“Can you tell us what changed in Aryna Sabalenka’s game compared to the 2023 US Open final (won by the American 2-6, 6-3, 6-2)?
She served better and made fewer mistakes. For my part, I think I was less aggressive here than at the US Open. But this final, I don’t feel like I had such a great match. I won, but I think I played better here. I have regrets regarding the first service. I would have liked to hit more. And it’s difficult to fully commit to the second ones when you’ve made a few double faults. And yet, I was in a position to serve for the first set. In the end, it comes down to a few points. Same in the second set. Maybe if I don’t let it go back to 4-4, that changes everything. But there is a lot of positive in all of this. I don’t think I played badly, but there were important points that escaped me. The result hurts, but I try to stay positive.
“It’s not so much about speed as it is about zones. But I was serving too directly on her forehand and she knew where to position herself. We’re going to have to work on this
Sabalenka is generally very aggressive in returning second balls. How to understand it when we confront it? Is there additional pressure?
Yes and no. I’ve faced her so many times that it’s something I’ve taken on board as an inherent part of her game. Sometimes she misses, sometimes she makes winning shots. This time, they were winning shots. But I have the impression, especially in the second set, that I could have found better areas, varied more. It’s not so much about speed as it is about zones. But I was serving too directly on her forehand and she knew where to position herself. We’ll have to work on that.
It was your first night game. How did the adaptation go? Would you have liked to play one before the semi-final?
I’ve often played early in the day here, but I think that’s also so that my matches are broadcast at a good time in the United States. In the end, it was more of an advantage. Of course, I would have liked to have a night match. But whether it’s in the second round or in the semi-finals, there has to be one who is first in the tournament. I trained at night and it’s not a discovery for me, so I think it didn’t have an impact on my game.
It was the first Grand Slam tournament where you didn’t also play the doubles. Did you miss it? Will the double be less present in the future?
Yes, I missed it a little. In the future, the double will not be systematic. I’m not giving up on it, but we’re going to do things differently. But it was weird to have so much time between two singles matches, yes. But I’m not giving up the double. After my first round, I wanted to work on my returns. But as I wasn’t playing doubles, we had to return to the practice court. It’s different. »
