TENNIS WTA MONTREAL – 5th of August 2014. S. Rogers d. E. Bouchard 6-0, 3-6, 6-0. An interview with Shelby Rogers
Q. How does this win rank?
SHELBY ROGERS: I’ve had that question a lot in the last month (laughter).
It’s pretty far up on the list, I’d say. Especially, you know, with the atmosphere and the crowd, the hometown, all that. I’d say it’s pretty memorable.
Q. How do you feel about the way you played? What did you do to win the match?
SHELBY ROGERS: I just tried to stay really aggressive, you know, make a lot of first serves because her return is unbelievable. If you get behind there, it’s pretty tough, like we saw in the second set. She played amazing.
Just stick to my game, stick to the things I’ve been doing well the last couple months. Today it worked.
Q. Do you feel like a wedding crasher, a buzz killer here?
SHELBY ROGERS: I know. After the match, I’m sure you heard me say, I’m sure you don’t want to hear from me (laughter).
It’s really cool to see the support she has here. It’s fun to see that much excitement just about tennis. I think all of us really enjoy the support for the WTA in general. So it was a cool experience tonight.
Q. How did you deal with all the weirdness, the power, the delay, no microphone, no scoreboard?
SHELBY ROGERS: It was different. We had a little rain at the beginning. The ref didn’t have a mic. If you lose the score, you better not lose track.
It added a little bit different element. In a way it calmed me down because I had other things to think about. So, I mean, it was fun in a way. I don’t think I’ll ever have a match like that again.
Q. Can you tell us how tough it is to play when nobody is cheering for you, or very timidly, even when you make a great shot?
SHELBY ROGERS: Yeah, that was different as well.
No, I mean, they cheered for me when I would make a good shot or whatnot. I mean, I knew what I was getting into when I was going out there, so I kind of was prepared for that.
I hope it doesn’t happen too much more. But, I mean, obviously I’d like it the other way around. I know she’s a mega superstar here so I was prepared. It was okay.
Q. Most people had written you out. You weren’t supposed to be a bump in the road. Did you feel like you had something to prove?
SHELBY ROGERS: I wouldn’t call it that. I had a lot of big matches in the last month. I’m just trying to play the way I’ve been training and kind of improve myself for the bigger picture.
It’s still a tennis match. Yeah, there’s a lot of hype, a lot of crowd, this and that. Ultimately it’s another match, another opportunity to gain points and experience. That’s how I look at it.