M. KOSTYUK/S. Zheng
6-3, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Where would you say you're at right now with your game and your confidence?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Honestly this match today was much more nervous, I'd say, than the previous one, because I was an underdog in the first match, and I believe the pressure was on her, like from people around.
With this match today, I beat this girl two years ago, and I was expecting from myself, you know, there is a chance for me to be in the third round again for the first time in the French Open, so I was, like, putting a little pressure on myself, but I'm glad I managed it.
Game-wise, I believe there are some things I need to work through on my day off tomorrow, but overall I'm happy with the performance today.
Q. What's working for you right now on the clay? What are those things you might want to improve a little bit?
MARTA KOSTYUK: I like that I'm moving much better than before. More recovered from COVID, so it's easier for me to recover to play.
I don't know. I'm such a, like, I'm a player who can do anything, serve, return, hit, slice, I don't know, go to the net, and defend. I don't think there is a specific, like, strength that I have at the moment. It's just I feel everything is good and everything is in the balance. So that's the reason, I think.
Q. Curious to get your thoughts, do you feel it's a long time coming, what would it mean to you if you could pass the next round and make the second week here at Roland Garros?
MARTA KOSTYUK: I haven't thought about it this much yet, because I still have doubles match happening today that I'm thinking about. My opponents haven't finished yet, so it's a big opportunity and I don't have any, like, top players in next round, so it's a big advantage. I want to take over that advantage, so I'm just gonna try not to put any pressure on myself before the match. That's it.
Q. Do you see yourself in the present as a person who could potentially win a Grand Slam, or do you still think you need a year or two and a lot more experience to do something like that?
MARTA KOSTYUK: I think we are at times where anyone in the women's tennis, anyone can win a slam, kind of. Not like anyone, anyone, but a lot of girls. Let's call it that way.
It's not that I have this strong feeling inside me that I'm coming into a Grand Slam believing that I can win it, but this time I feel really good. I believe anything is possible.
And people around me, they are cheering me up, they are believing in me, which I think is very important. I'm just gonna try to believe in myself more and more with every day, and then we'll see what happens.
But I don't have an ultimate goal inside my head that this is a slam I'm supposed to win, or I have to win, or the next one. It's just that there is a lot of pieces that have to come together to win a slam. It's a long tournament. And different opponents, different weather, I don't know, different circumstances. I'm not in a position where I can say that, Oh, yes, I'm ready to win a slam this time or, like, this year.
But we'll see. I'm gonna do my best, and I think that's the most important thing.
Q. You mentioned COVID briefly and your recovery from it and that maybe you're not super, 100% back. Is it still a struggle? Do you still not quite feel that you're at the type of fitness you'd like to be?
MARTA KOSTYUK: No, I believe I'm in a really good shape now, but there are still -- there are still some things that are bothering me. I'm not saying that I still feel bad or I still don't feel recovered. But I believe I just need to play more matches and become more and more fit. I don't think this is like my, how you say, my ceiling, like I cannot go higher than this. But there is always room to improvement everywhere, so I'm just gonna look at this this way.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports