Muchova: "I'm not thinking about winning the tournament"

A lot of credit goes to Karolina Muchova in this US Open 2024, just a breath away from reaching the semifinals of the fourth Grand Slam of the season. After going through hell with the injury, even considering retirement, the Czech player has managed to recover a very competitive version in record time, demonstrating on the court the reasons that led her to be one of the best in the world in 2023 and to touch some of the most relevant titles on the circuit. With her feet in the quarterfinals, Muchova smiles at the press conference not yet knowing who her next opponent will be, but the smile doesn't leave her. These are her statements before facing the penultimate round of the draw.

A very important victory

“I am very happy to have won again in two sets, I think it was a very complicated and tough match. In fact, today I was a little nervous, I don't even know why, but it was a somewhat strange match. I had a strange feeling in my body throughout the match, but yes, I am glad to have won. I knew it was an important match, I wanted to do well, those were the feelings I had marked. Now that the match is over, I can say I am very happy to be here, in the quarterfinals.”

Different style from others

“I can't say if it's a unique style, but yes, the truth is that I quite like to change it. I like to do what I do, basically go to the net and play my game, you know. It amuses me more, I'm not satisfied with just playing from the back with the backhand and forehand. That's how I see the game, that's how I like to play it, those are the things I also like to improve in training and then bring it immediately to the court.”

Next opponent

“I've never played against Wozniacki, so I don't know much about how it could be. I know she has been World No. 1 and that she is playing very well in this tournament, hitting great shots. She's not a player who gives away many balls, so it will surely be a very tough match. Against Haddad Maia, we did play on this tour last year, we had a very tough battle in Cincinnati, three sets, she is a great fighter and she is also left-handed. Both opponents will be very tough, so I'll let the best player win, we'll see how I approach that match.”

Using Big Data to study her opponents

“It's a great tool, but I don't use it much. Usually, I just watch the matches they played in that tournament, maybe to see some things, although with the girls nowadays it's hard to find a weakness. Every day is different, so I try to be in that game and fight in the early games, see what could work well and then take it immediately to the court. How you feel on the court plays a big role, what you feel when playing. Tactically, as the match progresses, I just try to play according to what I feel.”

Who would you go out for dinner with?

“It's hard to choose one, I would probably stay with Roger, Rafa, or Djokovic, try to get some inside information on some things. They have won so much in their careers that from a tennis point of view, I would probably choose any of the three.”

It's too soon to think about the title

“I'm not thinking about winning the tournament, I came to this tournament with a different position. I hadn't played many matches, it's barely my second tournament on hard courts. Now that I'm playing few matches, I feel like I'm building the game, I feel better every day on the court. I'm just thinking about the next match I'm going to play, trying to be as prepared as possible. We'll see how far I can go, for now, I'm in the quarterfinals and I'm very grateful for that.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Muchova: “No estoy pensando en ganar el torneo”