A. POTAPOVA/D. Kasatkina
7-5, 4-6, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Of course not the result you would hope for today, but how did it feel to play on center court here and have the home support?
DARIA KASATKINA: Honestly felt, I mean, felt great. The court was full, and, I mean, yeah, the atmosphere was great. Yes, I couldn't deliver the result I wanted, but, I mean, overall I think the match was pretty good and entertaining.
Of course it's obviously not the way I wanted to start the season, but, I mean, it is what it is. In tennis there is no draw. There is one winner, one loser. Yeah, just I will get ready for next week.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. How were the nerves today? Was it emotional, like, first time as an Australian playing in Australia?
DARIA KASATKINA: Well, honestly it was super emotional. I mean, it was tough, but at the same time, you know, I was super nervous but also super excited to go. So there was this little mix of everything. I mean, the crowd was great, and honestly, I felt like all the support.
Yeah. I've got two more tournaments in Australia, so yeah. I tried my best today, but just, you know, wasn't enough. Also got a tough opponent. She was playing I think really good today. I mean, just not meant to be this week.
Q. Are you in Adelaide next week?
DARIA KASATKINA: Yes.
Q. You watched how Australian crowds support Australians for 10 years. Did you have to pinch yourself a little bit that it was happening after it's been almost a year?
DARIA KASATKINA: Yeah, honestly when I was, you know, stepping on court with all the cheer and everything, I almost start crying (smiling), but I was able to hold it. Honestly, yeah, I wanted, you know, to win so much and feel this also extra energy by the end of the match, but unfortunately didn't happen.
I mean, I have been through a tough year, so, I mean, now I'm fine, but still, you know, I have to get out of the deep hole right now. It's never easy.
I mean, I have been through these sort of challenges before in my career a couple of times. It's a tough task, but you have to do it. You know, you do it or not, you have to do it.
So, yeah. Obviously I feel better than the end of the -- like not just the end. Almost the whole season of last year. Yeah, just have to keep this mindset and, you know, just play week after week and, you know, give my best and the result will come.
Q. I remember you speaking at Wimbledon last year about how you were still adjusting to how much interest there was in you, now that you were suddenly an Australian. Was that part of the end of last year, dealing with all those new experiences and it all becoming a bit too much?
DARIA KASATKINA: Well, you know, as I said before, last year has been too much for me, like, in many aspects of life and on court as well. Of course I know that nobody is putting this pressure on me. Only I put this pressure on me, because, I mean, I want to show, I want to represent Australia, you know, show the result and everything.
Of course when it's not happening, I feel bad, you know. Even, like, I know that nobody's expecting me to do so, I'm expecting myself to be, you know, I want to, like, kind of pay back to the country and stuff.
I mean, and it's tough. It's tough, but, I mean, all I can do is to work hard, you know, go out there and leave, like do the best I can, leave everything on court, and, I mean, it's sport. It's tough.
There is always one winner, one loser, and every week is basically the same thing, so yeah. But I want to do my best for the country. That's obvious, yes.
Q. When you talk about paying back the country, like, do you take that on court with you? Do you feel like you have to win the fans over by winning matches? Does that actually impact your performance? Does it go into your thinking at all in Australia at the moment?
DARIA KASATKINA: I mean, I would lie if I say it's not, because it is. As I said, it's just me who is putting this weight on my shoulders, because I know, I mean, I'm getting to know, you know, the Australian mentality and stuff, and I just know that the people here, they just support just because they want to support. They don't expect you, you know, to go and win slam tomorrow, you know.
But it's also -- it's just the way I am. I mean, it's bring a lot of pressure on myself, but this is a little bit how I was raised, you know, and how I used to play during, through all my career (smiling). So I just have to, you know, carry this weight and try to show my best. I mean, that's pretty much it, yeah.
Q. Anastasia was the latest Russian to switch allegiances last month. Do you have a perspective on that? Are you expecting it to become a trend that more and more Russians do the same thing?
DARIA KASATKINA: Well, I mean, we already see that many Russians switched. By the end of the year, there was like three or four girls already who have done it. I mean, obviously everyone got their reasons. I mean, we see everything what's going on.
I mean, I honestly, I don't know if it's more coming or not, because everyone keep these things as a secret till the last moment. Honestly, I don't know, it's been already a lot of girls who switched. So maybe yes; maybe not. Let's see. Honestly, as I said, it's confidential things, and I don't know any gossips, unfortunately, for you (smiling).
Q. The 16 double faults, I could see the frustration during the match and how that was getting to you. Do you have any theory on what was going on out there? I imagine that's a big focus now for the next couple of weeks to fix?
DARIA KASATKINA: Well, you know, serve have been always my kind of challenge. It's tough because it's basically the beginning of the point, and if you're struggling with this, it makes your game a bit, you know, a nightmare sometimes.
But, you know, so I'm definitely, I have been working for long, long time. The problem is obvious not the motion itself. It's always mental.
But, I mean, there are things that I'm working on. I think even though I did 16 double faults, they were not, you know, as double faults I did like last year and sometimes when, you know, you're just hitting beginning of the net, I mean, those double faults were not too bad.
I mean, when you've got some, like, shot in your game which you're struggling with, it's tough. You know, some people, they've got serves, some people got forehand, backhand. It is what it is. They say one shot you get from God. All other shots you have to work on.
Yeah, serve is definitely not comes from God for me, but, I mean, this is something I have been working on a lot since a long time, and unfortunately it's not coming fast and smooth. So, I mean, I will keep working on it.
Obviously even if from the side it doesn't look like that, I feel the changes, which is the most important thing. Yeah, I mean, it's... There is something to work on, and yeah, I will just keep doing that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports