Kristina Mladenovic: 'We can't practice 20 hours on each court'
In a press conference Kristina Mladenovic was asked her thoughts on the Simone Mathieu court in the French Open. The French player said: "It's hard to say. We can't practice 20 hours on each court, because they are all the seeded players who need to play, as well. It's beautiful, I have to say. Nothing to say on that point. I did one session one morning very early on. It's hard to say in terms of the gaming conditions, because I will not play at 8:30 in the morning. I can't say much about my feelings, but the court seems ready and well set. But in terms of aesthetics, the French Open, the extension that was made behind the Lenglen, the new Chatrier, everything is wonderful. I'm very much surprised. I think it's beautiful. I know it's not completely finished yet in terms of decoration, but it's a wonderful job that has been accomplished here."
On why she has not competed this week in Strasbourg or Nurnberg, Mladenovic added: "I decided to have a week of practice, even though there were tournaments on the schedule. Everything went as planned. The schedule that we fixed with Sascha, with my physio, with my coaches, everything went well. I could train well. I could test the courts out. I could recover, as well, because I actually had a lot of matches in a row from Fed Cup and then all the way up to now. Of course it's a good thing, but I managed to have a great transition and to be ready for this tournament."
On the benefits of working with her new coach Sascha Bajin, Mladenovic added: "There were a few details. I was very flattered when we met to have a debriefing on the way he saw my game. I liked it very much, because we had the same vision of my own feelings on court. But it's not easy to manage everything. What I liked was also the exercises that he made me do. I liked the way he made me practice and the workload. He's a hard worker, and I like to spend time on court to improve my game, to try new things. And as I have always said, I always have had a lot of respect for him, for a few coaches, to be honest, actually. And I was thinking about him. He has a lot of confidence in his own work. He's really good in his own work and I trust him very much."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/310pLVE
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