R. MARINO/K. Bondarenko
6 3, 6 3
REBECCA MARINO
Q. How does it feel to win your first match here? How do you feel the match went for you?
REBECCA MARINO: Yeah, of course I'm very happy winning the match. It's my first win main draw Roland Garros. I think probably my first win apart from juniors at Roland Garros. So I'm really pleased with how the match went today.
Q. What was the key for you? Have won two Grand Slam first rounds before, but perhaps not this easily.
REBECCA MARINO: Yeah, I don't think there was anything special I did today. I just felt I served really well, and that always helps me. Played pretty confidently.
Q. So is the surface and your game and everything is translating better and better to the clay? You feel it's evolving well?
REBECCA MARINO: Yeah, I think so, because I'm playing on it a lot more than I used to. I've said it quite a few times, that the more experience I get the better I'm playing on it and the more comfortable I'm feeling.
It's not perfect, of course. I can always improve on it. But I'm feeling better.
Q. Are you conscious of the fact that Milos Raonic is practicing with Nadal next door?
REBECCA MARINO: I have no clue. That's cool, though. Explains why everyone was looking over the fence.
Q. What do you think worked pretty well for you today?
REBECCA MARINO: My serve for sure was really working today. Yeah, I think my forehand was really good. I had a few really low balls that I didn't think I would put in and made it.
So, yeah, those two, I think.
Q. When you come into a Grand Slam now, what's your mindset now as opposed to, let's say, the way you came into this one a year ago?
REBECCA MARINO: Yeah, well, when I came here this year I was really surprised. I'm so used to playing qualifying and being here early, so that was a bit strange.
But, you know, it's just like preparation for any tournament. It's just a bonus to be in the main draw and not have the extra couple matches that tire you out a bit.
But it's just normal.
Q. Did you remember just logistics last year, just organizing hotels or how they treat you here at the tournament as a qualifier as opposed to how you walked in this year? Just the day-to-day stuff that a main draw player gets?
REBECCA MARINO: They actually treat you very well whether you're in main draw or quallies. You get a few extra things when you're in main draw.
Q. Such as?
REBECCA MARINO: I don't know, you get to go into Chatrier here instead of just in Suzanne Lenglen all the time. You're more over here than there.
There's also a lot more people watching the matches. (Laughing.)
Q.Tactically, how would you say the match played out for both sides?
REBECCA MARINO: I think I stuck to my game plan. I wanted to try and pick on her forehand a little bit because she has a very good backhand. I thought I did that quite well.
She played okay. She's been struggling a little bit lately, but she's a very good player and you can't underestimate here.
You know, it was only just a couple breaks in the match. Nothing really special.
Q. Peer or Maria - MJMS is what I call her. How would you feel about either of them?
REBECCA MARINO: It'll be tricky either way. Shahar is a great player. She's top 20. That's always difficult.
Then Maria Jose Sanchez, I think that's her name, she is a clay-court player, so that's always difficult playing someone who is so used to the surface.
Either way it will be a difficult match, but I'll try and play my best. That's all I can do.
Q. She is a lefty and also a serve and volleyer. Those are elements you don't see every week.
REBECCA MARINO: Yeah. Well, I'm lucky. My dad's a lefty, so I grew up with that.
Q. Was he a serve and volleyer, though?
REBECCA MARINO: No. Not really.
No comments:
Post a Comment