00:00BNP Paribas, partenaire des plus belles histoires de Roland Garros, aux côtés des ramasseurs de balles depuis plus de 50 ans.
00:30Donc, c'était la première étape, et après ça, c'est probablement relaxé me dans le match, parce que c'est juste un truc de funny.
00:40Donc, je suis heureux d'être venu aujourd'hui et je vais remettre mes rackets pour la prochaine fois.
00:48Hi Coco.
00:49You usually wear such great kits for every Grand Slam, et cette fois, on a vu avec un leather jacket pour la walk-up.
00:56Can you talk about that and what was the inspiration?
00:58Yeah, honestly, I ain't gonna lie, that was all into New Balance.
01:01I didn't really know I was wearing, I knew the kit that I was wearing, because we tried on, obviously.
01:06But they gave me the leather jacket, and I saw it this week, and I was like, oh wow, that's fire.
01:11I've talked to them how I always wanted to spice up my own walk-on outfit, just because I feel like you can do a lot because you're not playing.
01:18So we talked about doing a leather jacket, and we talked about doing other stuff that I don't want to say in case we actually do it.
01:26So yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with it.
01:30But yeah, I think it's cool.
01:32I feel like it matches the Parisian vibe here, and it just makes me feel super powerful going onto the court.
01:41I think I'll go off the plate today.
01:43Thank you.
01:44I wanted to ask you this question because you're one of the leaders of American women's tennis.
01:48Not the only leader, but one of the key leaders.
01:51And we're talking about two and a half years since Serena has retired, and you guys have been able to do so much incredible stuff.
01:58A couple slam winners, 23 guys in the top 200.
02:01I just wonder how it makes you feel that her legacy is living on, and that you guys are so diverse and so powerful and so talented and so deep.
02:09Yeah, I think it means a lot to all of us.
02:12I think we all root for each other, and to have your compatriots on tour makes it a lot easier.
02:17Having people that you can call and go to dinner with and deal with this life because no one knows how it is except the players on tour.
02:26And just to have so many options for friends, so many options for practice, so many options for doubles.
02:32It's just nice, and I guess to be a part of that means a lot.
02:38And yeah, with Serena, I think she's inspired so many to play tennis, including me.
02:42So she definitely has a lot of credit when it comes to just getting rackets into people's hands.
02:47And obviously, the more rackets you get into people's hands, the more chances you have for people to do great on tour.
02:53So yeah, it's great to be a part of that.
02:58Well done.
02:59How is your first, I mean, she mentioned before about first rounds can be a little edgy.
03:05How is your edginess heading into first rounds these days, especially at Grand Slams?
03:11Yeah, usually I'm very nervous.
03:13And I was a little bit today, but I think it was just the least nervous I've been heading into a first round of a Grand Slam.
03:20And then the whole racket situation, I think, just took a load off too.
03:23So yeah, I think, yeah, I wasn't nervous today.
03:27I knew the conditions were going to be difficult, so it's kind of one of those matches I went into knowing it wasn't going to be pretty tennis all the time.
03:35So I think it just, with that mindset going in, it just makes you feel better necessarily when you aren't winning the points the way you kind of want to.
03:42And then can I just ask, when does the, how do the nerves change as the rounds go on?
03:47Well, I think no one just wants to lose first round.
03:52So, and it happens.
03:53I mean, half the draw loses first round.
03:55So when you put it in that perspective, you realize it's really not that bad, to be honest.
04:00So yeah, I think as the rounds go, I think it's just with every tournament, you feel more comfortable out there on the court.
04:06You have a match under your belt, you know how to deal with certain situations.
04:10And yeah, I think for me, it's all, I think the first round is the most nervous I get.
04:15And after that, you just feel like it's a little bit more smooth sailing.
04:20Hi Kuko, congrats for today.
04:21Thanks.
04:22You've been coming to Paris and Roland-Garros for many years now.
04:25I'm just wondering if you settled into a kind of Parisian routine.
04:29Yeah, yes and no.
04:31I mean, I still explore new things like all the time.
04:34But yeah, sometimes if I play later, I'll go walk in the gardens or, but for the most part, I think I try to do new things each trip.
04:45And even if it's just going to dinner in a different area than where I'm staying, not necessarily, I guess, tourist things.
04:52But I have a couple things saved that I want to do, but who knows if I have the time.
04:57Hey Kuko.
04:58Hi.
04:59I just wondered what informs your decision whether to play doubles at an event and what are the kind of pros and cons of doing so?
05:07Yeah.
05:08Honestly, nothing.
05:10To be honest, in Madrid, Robin asked me in Miami if I wanted to play doubles.
05:15And I like Robin.
05:17She's one of my closest friends.
05:19And we've known each other since we were maybe nine years old.
05:23And so I was just like, yeah, it would be so fun to play on that level with someone I've known so long.
05:29So that was kind of my decision with that.
05:31And then Rome.
05:32Honestly, I was just thinking how it was just a long two weeks.
05:35And then at first, I originally wasn't going to play doubles in Rome.
05:37But then Alex DMed me, I think, before my semifinal in Madrid.
05:42And she asked me if I wanted to play.
05:44And I was like, yeah.
05:45And yeah, I think it was just honestly them asking me, especially them being around my age,
05:51just having players that were around my age.
05:53And I obviously knew Robin, but Alex I didn't know well.
05:55And I thought that would be a good opportunity just to know her and make a friend.
05:58And yeah, that was the reason why I decided to play.
06:01And what was the bottom two?
06:02Yeah.
06:03And there's a bottom two again.
06:04Oh, I mean, advantages.
06:05I mean, especially in the long Masters, one thousands, I think just feeding it up the time faster.
06:11Obviously, I got lucky that I went finals in both tournaments.
06:14So it didn't feel so bad.
06:15But if you lose early and having to wait for the next tournament, it's a long wait.
06:20And then same here.
06:21Like I probably wasn't going to go home after Rome if I had lost early.
06:24So it's better just to be in a tournament doing something, feeling like you're competing
06:34And, you know, hoping that you get the schedule that you want so you can still feel fresh for singles.
06:39Hi, Coco.
06:40Hi.
06:41Would you say it's easier or harder for a teenager to win a Grand Slam title?
06:52Maybe there's the advantage, once one is older, of having more experience and all of that.
06:58There's maybe also on the other side the advantage of being more of an unknown or less a player
07:05who everybody has seen a lot if you're young.
07:08I guess it depends on where you are on that spectrum.
07:13I feel like for me it felt harder just because I felt like in my game and maturity-wise I was probably nowhere near ready
07:21to win one in the early ages of like being a teenager.
07:24But everyone expected it because of that hype train around it.
07:28But you have to be realistic that these are developing players and not many tennis players these days are reaching their peak so young.
07:35Most players are reaching, I mean, look at Sabalenka.
07:39I feel like she, not later, I mean, because she's still young.
07:41But just people I think in our sport think of it like that.
07:44But any other sport most people are peaking a little bit later.
07:47But obviously you have the, if you're maybe someone like Emma or, you know, someone who's a little bit under the radar.
07:54Yeah, maybe it's probably a little bit easier because you don't have that than necessarily pressure.
07:58I just, it's all situational for me.
08:00I think it just depends on when you first came on tour how much quote unquote hype it is and if the player is able to knock all that out.
08:08Because it is tough too sometimes.
08:20Hello. Hi.
08:21I would like to ask you being now on the top quite a while, what is the key factor that you think the one who's number one the most of the time during the year is managing better than the other two, three, four?
08:36I mean, probably consistency.
08:39I mean, you, to be number one, you have to win a lot.
08:42And Irina has been winning a lot in the years that Ecos were mainly the number one.
08:48She was winning a lot.
08:49So I think just consistency on tour and each year I think you learn how to manage that consistency.
08:55It's not easy when you're winning.
08:57It may look like that, but it's not because we're winning matches and you're playing more matches and you have to learn how to manage the year.
09:04And I think, you know, both of them probably managed the year pretty well.
09:08So yeah, I think for me to reach that point, obviously there's games that I have to, parts of my games that I have to change.
09:14But also I think it just comes with experience and learning how to manage the year.
09:19Hi, Coco.
09:20Hi.
09:21As Chris, he stated that you are like one of the leader of female tennis.
09:26So I want to ask your opinion on, you know, almost no female matches are scheduled in the night session.
09:34Yeah, I think here is a unique topic just because there is only one slot at 815.
09:41And yeah, I mean, to be honest, if you want, I don't think any girl, I mean, prove me wrong, I don't think anyone wants to play after the 815 match.
09:50So I don't know what the other girls would think, but I think most people would rather play before that.
09:56Maybe there's a chance to put someone at 630 or 7.
10:00But yeah, I think if there is only going to be one match at 815, like, yeah, maybe there could be a women's match.
10:07But if it is going to be, if they want to start the night session at 815, I'm sure most girls on tour rather not play after a men's match and have to go on at 11 or 12.
10:17So I think it's just tournament to tournament and this tournament, this is seems to me what they want.
10:22But most tournaments do have the two matches, one starting at seven and one afterwards.
10:27So, yeah, I can't really complain too.
10:30But it's I think it's just up to the tournament, honestly.
