Happy after beating Veronika Kudermetova and qualifying for the second time for the semifinals of the WTA 1,000 in Indian Wells, Paula Badosa He spoke to the media in his impeccable American English to talk about the match and about the good feelings he experiences in this tournament.
The match: “Very happy for my win today. It was hard for me at the beginning, because I never beat Veronika before, and she is a tough opponent. I am happy that I played very well today and I am in the semi-finals again.”
El drive: “Yeah, I think a little bit the key was serving well. Also attacking her second serve. I had faced her three times, and she always made the same mistakes. I didn’t want to do it for the fourth time in a row. Yes, of course, I wanted to dominate with my forehand. Maybe not leaving her much to open up the court to me. At first, maybe I was hitting a little harder in the middle and then I had a chance to move her. When she was moving, I tried to always put one more ball That was also important.”
Make the rival work: “Yes, that’s what I always want to show my opponents at the beginning of the matches, that if they want to beat me, they have to be there for three hours and play very well. That’s a little bit what I want to show them. Of course, I want to play aggressive , finding the balance being aggressive and playing good tennis. I know I’m at a very high level, very high. Maybe I don’t move as well as other players. But I think I really got better at it.”
Authority in Indian Wells: “What you just said about Azarenka (He lost to her until he won her in the final last year), the truth is that I thought today. I never beat Kudermetova. She was a very aggressive player. But today I thought, ‘come on, you beat Victoria Azarenka here playing an amazing and similar game, so you can do it again today, but you have to stay really focused. The first three or four shots are very important’. That gave me a bit of confidence, to be honest.”
Previous duel against Sakkari: “I remember it was a very tough match. She hits the ball really hard. She moves well. Plus, she’s a fighter. I really see myself sometimes in her. I think we played pretty much the same, or we tried to do the same things. I remember it was very tough. She had two key moments. So yeah, I think I’ll have to fight every ball, stay aggressive too, serve well. She’s a good server too. And she’s good at moving. In this round just you have to try to put your best tennis on the table. Let’s see how it goes.”
Surprised?: “I mean, if you were to ask me that 10 days ago, yes… I didn’t imagine being in the semis again. Like I said, I didn’t play well a month ago. I mean, the year is too long. Of course, you’re not going to play well every tournament. But I didn’t expect to go back to the semi-finals and play at this level again, to be honest. So, I’m very happy and very grateful to be here again.”
Sensations in Stage 1: “It’s very easy to say now, but I used to say it before when I first came here, in qualifying. I remember speaking after losing to Veronika (Kudermetova). After that match I thought I had to play well here. I mean, the conditions are they adapt very well to my game. ‘Let’s see in the future, but I think I’ll play well in this tournament,’ I thought. Now, of course, I’ve won so many games here that I feel very comfortable. I also like the fans. I don’t know “I like the conditions. The ball bounces a lot and I like that. The court is maybe a little slower. Also, the balls fly less here so you can play the point more. There are many things that make me feel very good here.” .
Grand Semifinals: “Yeah, as a tennis fan, that’s true. Yesterday, before the quarterfinals started, I was at home watching them. I thought, ‘oh, it would be great to have Halep, Swiatek, Sakkari and myself in the semis.’ looking forward to that. It’s good for tennis. I hope there will be very good matches. I’m very happy to be one of them here in the semi-finals.”
Great year of Spanish tennis: “Today before the match, I was waiting and I saw three flags from Spain, because there were three matches with Spaniards. It’s amazing. For me it’s amazing to be one of them. I think Spain has amazing players. We always had amazing players, not just Rafa. Now Carlos Alcaraz. Many good ones. It’s super nice to be one of them and to be here in the semifinals. Yesterday I saw Rafa and Carlos. It’s crazy how they play. Carlos isn’t even the future, he’s the present. He hits very hard against the ball. It’s crazy. I have no words for Rafa. I’m not concentrating here because I want to watch this game (laughs). It’s so good…”.
Alcaraz and his experience: “Alcaraz is a very nice person, very humble. That really surprised me because he’s so young. When you’re so, so nice, it’s hard to stay humble. He’s very nice. We have a really good relationship. We talk a lot. I mean, no I don’t need to give him any advice because he does everything perfect. I mean, when I was his age, I did the complete opposite of him, so I think I have to learn from him. But, no, I mean, he’s so good, I don’t know. He’s going to be amazing.”
Lower the pressure: “Totally. I said it here at the press conference. I was really making an effort to think like that. To think that I won this in October, I don’t want to think that I have so many points to defend. When the year started, of course, I had a lot of points, I was top 10. But I guess I don’t worry that I have to defend them. It’s like, well, I have to make these points. I’ll try to make them in some tournaments. I don’t want to be, like, scared, thinking that by coming here I have to win Indian Wells again. I think if I don’t win it, I’ll have to earn the points somewhere else.”