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AEGON INTERNATIONALJune 20, 2016Timea BacsinszkyEastbourne, England THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You're not one for doing warmup tournaments, really. So why Eastbourne? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: Last year I was supposed to play some warmup tournaments. I was supposed, but I had to withdraw from all of them because I got injured back home practicing after the French Open. So that's why I canceled them. The year before, well, I was playing the quallies at Wimbledon. So if you remember. I know. I came back quickly. But, no, this year, well, I decided just to play one tournament before Wimbledon because my year is going to be anyway so busy with all the travels. So days back home, your own bed, are priceless for me. So it depends. Maybe some players they like to travel worldwide every week, but I'm not that type of player. I like to stay a little bit more home. And especially when I played almost like, yeah, five big weeks on clay, like longer, even six weeks with the week of break between the Madrid -- no, between Rome and the French Open. And, well, it's a lot every day to be able to focus on every match. So if you don't rest your mind and your body at a certain point you're going to get injured or you're going to have a burnout and I want to avoid that. Q. Does that time help you make adjustment from the clay to the grass? Do you feel maybe a bit more ready? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: Well, definitely more ready than last year before Wimbledon, because I went there without playing like being injured and I ended up playing a quarterfinal. So definitely feel more ready for competition right now even a week before the Grand Slam. But, well, the conditions aren't easy, as well. So doesn't help to get well prepared for grass or for Wimbledon. And the courts are quite different. Last year it was quite dry, as well, in London, so the bounce of the ball was really different than in 2014, like for me. And right now it was a different feeling as well here for me than last year on grass. You have to adapt for any kind of situation. I don't think there's -- it's like on clay -- hard court is different. But it's like on clay. I feel grass is like on clay adaptation-wise that one day is can be super sunny and the other day it can be pretty humid and the conditions are changing. You cannot compare one day to the other one unless the whole week you have good weather. Well, I really hope so, but so far -- so far it doesn't look like it's going to be like that. So, yeah, that's why adaptation-wise I don't know if I feel ready or not. I take day by day how it comes, and I try to deal with the conditions of the day and trying to make the most of each day. Q. What is your relationship with grass? Do you like it? Is it a particularly challenging thing? How do you describe it? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: I was kind of afraid of grass for many years, but since I came back in 2013 -- so it was my second tournament I played after deciding that I wanted to play again. So I played the French Open, like everyone knows the story, blah, blah, blah, the e-mail, stuff. Then I went back to work. And then I was also in the list of Wimbledon. So meanwhile, I was working and, well, I said, Okay, let's go and play Wimbledon. It was funny because I practiced like five days before, and so my coach was there with me, as well, but only for one game. I played against Madison Brengle and I ended up winning 6-4 in the third. For me it was like a miracle, like coming from nowhere playing in Roehamton, which is like a potato field. For all my respects to Roehamton, they are trying their best, but it's not really the most glamorous grass court ever. With those like funny conditions that like everyone's over there and you have many courts everywhere and it's like a bazaar. It's like a zoo over there. I ended up winning a match. I was like, wow. And almost won my second match but I lost against Schmiedlova 7-5 in the third. Well, this was already amazing for me in 2013. And then the year after I play Nottingham, 50,000, and I remember it was so challenging for me playing over there. I saved like five match points in my second-round match and then ended up playing the final to be maybe able to get a wildcard for Wimbledon. Then I totally choked. I lost like 2 and 2. I couldn't play. But already it was something different, like, wow, I know I can -- sorry, you asked the question but I keep looking over here. Too many informations. I cannot treat them like... And, well, then won my first match in '14 against Fichman, was as well a big challenge for me playing on a big court against Maria. And then I couldn't really show what I was able to because I was probably had too much pressure, and she was putting too much pressure, as well. But already I was feeling that it's gonna -- it might suit my game better. And then last year I ended up in quarterfinals beating, especially for me it was a big challenge to beat Lisicki and Niculescu. Like we say in French (speaking French) like Black Beast. I barely won against her, and especially on grass with her slice it was a challenging match for me. Probably I lost a lot of energy than before my quarterfinals. But I was already -- it was already like if I would have win Wimbledon for me. Well, I feel that my game suits, I mean, grass -- my game is quite good right now on grass because I'm able to play longer rallies if I really need to. Even if -- I know you cannot really defend, it's not good to defend on grass, but I can be in that position to give one extra ball back for my opponent and to mix up with the spins to be able to come to the net, to be able to maybe do a chip and charge or -- I'm not saying -- I'm not even at 1% of Roger's level in that, but I'm trying to improve my game and to make, yeah, everything possible what I can that can help me to play well on grass. Q. We asked Belinda when she won last year, what is it about the Swiss and grass? Because they all seem to be very good on it. She laughed and said, I don't know, because in Switzerland grass is for cows. What is it about grass that seems to sort of lend itself to your compatriots and yourself? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: Well, we see grass every day. It's nice. Switzerland is clean. We have a lot of fields. Q. She mentioned she practiced on clay courts in Switzerland and said the clay courts were so bad it was almost like playing on grass. TIMEA BACSINSZKY: We are not practicing at the same place then. (Laughter.) Well, it's also going to be an answer even if it was not your question but it can also answer that question that everyone is asking me why are Swiss players playing so well. I think it's not something about the surfaces but it's more that being in the middle of Europe tennis-type-wise you have all those influences. French are playing in like they like the nice game (speaking French) coming forward, making big shots, aesthetically nice, a lot of culture of tennis. Then you have the Spaniards fighting for every point, they don't care. Like, oh, shit. It's getting really official these things. The first time I'm doing this kind of press conference I know I cannot behave like I would normally. (Laughter.) And they just like go for every -- try to give back so many balls, try to make work the other one. Okay, you're gonna say not every Spaniard, for sure. There is all the time the exception. Muguruza is not that type of player. But anyway, you see almost all the rest of the Spanish players -- you all the time have an exception. But whatever. Really the majority of Spaniards are like, okay, I'm going to fight for everything, and the spirit of clay court. Even if I have to chip everything, I'm going to win the match even if it's ugly. Even if it's playing with the other side of the racquet, I don't care. And then you have Italy can be also like this. It's a mixture. And then you have Eastern Europe, which are based on the baseline hitting everything, going for the lines, trying to take the ball early, putting a lot of pressure. And it's also a type of play. And then all my respect for Swedish players, they are not as good as they were before. So I don't know why, but they have great coaches, amazing coaches. No, but probably I don't know well enough how they were playing before to be that good, because I was probably too young and I wasn't that interested in tactics and stuff like that. And then just Europe-wise, why Switzerland, why we have so many maybe good players? We have all these influences. I'm not even tired but I can't speak anymore. And I think that's why it's like in the Swiss mentality you're open for everything. We have to learn more languages, we have to -- every kid has an education. Everyone -- most of the people have a job, a decent job. They work hard. We like to work. It's all the system which works. And maybe it's a small parallel to say that maybe that's why we can also play well on grass, because we are open minded. We say, okay, we are gonna fight for every point. We are gonna try to hit balls. We're gonna try maybe new things and we are going to accept the situation and how it is. And so we go for it. I don't know if you understand the point or... Q. No British influence? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: No British influence? No. I mean, we're surrounded -- before going to like England we are surrounded with France, so we have to pass France first to go to England. So it's too far, England. But France's influence has a good influence, probably, as well, on tennis. No, but that's why I'm thinking maybe we are this open-minded thing we have in Switzerland, helps us right now in tennis and maybe indirectly on grass. I'm saying that and I'm going to make first round here, first round at Wimbledon. Anyway. I don't know. Q. How do you pass the time during rain delays? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: I have my best friend here with me. She's at the same time my coach, my boyfriend, and my physio this week because I'm alone with her. No, it's nice to have her here with me. Usually I travel with my whole team but my coach is on holiday. My boyfriend went to see the soccer game yesterday in Lille and it's organized for such a long time. He's like, no, I don't care, I don't come to Eastbourne. And then my physio, he has to work also sometimes home because he's struggling already so much with me. But they're going to come, as soon as I'm done here, they're going to get to Wimbledon at the same time. But yesterday it wasn't raining, so I had a quite busy day with this Redoubt Fortress clinic with Petra. I practiced two hours in a row. And some physio, as well. I went also a little bit in town with my best friend. In the evening there was a soccer game, and we ended up being in the same bar as Courtney. Had a nice chat, as well. We were cheering for the same team. Not going to say which one but... And, yeah, but otherwise I read. My best friend is leaving tonight, so I'm going to enjoy more time with her this afternoon, maybe going into some shops, not under the rain. But, yeah, we'll see. Q. You talked about Swiss influences on tennis and your game. Do you think that there are any Hungarian influences in kind of how you are or how you play? TIMEA BACSINSZKY: Definitely. I think my background has helped me a lot with who I am today. It's what -- even my never-going-to-be-again relationship with my dad, I know that he's -- when you are a kid, you all the time look at your parents, because they are the only thing that basically you see every day. And how my mom and my dad were when I was a kid, not regarding how they were behaving with me, but how they were and also with other people and maybe telling me you have to fight for what you have, you have to fight for who you want to be, you have to this thing that -- it's not only given. You have to go and work for what you really want to get. It's probably why also I'm restless and also everything -- if I commit to something, I really want to go to my maximum. I never know where my limits are, where my maximum is, but I'm trying to seek it. It's probably because of the Hungarian influence, because they have been beaten so many times in war. They were such a big empire. And then long, long time ago. But we are also quiet population. In Switzerland, if you don't see -- you don't say, Oh, I'm a proud Hungarian. Other countries, they would all the time have the flags and stuff. But Hungarians are -- I believe in foreign countries they are really super, like, quiet. But we have this willing -- I'm saying "we." I'm not gonna speak for others, but I have this willing and probably it's coming from that. Like, okay, you have to fight. Like my dad fought to get away from Romania. He was Hungarian but in the Hungarian minority of Romania, and he couldn't pass the borders and had to arrange a marriage in order to get out. I mean, political refugee. It was really tough. My mom had an easier situation, but I know it wasn't easy for them. And I grew up with that. So that's why I fought all the time for everything, what I did. It's probably because of that. And that's why you see -- maybe you have seen this awesome video of Hungarian fans in the streets of Marseilles marching. But still when they won the game against Iceland -- yeah, tie, sorry. But they are still No. 1 in the group, right? And for them it's like finally they have maybe something that they can raise their voice for. It was really, knowing the story of this country, it was a really touching video. And they weren't hooligans or whatever. They were like Irish fans, like really nice, and they were just like super proud and finally like having something together. I mean, I don't know. Touched me a lot, because I found myself as well in that, as well. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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