Australian Open Sunday, 14 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Darren Cahill Artemon

Apostu-Efremov Q. Fascinating to hear Simona after the game get Press Conference asked, How do you approach a match against Serena? What about from a coach's perspective, do you try to do things quite drastically different from previous matchups from what you learn or is it THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. literally as Simona says, you have to produce your best and hope it gets the job done? Q. Tell us how you felt Simona dealt with tonight's challenge. DARREN CAHILL: Yeah, I don't think it's that simple. I think that everybody presents different challenges, and ARTEMON APOSTU-EFREMOV: Well, hi, everybody. you can't go out there and play everybody the same way. We knew from the beginning that this one, it's gonna be a Simona doesn't have that type of game. She's not the tough one, especially after the Roland Garros match. type of player that can power through any particular But we also believed that she had a good chance, opponent. because conditions are a little bit different here. The court is faster. Weather, it's much better than it was in The way she played Iga tonight was completely different Paris in October. to the way she played her at the . As Arti said, one of the great things about Simo is she's actually And Simona, she's a player that she doesn't like to lose a real student of the game. She thought about that twice, so we knew that she's gonna come hard and want match from the French Open, thought about what let her the revenge. down, what she could do better, and went out there tonight and try to execute a better game plan. Was able DARREN CAHILL: I couldn't answer that any better. All to do that. That game plan won't necessarily get it done good. against Serena.

Q. What is the stiffest challenge that you think So coaching has become an incredibly important part of Serena will present to Simona? tennis I think over the years, and especially the last five or six years with the analytics, with the help that we've DARREN CAHILL: Well, there are multiple. She's got to become better coaches, with the stuff that we can playing as well as I've seen her play for a long time. provide the players as far as technical advice, patterns, She's moving as well as I've seen her move and defend tendencies on big points, all that sort of stuff, the shot in the last four or five years. spin rates. It's all there for us. It just depends on how much we wish to use. Confident. She's Serena Williams. You know, it's all-encompassing when you play somebody like her, and The players these days, they want more and more of it it's why such a great challenge, because she got a so they can find ways to make their life a little bit easier chance couple years ago to play her in a Wimbledon on the court. final. That was massive for Simona to get over that hurdle. So she'll go into this match with belief, but the We will sit down, Arti and myself over the next couple of execution is something that depends on the day. And days, and we don't talk too much to Simona about it until she will have belief that she can execute but she has to maybe the warmup of the day she plays. I send her a go out there and play as confidently as she did in the last little bit of video she can watch over the next 48 hours. two sets of this match, play aggressively, have that ability I'm not sure how much of it she actually watches. You to try to push Serena off the baseline as much as she might be able to ask that in 20 minutes or so. can. But definitely we have to work a game plan to beat And obviously be fortunate or lucky enough or have a Serena because if you go in there, into the match against good read on the greatest serve the women's game has Serena just hoping your best is going to get it done, more ever seen, and try to get as many balls back as possible.

104683-1-1063 2021-02-14 11:55:00 GMT Page 1 of 4 likely than not it won't. five months ago, and it wasn't the same match. So that's what I'm saying. Q. You probably haven't had a chance to dive into Serena yet because you have been focusing on For sure she's gonna try to do as much as possible that different opponents along the way. Have you noticed went good in that day, but it's different conditions. We'll at all, if you have watched her, have there been any expect different types of situations and challenges. changes dramatically you've noticed of how she's playing? There's been a little bit of talk about she's Q. People look at Serena now as the tennis-playing returning differently. mom who is chasing Margaret Court, and I think people forget that she was once a 14-year-old pro. DARREN CAHILL: She's moving well. That's the thing We have seen throughout the years teenage that stands out more than anything is that she's able to phenoms that have just not, have crashed and defend more balls at the moment. She's moving as well burned. Why do you think she's had this longevity? as I've seen her move for a long, long time. If you can What is it about her, her game, her temperament? stay in more points and get more balls back, stay alive, then she's got the power to turn those points around. DARREN CAHILL: I think if you look at all the great champions in our sport, they have good people around I don't know the win and loss rate of her match today, but them and that gives them balance and that keeps them in quite often it's only a handful of points between winning a the sport. We talk a lot about the attributes to go to great match and losing a match. If you can turn around six to champions and Serena has many obviously. But the one eight or ten of those points over the course of a three-set thing that you look at that seems to be consistent and match, it's a massive difference. constant throughout her team, and you can go through Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Venus, you know, doesn't Even in that game, that last game when Simona was matter who it is, that they have good people around them serving for the match tonight, those first two points, and they are there for a long time. Simona with her legs was able to turn around two losing situations to have a 30-Love instead of a Love-30. It That gives stability. It means that they are able to get the makes all the difference. most out of their careers. I think that's really important, and really important that a lot of the players that go from So to me that's the big thing that stands out, just coach to coach to coach and keep changing, they'll never watching Serena. I thought that match between her and get to reach the potential they could possibly get to, Aryna today was exceptional tennis. because they're not trusting the voices that are coming from their coaches. They're looking for the magic pill all Q. Not that long ago I asked Simo if she -- the time.

DARREN CAHILL: You're not allowed to call her "Simo" So I've been with Simona now for about five years. too, by the way. That's only her close friends. "Simona" Agassi was the same. Agassi was with for to you. (Laughter.) eight years before I came along, and I was with Andre for five years. And Pete Sampras was with Annacone and Q. I asked her if she knew if she had ever played the Gullikson for years and years as well. perfect match, and she said yes and then explained the perfect match she played was the Wimbledon You can go through all the great champions of the game, final against Serena. So can that come across to and they've got those people around them that they trust this, or is it just conditions are too different? and believe in, and there's consistency in the messaging that's coming across. ARTEMON APOSTU-EFREMOV: So actually, I was talking to Darren some days ago about players wanting Q. It's interesting you say that, because the other to reproduce a certain moment in time, and I don't agree day Naomi Osaka was asked about her relationship with that. You take the experience from those matches, with Wim Fissette, and she said she didn't trust him for sure. You take the positives, but it's two years apart in the beginning. She said now they have got more almost. It's different surface, different conditions. Both of a relationship going. But what you're saying is players, they didn't sit those two years in a bubble. So maybe there is a lot of impatience, you see the everyone evolved. changes happening a lot more frequently on the women's game. So it's tough to reproduce the same patterns or the same play during a match like after two years. So for sure any DARREN CAHILL: I don't see that as a bad thing, player on this level has their sets of skills, and they're because I think it takes a long time for a coach to earn gonna use it against each other. But I think it's gonna be the trust. Wim has already been a really successful a new match like, for example, Simona played with Iga coach with many players.

104683-1-1063 2021-02-14 11:55:00 GMT Page 2 of 4 I have been there watching on the PlaySightGo system, So you can't expect for any coach to step in and go, This but he's the one putting in all the hard yards and getting is the way you need to do it. This is my way and what I'm the improvements in Simona's game. If he needs a little telling you is the exact truth. I think a player that doesn't help, advice from me, he'll call up, talk about what's quite trust that is a smart tennis player, because you happening, talk about where Simona needs to improve, have to ask the right questions. You have to find out where she needs a little push. I will jump on the phone through training and playing matches whether or not the and speak to her. information you're getting is good for you and good for your game. Very much a team effort in what we're going about doing, and we go through the analytics together. Simona And so if those two have been able to work out a way doesn't use a lot of them, but she wants a little bit just that that trust has been built up over a period of time, that she can fall back on, but we have to make sure that's that, to me, stems into a long, successful relationship. right for her as well.

So that's a smart thing from Naomi. It's an important role. As I said before, coaching in tennis is a bit of an underrated role, because if you look at the Q. How does the dynamic work with the two of you majors, we're not allowed to coach during the matches. coaching Simona? Is there one area you focus on The WTA, thankfully we are, and we can make a and Darren focuses on? How does it work? difference to what's happening in the matches. And that's why I think it would be a great thing to eventually ARTEMON APOSTU-EFREMOV: Actually, I think one of bring it in in some way or another to have more of a the best things is that we communicate pretty well. presence in this sport, because it's growing, the sport is There is nothing that we do that the other one doesn't growing. The competition is growing. The athletes are know about, so we share this information. getting better. The more that we can push the coaching, the better it is for the sport. Just what we are doing here We have even been, like, past year we have been, today, talking to you guys, it's better for the sport. because of the pandemic, we were working a lot in Bucharest, so we had this PlaySight app and Darren was Q. Curious, she seems a little bit chippier than she logging in and he could see the practices. has in recent tournaments. She's been chatting a lot to you guys in the box, and I'm curious as to why you So we always know what the other one does. I think I might think that is. learn a lot from Darren also, and we kind of share the same philosophy of the game. So actually, he can tell DARREN CAHILL: You think? me if I'm doing good (smiling). Q. A little bit. DARREN CAHILL: No, look, it's tricky, and it's a great question, because with two coaches, there is no main DARREN CAHILL: Could you ask her that question coach, no assistant coach. when she comes in? I will appreciate that.

ARTEMON APOSTU-EFREMOV: I used to do that also Q. I will ask her. Curious if you guys know. with Irina when I worked five years, it was me and Andre (phonetic), so I was used to splitting or sharing or DARREN CAHILL: No, I think it's the expectations, working in a team, which also makes it a little bit easier, pressure, the want to do well. She's not a youngster because sometimes I see things and I can transfer to anymore. She's 29 years of age, and she knows that she Darren. Sometimes Darren sees some things and we try can see the next generation of players coming through, to blend it in. When we have the final message, we send and she wants to be as good as she can possibly be and it to Simona. try to make it happen.

DARREN CAHILL: I recognize there is a time limit for So I think it's normal for her, normal Romanian blood that being a tennis coach with a player. I reckon it's about keeps on flowing, gets her a little bit angry in matches three or four years of being the one voice that you keep and gets her focused and puts her focus eventually on punching through that message and hoping it gets between the lines. through and try to make progress. Yeah, it's always a fine line with her as to whether it After three or four years, I think it becomes more of a helps her tennis or hurts her tennis. Today at some point managing role, to be honest. So the fact we have two it actually helped her tennis, because after the first set voices is really, really helpful. To be honest, Arti has she really focused into what she was doing. done 90% of the work back in Romania in 2020. But as I said, it's always a fine line for her at the moment.

104683-1-1063 2021-02-14 11:55:00 GMT Page 3 of 4 You're better off asking that question to her and she can Williams, to what degree would you use the answer that question, but I thought she did an amazing Wimbledon championship, even though it's two job today to come back and win that match, all things years ago and a different surface in the preparation considered with the opponent she was playing, the result for this match? of the last time they played, the fact that there was no crowd there, so she had to find the energy within the DARREN CAHILL: You know I'd be lying if I said it was court from herself. never going to come up over the next 48 hours. It's coming up for sure. And some of the video is coming up. The tactical changes she made after the first set and the Some of the technical stuff is coming up. fact that Iga raised her level late in that third set -- that last couple of games, last three games she played I I think making your player remember something that was thought were fantastic. I was very proud of the way she so special both about what she accomplished and the finished that match off. That was a great effort. way she played is really important to try to replicate that. You can't rely on that to be exact, but you can certainly Q. Either of you, just your thoughts on what's put your player in a good place to make your player happening on the other half of the draw? remember what she did well on that particular day. It's coming up in the next 48 hours, for sure. ARTEMON APOSTU-EFREMOV: Well, it's an open situation. As you see, even today, for example, we had FastScripts by ASAP Sports like matches that could be easily a final. So I'm saying also to Simo, Every match is a final since second round. You can be out in second round. You can reach semis or you can win the tournament.

The level of these girls improved a lot. There are favorites, but it depends on the day, as well. So any given day, as you can see, we have great stories like Su-Wei Hsieh, she's in quarters.

So on top of the draw, of course, it's Ash Barty who is the main favorite of the event, No. 1, and she played really good last week. But there are also players who are dangerous and hungry for success like Svitolina or Brady.

So anything can happen. We take it one match at a time, and then we see.

DARREN CAHILL: Isn't that the great thing about the WTA at the moment that hypothetically you can look at her draw and say she played the French Open champion today, to play Serena Williams, then to hypothetically play Naomi Osaka to hypothetically play Barty in the final to win the , it's awesome, right?

Unbelievable we can talk about those types of matchups and talk about the personalities and the different cultures and the different styles of games. And what you have in the WTA at the moment is a really strong powerful package.

ARTEMON APOSTU-EFREMOV: Big product.

DARREN CAHILL: Great product. The more we push it, the more we promote it, more we talk about it, nothing but good can come out of that.

Q. Given how important belief is, especially when you're playing someone of the caliber of Serena

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