Transcript: Badosa def. Day 6-4, 6-3 (First Round)

Paula Badosa defeats Kayla Day
6-4, 6-3
Round of 64

THE MODERATOR: Paula, congratulations on the match. Just your thoughts on getting your first win on clay?

PAULA BADOSA: Always feels good to come back on clay. Honestly, I think I played a pretty solid match. She’s a very talented player. So I didn’t know her much. So I was pretty surprised for her level. And I’m happy that I got the win.

Q. Paula, after everything you told us yesterday, where does today fit into your thoughts and feelings, your come back, all that sort of stuff?

PAULA BADOSA: Pretty good on my body. I felt pretty good on court. I think I was moving pretty well, honestly, and I think my game suits very good on clay. So I’m being pretty positive, and hopefully I can get a lot of matches under my belt.

Q. Between your condition and clay, how does your recovery change, if at all?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, in a way, it’s more physical to play on clay, but also, it’s less aggressive for my, let’s say, body. So, yeah, I think I can feel pretty good on clay. I think today I played — I moved really well that I was quite aware of that, let’s see how I feel in moving on court, and I was pretty positive. And for now my body is okay. So let’s see if — as I say, I think the more matches I can get, also I think it could be a little bit helpful.

Q. You talked about the goose bumps that you get going back on the court and also of the doubts that you have in yourself, and I just wondered, when everything is going right and you’re hitting the ball well and you’re feeling good, do you actually get a moment to appreciate the beauty of your game and all that you’re able to do on the court?

PAULA BADOSA: I try. I try to think and to see it that way. Of course, in the middle of the match, sometimes it’s complicated. But I think today I found moments that I was enjoying on court. And I think when I’m in that zone, that I’m like celebrating and screaming and, yeah, fist pumping, I think it’s when I’m enjoying the most. It’s my character, and I’ve always played that way. So today I had moments like that, and that’s why I get goose bumps, you know, because I missed that part of me, and it’s been a while that I don’t feel that. So I’m trying to go back on court and trying to feel that feeling again.

Q. As a followup, when things are going well and you are at your best, do you see yourself in the top group handful of players in the world?

PAULA BADOSA: Well, yeah. I mean, it’s not that I see myself. I think I proved it, you know. And I’ve been a Top 10 player. Then I was injured, and I came back again, and it’s not easy to do it. And I see myself there. I mean, I’ve played last rounds of the most biggest tournaments in the world. So, yeah, I do. That’s also a part that I’m frustrated, you know, that now I am not able or at the beginning of the year I’m not being able to win a lot of matches, and that’s a little bit the battle that I have because I know my level, but I’m not able to maybe produce it lately. So, yeah, but I still have faith. That’s one of the reasons yesterday I was explaining that I still want to continue this sport, because I see myself — I don’t know what number, but I see myself coming back and coming back strong.

Q. A few weeks ago you recorded a message for Bad Bunny in English and in Spanish. I’m curious if you’ve heard from his team at all since you sent that.

PAULA BADOSA: I have to say, I have tickets for the concert.

Q. You talked about being one of the first on the bandwagon. I’m curious if you remember one of the first times you heard his music and just in general what his songs do for you.

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, like, honestly, I’m a bit jealous because now everyone is a Bad Bunny fan, but they’re not the real fans. I was the real one, like in 2019, 2018, you know, when he started. And I was even saying, I love this artist, he’s my favorite artist, and everyone was like, who? I’m like, you’ll see, you’ll see. So now everyone is a fan. No, but I listen like all day Bad Bunny before the match. Well, today you saw I did like something, a celebration, but it was because of a song that I’m listening of him with the team. So it’s an inside joke, but it’s related to Bad Bunny. So, yeah, it’s really cool. It just gives me like good vibes. And before a match it’s very important for me to get in that zone and that mood. Yeah, I think his music is perfect for that.

Q. Paula, yesterday you also talked about pushing past the doubts and the doubters, the doubts of other people. I know around the time of Dubai you responded to a critic on Twitter or something like that. I’m just curious how often do you come across those sort of things as a player on social media, and how hard is it for you to sometimes not respond to them more often? Like what is that whole process like?

PAULA BADOSA: Hard to not respond? It’s very hard. I would respond all of them, honestly. If you know me a bit, I have a fire character, so when I see it… but I have to breathe, and I know it’s not the smartest thing to do.
But I felt it in that moment, because as you guys found out yesterday, part of new injuries that I never spoke about it, that I’ve been dealing with. So I found it like so unfair for me to see that kind of messages. So I wanted to like maybe make things clear. But I would never recommend to maybe a young player to get very involved in that because it’s a bit toxic, and it’s people you really don’t know. So they’re behind a screen, and it’s a bit dangerous to get very involved in social media and comments. But once in a while, why not, you know? If you do it in a proper way, and I felt it. And, also, maybe I’m in a different stage of my career or life. Maybe I wouldn’t do it when I was 20, because I’m young and maybe I would deal with it in a different way. But I’ve seen a lot, and I think already the comments don’t affect me as much. So I feel that I can do these things, and even though the feedback is positive or negative, I know I will be okay in a way.

Q. I want to flip the coin on that question. You had a lot of crowd support today.

PAULA BADOSA: Yes.

Q. And I want to know, crowd support is always a great thing, but what does it mean to you at this time?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah. It’s a good question because it’s something that means a lot for me right now. And I’m very conscious about it. Maybe when you’re playing a lot of matches and you’re on the top and everything is like rolling, you’re not very conscious about it. But now that things are not going as well as I would like to, I’m really conscious about that because I’m like valuing what I’ve been as a player, you know, because if you have sometimes self-doubt, you’re like, oh, I’m not good enough and all this. But then I just stop a moment and I’m like, okay, you have all these people that came to see you that’s a fan, you know. So yeah, it brings me more maybe self-esteem and less doubt in a way, and I’m like, okay, let me try to play for them also. So it pushes me and it gives me this extra motivation, and honestly, for me, it’s super, super special.

Q. Paula, on sort of like the tennis tour that just keeps on moving, I think there’s something about this tournament in particular that slows everything down in a weird way, and I wonder if the players feel that. I don’t know why, but there seems to be sort of like a calm around everyone. Everyone feels so calm. Everyone is just chatty. Do you feel that or are you so focused on the sport, what you’re trying to do, or do you feel that around as well?

PAULA BADOSA: No. I do feel it in a way, now that you say, but I think it’s because the tournament, like everything helps. Like the environment, the place, how they treat us here. I think, also, coming from very intense tournaments that are 1000s, Miami, the craziness maybe there, the traffic that you don’t have here. So I think also the town is amazing here. So you feel like very calm, and it’s like more a family tournament, let’s say. So I think that as players we value that a lot, and especially now, also, that it’s a crazy schedule coming on clay court swing. So I think this tournament is, of course, a beautiful one, but also, it’s very helpful for us, like for me for sure to start here, the clay court season. I love it. And I have to say, also, as she mentioned before, the fans help a lot. I think they’re very passionate, but in a very, like, classy way, you know. And I think as players or me, I feel it, and I think it’s very helpful.