Eugenie Bouchard fronted the press after stunning Maria Sharapova in three sets in Madrid, and didn’t hold back in what was an absorbing press conference.
“I definitely had some extra motivation going into today,” she said.
“I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately wishing me good luck, players I don’t normally speak to, getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me.
“So I wanted to do it for myself, but also for all these people. So I really felt support.”
Bouchard, who has slipped from a high of world No.5 in 2014 to her current mark of 60th, said the win over Sharapova – her first in five attempts – was one of her best.
“I enjoyed it – although I’ll definitely be a little sore tomorrow,” Bouchard said.
“Overall, with the whole mental aspect, and just fighting, and playing almost a three-hour match, the physical battle … Everything together, for sure, it’s one of my prouder matches in the past couple of years.”
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