ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2026

Kimberly Birrell

Press Conference

K. BIRRELL/J. Pegula

1-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Kim, obviously every match in a Grand Slam is tough, and big opponent today, so congratulations. Just talk about how you feel you played today.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Well, I don't think it's sunk in yet, to be honest. Yeah, I just am really proud of the way that I stayed in the match and was able to turn it around.

Yeah, I think she played really well in the first set, and so, yeah, I just told myself to hang in there and then slowly started to play better and better and held my nerve at the end.

So, yeah, very happy. Thanks.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How did you turn that around, because the last I looked it was one-way traffic, essentially?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Honestly, I don't know except for I just think I had a good attitude, and I really have been working on playing each point on its merit and deleting the point before, whether I've won or lost the point.

So I think that was really, like, the key thing for me to do. Yeah, I think she was playing really well, but I knew I needed to hit the ball a bit deeper. I was giving her too many opportunities, make lots of first serves, then when I could in the rally take the opportunities to make her move. So I think I just started to do that a little bit better.

I think that's, yeah, what turned it around.

Q. I just wondered, Kimberly, whether you felt at any point a bit demoralized at the start.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Oh, yeah, I did (laughing), without a doubt. She was playing very well, and especially the way she was attacking my second serve. I've been working a lot on my second serve, and I thought that I was actually hitting it all right and able to get it into her backhand and her body, and she was kind of just stepping around on both sides hitting winners.

I don't know how many return winners she hit in the first set, but I felt like it was more than ten. So, yeah, I think I'm experienced enough now to know that when someone is playing that well, if they can keep that up for two sets, then that's too good.

So I just was trying to just weather the storm really at that point. Like I said, I think I was giving her a couple opportunities with too many short balls, too many balls down the middle of the court.

So, yeah, I think she was playing really well, but I also knew that I could do a few things better. So I was just trying to focus on that, yeah.

Q. I just wondered if you thought that perhaps the turning point was that lovely little dropshot that you put in, which that turned things, didn't it?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah. Yeah, looking back, there are definitely key moments in matches, and yeah, that was probably is one.

I think that maybe made me sort of break the ice a little bit, because I looked at my coach and had a little bit of a smile, because we've been working on that.

I'm glad I had the courage to take the opportunity and saw that she was quite far back in the court and hit the dropshot, which I think in the past I probably wouldn't have had the courage to do.

So, yeah, probably was a turning point.

Q. You've had some big wins and big runs in Brisbane on home soil. Where does this one rank in terms of some of the magic you pulled off there?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, it's definitely up there. I mean, it's hard to beat playing at home in front of my friends and family.

But I think in terms of my career and just how hard I've worked over the last couple of years to improve my game on clay, because it's out of my comfort zone, and to really just know that I've put in the work and trust it on a match court, I think that's the difference that happened today, because in the last few matches, I've felt like I've been able to play how I want to play on clay in practice, but not quite done it and executed it in the big points in matches.

So, yeah, I guess I'm just really proud that I was able to play this well on a surface that doesn't feel that familiar to me, to be honest (smiling).

Q. Totally fair. I think honestly a lot of times Aussies would say that. This is quite a first round for your crew, with Adam this morning and, you know, Thanasi doing what he did yesterday.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, absolutely.

Q. Is there a feeling of kind of momentum there at all, or do you feel like these are just all results?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: I think as Aussies we really do cheer each other on. I'm good friends with Adam, and his coach as well has helped me out in my career. When I saw he won, I was following his match and then saw him and his coach afterwards, and I was super happy for him.

I think I did feel and I was inspired by his win. When you see someone have a result like that, it does give you a little bit of a pep in your step.

Yeah, I think it's maybe not a coincidence, yeah.

Q. Kim, I was interested in your Parisian family as you describe it. Can you tell us a little bit about who they are? Just tell us who the cheerleaders all were there, because there were a lot of them.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, so my parents, they're Aussies, but they lived in Germany for quite a while, and I was born there. They moved home.

My mom met a lovely French lady, who is now her best friend, and they've been best friends since in their 20s when they met in Germany.

So each time I come to Paris, I stay with them, and they've also come to Australia throughout my childhood. Their are girls are similar age to me and my brother. Yeah, they are some of our closest family friends.

They always come to watch me play here in Paris. I haven't quite got the win for them, so I think this was a pretty cool moment for me to see them in the stands and with them watching too.

Q. Is it kind of home from home, this place?

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah. As Aussies, we're just on the road all the time. So to have somewhere where I know can, A, see people that I love, leave some stuff in Europe, and make my bags a little bit lighter when I'm traveling around to tournaments, get a home-cooked meal.

I also know the area that they live really well now. It's so familiar.

Yeah, I think that really helps. We all try to find little pieces of home on the road, and this is definitely a piece of home for me.

Q. Second top-10 win. Obviously the biggest one that you've had.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Third.

Q. Who is the other one? (Off microphone.)

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Well, Kasatkina. I think she was 10. Then in Brissie against Navarro.

Q. Okay.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: First top-5. Come on, Craig. You're better than that (laughing).

Q. What did it feel like on that match point? It was, I think, tough for you to contain your excitement, and rightly so. I don't think I've ever seen Pratty get so excited about anything.

KIMBERLY BIRRELL: Yeah, she's very good at hiding her emotions, Pratty is. Yeah, I think it's been a real team effort over the last month to just get me to this point where I feel so comfortable on this surface, and she's really put in a lot of time and effort.

I think it started in last year's clay season, to be honest, and then we've just been building on that. I just love working with her, and I know that she believes in me, and I think that's just huge, to have a massive feeling from a coach and player relationship perspective.

Then also my brother too. They're always having meetings, just them two, chatting about ways I can improve. I'm very lucky to have them in my corner, yeah.