ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2026

Anastasia Potapova

Press Conference

A. POTAPOVA/C. Gauff

4-6, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Anastasia, quite a performance tonight. Just talk about your thoughts on the match and just how pleased you are to be into the next round.

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Well, yes, obviously I'm very happy. It's been such a fight from both of us. Yeah, I mean, we left it all out there, and I'm happy that I stayed until the last moment that I've been fighting for every point and that I got through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you're playing the defending champion on Chatrier, how big does it feel, and how do you sort of manage the bigness of this occasion, of this moment?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yeah, obviously coming into this match, I knew that there were a lot of talks about it that it will be tough for both, that, yeah, she's defending champion. What I can say? She's so good.

Yeah, I just tried to stay away from everything and just to focus on myself, on the preparation, on the tactics and, yeah, just on myself and not to let anyone to take it away, you know, so yeah.

Q. What were the tactics that you thought were most effective today?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Next question. I keep it for myself (laughing).

Q. When you get nervous, not necessarily in this match, but in your career overall, how does it manifest in your body? What are the symptoms? Is it your stomach that has butterflies? Do you get kind of shaky legs? Can you talk me through that?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yeah, I think it's pretty much for everyone. When you really feel nervous, you first start to feel it in your stomach. But, yeah, I mean, I've been here for years, years, and I learned how to deal with this.

Yeah, I think the best feel from the nerves is actions. Yeah, not stop your body. Try to make sure you move enough, you don't stop your legs, and that's what actually helps for me, and I think for everyone could help.

Q. It's impossible to ignore the fact that your two best results now have come since you switched countries. Is that a coincidence, or do you feel more confident or freer or what?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Good question. Well, I think it's a little bit of both. I think it's also being a coincidence, which is nice, but also at the same time I do feel free, I feel better, I feel the support from Austrian people. For sure it's given me extra boost of energy to fight for those wins.

Q. I think it's fair to say that you've had one of the best clay court seasons out of anyone on tour just from Linz to now and obviously Madrid and Rome. What do you think has led to that consistency, and how are you maintaining that?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: I don't know. I mean, I've been here for ten years on tour. This is the first time I managed to do this well and, yeah, to stay this consistent.

Well, maybe it's a combination of everything, of the experience that I have from previous years, of also a maturity that I grown up, that I changed the mentality in my head.

Yeah, it's just I think everything around and also the work that we've been trying to put in. We switched a lot of things with my team. I switched my team, first of all, and then we started to work on the new things. I think, yeah, it's just giving a positivity now.

Q. Coco was saying when she was in here earlier that she felt like she was hitting good shots in rallies, but then wasn't able to finish some rallies that she was ahead in. How much did you feel like you were able to do something with defense or just keeping points going to maybe stop some of what could have been points...

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yeah, I know what you mean. That's actually exactly how I also feel about her. I felt extremely tough to finish the points, because we all know that she's so good physically, and she runs so good, and she defending so well. I think that's what I actually improved over the last months.

We worked on the physical part to stay longer in the rally. Yeah, I think my running on clay court is not too bad. I'm feeling actually very comfortable on it. I think that's what also gives me extra points, because I don't give a cheap point to my opponent. I can make sure that every point, it will be tough, you know?

Q. There were so many ups and downs in the scoreboard, so many lead changes. How were you able to keep calm, you know, with all the turbulence and back and forth in the score, because it would have been easy to get frustrated?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yes, and at some point I was actually, but I kept on saying to myself that I don't need to focus on the scoreboard, just focus on every point. If you manage to do that, then maybe I will get my chances to win.

So, yeah, the key was just stay in the moment no matter what is going on and try your best.