E. RADUCAN/M. Linette
7-6, 6-2
PRESIDENT: Well done. What was your overall impression of today’s game?
EMMA RADUCAN: Thank you. Magda is obviously a great opponent. I think she played at a very high level today. She had a great start to the season, like reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open. I mean, to do that in a tournament, it’s really impressive. I played with her at the end of last year and I could definitely tell that she has improved a lot, I thought.
It was really hard for me.
MODERATOR: Questions please.
Q. How do you feel physically compared to the previous day?
EMMA RADUCANO: I feel better than the other day. I would say I wasn’t 100%, but I was better.
Q. In terms of your tennis, how do you feel about your game compared to the day before? Is it coming at the same level, at the same speed?
EMMA RADUCAN: Yes, I would say I feel more positive about my game today. The first day I didn’t really know what was going on (laughs). I felt pretty decent out there today, especially with the conditions. It was really windy. And, yes, I overcame it well.
Q. Your first back-to-back win since September and probably your biggest win over a seeded opponent since the US Open. Do you have any feeling that this could be the start of something for you?
EMMA RADUCAN: I just feel good with the way I’m, like, working with my team, not getting too, you know, too happy or too down. I’m just dragging myself.
Yeah, I feel pretty good the way things are.
Q. A much different reaction at the end of that game than the other day when you were somehow humiliated. Did that one feel particularly good and satisfying? Emotionally, how did you experience it?
EMMA RADUCANO: Yes, I was really pleased to win today. I was there the other day. But like I said, I was so out of it that I didn’t really know what was going on.
But today, yeah, I was so happy with the way I fought. Because Magda played, like, at a really high level. Just as some things that worked in the past don’t work today, I have adapted.
Yes, I was, yes, just very, very pleased with how I fought and dug in.
Q. You called the trainer to check your wrist again. How is the right wrist? What exactly is the injury?
EMMA RADUCAN: Yes, I got some treatment in between. That’s the same. It’s manageable. I can still win matches at this level. Managing it.
Yeah, as for that, I’m not going to get into that (laughs).
Q. I’m curious, you came with no expectations, right, from what you said? Do you think it helped you in any way? Is that a good approach? Obviously you want to be fit and in shape, that sort of thing. But as you approach these matches, you kind of go all out and see what happens, is that different than, say, last year or other tournaments you’ve played?
EMMA RADUCAN: I mean, I’ve had so little practice in this tournament over the last few weeks that actually playing matches was a bonus and a win. I’m enjoying competing again.
Yeah, I think this feeling of competition is better than, you know, being sick or injured or out. So I’m glad every time I go out on the pitch for a game.
Q. Your forehand seems to be in a way, the game goes as well as your forehand works. Is that the shot that, when you were down 4-1 today, it looked like you were able to push her across the court, push her back off the court with that shot, can you just talk about what…
EMMA RADUCANO: Yes, I think, my forehand is good. I think I have a really good game, to be honest. I felt it today. I think it was difficult with the conditions, as if one side was against and the other with the wind. You have to kind of adjust how you play, depending on which side you’re on.
Yes, I felt the ball well on my forehand. Yeah, I thought I played pretty decent at the level.
Q. Just from what you said in terms of nurturing every bit of it, is that something you can bottle up and carry over to other courts in other tournaments? Or is it something that you kind of learn how to get to that emotional place?
EMMA RADUCAN: I think because of the amount of similar setbacks I’ve had and the amount of time I’ve spent off the court over the past 18 months, it definitely grows with feeling and time on tour.
I think you definitely appreciate it more when you are able to be on the field. Yeah, I’ve obviously had a couple in a row recently, so I’m really pleased to be out there on the field.
Q. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you should hire someone to clean the entire area around you of black cats, stray ladders… because lucky you, you’ve been unlucky for so long.
EMMA RADUCAN: Yeah, I mean, sometimes you wonder, like, you think, how is this possible (laughs)?
But very quickly I think you create your own happiness. It works both ways. I also won the US Open, and I think that sometimes I also have to deal with bad luck, because I’ve also been lucky. I don’t think I would trade that title for anything.
Yeah, I’m willing to put up with whatever it takes, knowing I’ve got it in the bank (laughs).
FastScripts Transcript from ASAP Sports
130067-1-1063 2023-03-11 22:35:00 GMT