A week has flown by at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Fans have seen thrilling matches, the retirement of a great (Eugenie Bouchard) and emergence of a new Canadian star in Victoria Mboko.
Notable, too, have been what the players have said. On that note, we take a look now at some of the quotes of the week.
-Victoria Mboko, 18, after beating Coco Gauff to reach the quarterfinals and collect her first Top 10 victory.
“It was one of the biggest matches I could have played so far in my career. So far I feel really happy with how it went.
Playing Coco is obviously never easy. She’s no. 2 in the world, and it's been such a great opportunity for me to play against someone like her. I was just happy I kept my composure, and I pulled it through.”
-Iga Swiatek was asked this hypothetical question. If someone told her after winning last year’s French Open that she wouldn’t make a final in the next 12 months but would then win Wimbledon, would she take it?
“Oh, my God, that’s a tough one…I would definitely give one year of not winning any title for Wimbledon for sure. It’s a Slam.”
-Naomi Osaka on working with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who used to guide Swiatek.
“I think with personality I was a little nervous because he seems a little stern, but he’s actually kind of funny. He’ll randomly say a joke that I wasn’t expecting or something like that. I like him a lot…he seems very decisive with what he wants. And think that that makes it very clear for me.”
-Naomi Osaka on whether she was pondering her next tour stop after being down two match points against 2023 finalist Liudmila Samsonova in the second round.
“I definitely didn’t come here to go to the the airport. I was trying to think of solutions the entire time.”
-Marta Kostyuk on her shot of the year contender against Daria Kasatkina, when she fell to the court, picked herself up and finished the point with a forehand winner.
“It was actually a very famous shot, I’d say. It was insane and I honestly don’t know how I did it. A little bit of luck, a bit of fast running, but it was great.”
-Two-time defending NBO champion Jessica Pegula after her loss — from a set and break up — to Anastasija Sevastova in the third round.
“I don't really feel like I'm playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don't like. It really bothers me. I'm kind of a perfectionist, so I don't like having to say that.
“I feel like I've gone through phases in my career, a few tournaments, where I feel like that sometimes, and you have to figure out how to get out of it and not feel sorry for yourself or make excuses. I've got figure it out.”
-Top seed Coco Gauff on her performance at the NBO after losing to Mboko in the fourth round. She skipped last week’s tournament in Washington D.C. to work on her game.
“I felt like in practice I was playing well the last few weeks, just practicing. I decided to take some time off and not play D.C. to actually focus on (finding rhythm), and maybe that wasn't the right decision. Maybe it was better to get more matches under my belt.”
-Montrealer Eugenie Bouchard on how she wants to be remembered.
“I just hope, I don't know, to be remembered hopefully by a lot of great things, but most importantly, being a good person, giving back as much as I received. Tennis has given me so, so much. On the court, being a good player, being a fighter. I hope I showed that in the last couple of matches. So, yeah, those are probably the qualities I would like.”
-Madison Keys weighs in on the Montreal vs. New York bagel debate.
“Personally, I still take a New York bagel. Sorry. (Montreal bagels) are a little sweet for me. I prefer the saltier New York bagels.”
-Bianca Andreescu on the famous Montreal crowd after they helped her pull through against Barbora Krejcikova suffering an ankle injury.
“The crowd was incredible. I don't think I've ever played in front of a crowd like that, especially towards the end. The emotions that I got from everyone was honestly incredible. Like, seriously. Yeah, the Montreal crowd has something special.”
-Anastasija Sevastova on travelling the tour with her two-and-a-half year-old daughter, Alexandra.
“She likes our travel. She’s like, ‘Where is our hotel? Which flight do we take?’ That part she’s fine. She understands a lot of things. She needs a pool in the hotel and some playgrounds around and she’s fine. She’s not (in her player box) because she’s not going to watch my match. It’s not going to work. Her concentration span is five minutes, then she wants to do something else.”
Photo: Sarah-Jäde Champagne
