ROLAND GARROS

May 24, 2026

Anastasia Potapova

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Anastasia, welcome back to Roland Garros. You've had a great clay season so far. Just talk about how excited you are to be here and your expectations for the tournament, please.

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yes, I'm very excited to be here every year. I enjoying this week I think the most through the whole season that we have.

I really like clay. I like Paris. I like everything about here. So, yeah, and I mean, my clay season has been really great. Of course, I still have room to improve, and that's exactly the weeks where you want to do that.

Yeah, I mean, I expecting from myself a lot, but at the same time, I'm ready to learn every day. No matter what happens, it will not bother me or stop me for the future.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You had a great, great run in Madrid. At the Australian Open an injury hindered you a bit. Despite this, you played great. Would you say you are maybe in the best shape of your life?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yes, I can say that, for sure. Despite some injuries that I've had in the beginning of the season that hold me back a little bit. I think it also why I can say that I feel in my best shape ever. I think it also comes with a maturity and with the growth that I've had in the last couple of years.

Definitely that helps. I think that's already completely new mindset and completely new emotions that I'm going through now based on all the experience. For sure, it helps, and it feels great.

As I said, it doesn't matter what will happen in the next days, weeks, months. I'm ready to work and to improve every day.

Q. You obviously have looked at the draw, I guess. You know who is your first opponent, but you maybe have looked a little further too. How far do you think you could get here? I mean, obviously third round would be very tough.

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Yes, I did look, because I'm not scared of facing these things. It's normal. It's our life.

Obviously, yes, it's not easy draw, but I don't think any other draw I would call it easy, because everybody's good here. And everybody's ready to stay on this court until they die, so they want to win that bad.

Yeah, for me, again, if we look back at the tournaments in Madrid and in Rome, we can see a lot of surprises, a lot of uncommon results, and something new. So in this moment I don't really want to look forward.

At the paper, yes, we have this, but in fact we don't know what can happen, right? So if it happens, then maybe we talk about it with you on Friday or on Thursday, but at the moment we still have some work to do before this third round.

I'm not even sure I'm going to be there, so I cannot say it. So at the moment I'm just looking step by step and only focusing on my first round match, because it's also not easy, I think. My opponent is good. She just outside of being seeded. It's not the easiest first draw here.

So, yeah, I mean, got some work to do before that (smiling).

Q. What do you think, too, about the thing with boycott-like thing that you can't talk as much to the media, for example now? You know what I'm talking about?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: If you want my honestly opinion on that, I think media guys has nothing to do with our prize money. You don't pay us, right? So how we can boycott somebody who also getting paid from the same tournament?

I think for me it's a little bit nonsense, so I'm not really into this, so here I am and talking to you as much as I want (smiling). As much as you want as well, so...

Q. The timing is not the best. (Off microphone.)

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: I actually watched the first set of Lilli. Oh, no, that's sad. Well, Sinja is still there, let's hope.

Q. I just wondered, in Rome you said you had changed your racquet. It just seems that it was for you like a new beginning. You seemed to be really excited. How do you feel before starting this tournament having resolved probably one of the biggest problems you had?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: As I said, I'm feeling great. I'm very happy every day to be on court. I'm enjoying every ball I hit now. It's going really smooth and nice.

I mean, yeah, it was such a big change, but also such an important one as well, because I felt that something was wrong in the past with my racquet. I felt like some of the mistakes that I'm doing is not really because of me.

I know it's easy to blame everything around, but at that moment I knew, well, it's really not me now. So, yeah, I'm happy that we spent some time solving this problem, and now we getting paid for it with good results and with everything around and with a good mood, as well.

Q. I'm a dog lover myself, and I miss my one very much the week I'm here. So I wonder because I saw you two days ago walking through the breakfast with him, do you take him everywhere? Does he also give you positive emotions during a match?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Well, I actually take her a lot with me. Especially when we play in Europe, because we live here. It's very easy to travel. I also, like Garra say, she is a good girl. She is very easy to have around. She doesn't eat much. She is very quiet. She is very well-behaved.

For me, yes, it just brings a little extra happiness, especially when you go back to room and she's there. It's just a little bit different atmosphere in the room, you know?

Yeah, I mean, I try to take her as much as I can, but obviously there is some countries where it's just impossible to take her, such as Australia or Asia. But, yes, she will be now I think all the way until Wimbledon with us supporting.

She also bring a little bit of lucky charm, because since we started to have her, I started to have a better matches and better results, so I believe in that (laughing).

Q. How much time do you actually spend in Austria already, because I know you train sometimes in Dubai and sometimes in Bratislava, I think. You have trained a few weeks already with Günter Bresnik before, I know. He told me you have a divine backhand. So, yeah, how much are you really in Austria?

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: Actually a lot. The last couple of years I've been there a lot. Every time I have time, I go back to Vienna.

At the moment we are talking to some people where I can maybe try to make my base where I can practice. I always been invited by some players to practice there, by some coaches as well, such as our Fed Cup --

Q. (Off microphone.)

ANASTASIA POTAPOVA: No, Juri Melzer. So we in contact with him every time we see each other or sometimes over the phone. So he's always said if I have two, three days, I can always come and practice with him where he's practicing with other girls.

So I think it's very nice opportunity for girls as well, because they're very young, and for me as well, just to start making Vienna as my base.