THE MODERATOR: Welcome to Brisbane. You have been here before for fun as a tourist, I guess. What are your impressions of the tournament so far?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Yeah, I have been absolutely loving the tournament. I'm super excited to get started here. I have always wanted to play this tournament, and it starts later this year, so that was really, really nice.
Yeah, I'm just looking forward to it. It's such a nice city. I think the venue is really great. Yeah, I have been having a lot of fun.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Congratulations on what was an incredible season for you last year. Have you had a chance to reflect and sort of what did you think? How do you sum it all up?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Yeah, for sure I have had moments of kind of looking back and seeing, you know, how that year had gone for me. It was a great year for me. I was really happy with my consistency throughout, and I feel like I had a lot of new experiences and a lot of lessons learned to go into this year.
Yeah, just taking those with me and really looking forward to it.
Q. What were some of those lessons, do you think?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Just those experiences of being in a slam final for the first time, and yeah, just more matches under pressure. I played so many matches last year. I think you can always learn something from those things.
Q. Congratulations. Last year was phenomenal. How did last year change you, especially going into this year and comparing who you were turning up to Australia 12 months ago?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Thank you. Yeah, I mean, I don't know how it's changed me, but I feel like I have gotten to experience so many different things. I think the most important thing was that I had a lot of fun on and off of the court, despite results.
I have, like, a great team with me, and just my family and friends. They were supporting me throughout the whole year, and I think that was the most important thing. And then just being able to excel in my career and have the achievements that I did were that extra cherry on top for me.
Yeah, I think that's the most special part about last year and going into this year. Yeah, super excited to build off of that, and I feel like I'm in a really good place mentally, so I feel like that's maybe the change from the previous year.
Yeah, I feel like I'm growing into the person that I am and that's helped a lot.
Q. You mentioned building off that, and I guess that's what we are like in the media and what you're like yourself, you always want more. How do you build off that? What did you learn from that that you can now take that extra step and become a Grand Slam champion?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Yeah, I think last year I was able to be very consistent because of the self-belief that I kind of instilled in myself, trusting my abilities and being capable to last through a two- or three-week-long tournament, which can be very tough.
I think I kind of doubted myself in previous situations that I was in maybe, say, a few years ago. Last year, despite whatever challenges or obstacles I had, I still trusted myself and told myself I can get past the finish line. I think that was kind of the biggest change. And the more I put myself in those situations, the more that I trust myself.
So I think, yeah, I have had a lot of those experiences last year that going into this year, I just feel very strong and, yeah, I really believe in myself.
Q. It seems like you have been really enjoying yourself in Brisbane, getting out and about. Is that kind of part of the overall process, just to enjoy everywhere that you go?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Oh, for sure. Yeah, whenever I get a chance or any free time that I get, like, a day off, I really try and go out and have some fun and just turn my brain off of the tennis, which is super important.
Yeah, we don't really get -- like, I have been training so much here, so we don't get that much time off, but when I do, I just try and do something fun, because yeah, it's just as important as all the training that I do to have just a mental rest and reset. And I'm very lucky that my best friend lives here, so it's been fun.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports