Australian Open Sunday, 21 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Barbora Krejcikova Rajeev Ram Press Conference cannot thank them enough for giving me this opportunity to make three in a row.

Q. What were the circumstances of you not playing KREJCIKOVA-RAM/Stosur-Ebden together last year? 6-1, 6-4 RAJEEV RAM: Oh, I actually picked up a bit of a virus. Well, it could be "the" virus, I have no idea, but I got sick THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. in December last year and I wasn't able to train. Q. Rajeev and Barbora, firstly, massive Yeah, just decided that mixed doubles wasn't something congratulations on winning the mixed doubles that was going to be a good idea for me. I didn't know Australian Open championship. Just describe what what kind of shape I was in. So that was it, basically. So it's like to have that trophy. I didn't play. RAJEEV RAM: Yeah, look, it's phenomenal. This is Q. Obviously you have a connection with Craig Tiley Barbora's third time in a row. I was lucky to be next to of Tennis Australia. We saw you hugging on court. her for two of them. Probably not COVID safe, but, you know, you're friendly with him. Can you talk to that connection, You know, this is what we play for. We play for Grand obviously what he means to you and what this AO Slam titles, and, you know, me as a doubles-only player means to you because of that? now, this is half of it, for sure. You know, to be able to share this moment with her and, you know, our teams RAJEEV RAM: Yeah, sure. So before Craig had the job and our families and all that, it's pretty special. As a kid here at Tennis Australia he was the head coach at the this is what you grow up thinking about. For us to do it University of Illinois, which is where I went to school. In again is pretty awesome. America, college tennis is kind of a big thing. Most people do play college tennis and, you know, it's a whole Q. What's the feeling of the third one? How does it long process. compare? So I didn't play for very long there, but, you know, he BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I mean, feeling, it's amazing recruited me. We've been -- well, he's meant a lot to my feeling. Like, you know, pretty much it's somewhere in tennis, for sure. In a short time he helped me a lot, and your head, somewhere really far away, you're trying not we had a great team and great season. That's kind of a to think about it. memory that is really right up there for me in terms of my tennis. We definitely share that. But, yeah, I mean, pretty much not really during the match but before the match I already got it in my head And, yeah, it's really cool to come back here and see and I was like -- yesterday when I did the press what he does in the tennis world now and, you know, we conference after our doubles finals, I was, like, you know, will always have certainly that history. I really, really wish to get the third one in a row, and, I mean, now it's happening. Q. Congratulations on your victory. I wanted to ask you both what makes you such a viable team out You know, I'm just extremely happy that, I mean, me and there? Where does the chemistry come from? Does my partner, all of my partners, but I mean, especially it get any easier now that you have won two titles? Rajeev because it's the second time for us together, that they wanted to play with me and that we have been BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: First of all, thank you so doing, that we have such a good chemistry and we have much. I mean, I really appreciate it. been doing so well. I mean, it's tough to say. We actually played our first So I just really, I just cannot -- really grateful and I just

104764-1-1063 2021-02-20 13:18:00 GMT Page 1 of 3 match together few years ago, and I think we lost the first that, did it feel like it was going to be a big setback, round. But, I mean, even when we lost the first round, I or was it achievable? Obviously you did it, but, yeah. already felt that, you know, just Rajeev, he really just nice What do you make of having done that? guy and he really fits in my game. BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I mean, you just -- you know, So, I mean, few years later we just, I think, I don't know, I I felt like we have been really in touch with Rajeev during text him or he text me, I don't remember, but we tried it the hard lockdown. again. I mean, for a second time it just work out so well. I just feel that, you know, I think we understand each So I feel, you know, like you just go and play tennis, you other on court and off court. know, to, you know, do your best no matter what. No matter what the conditions are, no matter what's really He's just really easygoing. He's, like, really... happening, you just go out there and you just try to forget on everything when you are on court and you just try to RAJEEV RAM: I'm glad you think so. play your best tennis.

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Really easygoing. I mean, even we were in hard lockdown for 14 days and we didn't have opportunity to play, I mean, after that, you RAJEEV RAM: From my end, look, like she said, we just, you know, you just go out there and you do your actually played the first time, I can't remember what year best. I mean, it's really -- I mean, it's really amazing what it was, I think it was 2017, and, you know, we barely lost we actually achieved. I mean, just in like these last a match to two Aussies, actually, out on, I'm pretty sure it couple of weeks. was on John Cain Arena, I don't remember what it was called back then. Yeah, we played pretty well and didn't But, I mean, I just feel -- yeah, I just feel really grateful. I quite get a win. just feel really grateful, and I'm just really happy that even, you know, we had to go for this hard quarantine Then it was a pretty easy decision for me to ask her and stuff, it just work out well and maybe that was the again because I think she was No. 1 in the world the next key maybe to win the tournament, like, who knows? time we played together. So it works out pretty good when you've got a partner who is better than you are. Q. She said you two were in communication during the quarantine. What sort of stuff were you keeping Q. And I also wanted to ask, both of you reached the up with each other during that time? finals of both mixed doubles and your individual discipline, women's and men's doubles. Is the RAJEEV RAM: Just kind of checking in. Obviously it's a approach to play in both mixed and individual tough situation. Look, there's no way around it when doubles the same or differently? you're in a room. But, you know, that's what this country decided to do and rightfully so. RAJEEV RAM: Well, for me, I can't speak for her, but for me I play my best when I play with people that I get along I think we were all in a situation that wasn't ideal but the with and enjoy and you can feel like you can feed off their best you can do at that point was sort of, you know, energy, they can feed off your energy. check in with your friend, check in with other people that are in the same situation. And, you know, it helps get The great part about doubles is it's a team game. In through it. For sure it helped me get through it. tennis, in singles it's not like that. So when we get this situation where we can actually -- you can take help from To answer your first question just about was it somebody and you can help somebody else, I think it's achievable, I think you kind of have to take it day by day important to have that chemistry and connection. at that point. For me it was like, okay, this is day one now. What are trying to do? Don't overdo it. I have So in that aspect I think it's really similar. There is played tennis for -- I'm 36, I played tennis for 34 years, obviously maybe some tactical things that are different I'm not going to forget how to do it in 14 days. but I think in that aspect it's really similar. It was just a matter of trying to make sure that physically Q. Two questions. First, you were both in the hard and mentally you feel like you're in the right spot. And quarantine, which makes this a pretty sort of thinking about winning a tournament is way far away, just remarkable comeback story to have a team of two what are you going to do day by day. people who were stuck in their rooms winning Grand Slam weeks later. So congrats on that. Did each of Q. The French Open and US Open last year both did you think that would be possible? Obviously you not hold mixed competitions, I think. So were you at both did well in your other draws, too, so you're just all worried that this mixed would get canceled as showing off at this point. But this coming back from well? The mixed might sort of get caught in the cuts

104764-1-1063 2021-02-20 13:18:00 GMT Page 2 of 3 that are coming around the COVID restrictions? How happy were you I guess that this tournament could BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I mean, to me it felt amazing, hold mixed? Do you hope it will become a more you know, after so many tournaments not really having reliable part of the calendar this year? any fans, that we could actually have some people coming out and just support us and cheer for us. RAJEEV RAM: Yeah, I mean, it was unfortunate for sure that the other events didn't have it. I was really excited I mean, I really enjoy it, and it was really nice, you know, that this one did. to celebrate it at the end with, you know, with some fans.

Was I ever worried it was going to get cut? Maybe. I I mean, I'm just -- you know, I just really appreciate mean, yeah, I think when you have situations with moments like this, because, you know, last couple of government and different things and capacities and all tournaments it wasn't really possible. I mean, I just hope that, I think, yeah, you are worried probably. I tell you it's gonna get better soon and we just gonna have more what, I wasn't worried that the singles was gonna get cut. opportunities to play with fans on the other tournaments. So, you know, definitely, you know, these are the first events to go, but I'm glad they were able to pull it off. RAJEEV RAM: Yeah, and it was just extra special I think in this particular case because we played Aussies in the I hope it continues. I think it's one of the more fun events finals, too. We played Aussies last time. to watch, even as a tennis fan. I think it's pretty cool. Mixed doubles is played recreationally at that level quite It was great. Playing with fans is what this is all about for a lot, and I think it's very different than men's doubles, I'll us at this point, at this level. You want to play a Grand say. So I think it's a lot of fun for us to play and really to Slam final in front of people that want to be there to watch if you're a tennis fan. watch you.

Q. Well done today. Just curious, in your second It was really cool, even though -- I guess we had more round you had to save a match point to get through a support than maybe I thought. Obviously most were tough spot and then end up winning your last seven cheering for our opponents, but it was still great. sets to win the title. When you come through a difficult situation like that, does it become more FastScripts by ASAP Sports freeing on the court? Because we see that quite a bit in tennis. Naomi did the same thing as well in that players come out of a jam and are able to really produce their best tennis after that point.

RAJEEV RAM: Yeah. You know, I think the last time, we were talking about that actually, the last time we won, I don't know if we saved a match point a couple years ago but we were getting killed in our first-round match and ended up sneaking through in a breaker and maybe another tiebreaker and we kind of got better as the tournament went on.

I think probably that has, yeah, to what you're saying, it has some truth. I think a little bit of experience also has some truth that you sort of find your form a little bit better. We played a few more matches and kind of got the competition under our belt, if you will.

You know, both of us were in the hard lockdown, so it was maybe a bit of fitness, a bit of just generally getting better as the tournament went on. I think it was probably a combination of a lot of things in this particular situation.

Q. I just wanted to find out from both of you, you had the opportunity the last couple of days to be able to play in front of fans again. I wanted to find out, especially for the final tonight, how important it was to each of you to be able to win and to celebrate with fans that are watching you.

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