn't stop crying after the match for, like, 20 minutes. I don't know if it's the fact of I don't know if it was my last chance to do something big, or is it because, yeah, as I said, given my history with not sure if I will be able to even play or practice earlier this year after Australia and even before during pre-season and all this viruses and Lyme disease. I've just been through so much this year.

After Lyme disease I also taking six weeks antibiotics, and then I pulled my hamstring muscle just before Madrid. Every time I tried to come back, there was something always.

I don't know how I coped with that and done those three weeks now, and in Eastbourne semis, and coming straight here to quarters. I don't know if because of all that, just all the emotions that I have had in me. I actually have never really had that on the actual court losing the match. I just had to sit down, and I couldn't stop crying.

Yeah, maybe just because everything, I was through so much and had inside that it just exploded.

Q. Do you think part of the reason why you were so emotional, you think this might be your chance of doing something big? What are you looking forward to now after Wimbledon?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, yeah, I'm looking forward to, first of all, some recovery and just few days that I can sleep until whatever and don't worry about my warm-up and booking practice court and a car and, like, how to pack my bag. I'm just so tired of these routines.

I think this is the most difficult part of the sport, this discipline every day. That's what I'm saying. If it was just about going out there and perform and compete, I just love competing. But all these things around it, I'm just so tired of it.

It's just like these routines. I never liked the routines. It's so difficult for me. I battle with myself every day to do it.

Yeah, so just kind of take some days off and enjoy and relax. Then, well, back to work and back to usual because we have U.S. swing.

I will just push myself again and see what I'm capable of there, if I can do something good there, or just produce some good tennis and then see.

Q. How long do you feel you want to continue to do these routines? When you speak like that, I'm like, is she coming back next year?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: You never know. Maybe something clicks. For example, as I said, why I mentioned three weeks ago, because three weeks ago I wasn't sure if I would even be able to play here because I really felt so bad. Every time I tried to push on the practice, the next day I had to take day off because I was completely -- my recovery was done, and my immune system is down and everything.

I just thought, okay, I'm probably going to come directly to Wimbledon, not even play in the tournament before because with my condition right now, I don't know if I can do it.

So I've done Eastbourne semifinal, and I'm in quarterfinal here and not on my favorite surface (smiling). So that's the beauty of tennis and the sport when sometimes you have to keep your head down and work hard. Then one day just by also giving everything out there like today and fighting, you never know where you find yourself at.

That's kind of, like, what I'm doing right now... taking it slowly day by day. I just want to feel healthy. I just want to play healthy. Then we'll see.

Q. In your matches before, you were able to start faster in the last match, and today it seemed Amanda was able to start fast. You said there were differences on the court. Was there something else? Were you surprised she was able to start a lot faster?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, since the start, yeah, as I said, the court was different, was faster. I felt like the ball, it skids. It came straight at me. I was like, you know, out of sort of balance.

The first game, even break point, she played almost on the line. Literally there was not much I could do. Every time I would return, I would hit the ball back, she would just come in and play another corner.

The only thing, of course, I could have served better. But again, like, I gave it all today on this day. That's all I could do. In a way, I have no regrets because, yeah, I fought as hard as I could. I came back from being two match points down. I thought I kind of broke her rhythm a little bit.

Yeah, she was just playing too good today.

Q. I love the hat. Where did you get it, or did you make it?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, I made it. It's my design. Yeah, I just love bucket hats. I thought knitted is very summery and cool. Then strawberries and pearls was for Wimbledon. I just wanted to combine the two and make it. Thank you.

Maybe I should stick to design instead of tennis. Sometimes I think, Okay, you're doing something wrong (laughter).