"Chris Evert said really kind words, don't know if she'd want me to tell" - Karolina Muchova

Karolina Muchova was visibly emotional after losing her first Grand Slam final at the 2023 French Open. The Czech, who was reduced to tears during the trophy presentation ceremony, however, found solace in the company of sporting legend in the form of Chris Evert.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion was seen comforting Muchova on the stage after the Czech's tight three-set loss to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Paris.

Speaking about the same during her post-match press conference, Muchova said Evert offered some "kind words" to her during the trophy presentation ceremony. The Czech, however, stopped short of revealing exactly what transpired between her and Evert.

"Well, she said really kind words to me," Karolina Muchova said. "Yeah, I probably will not even say that. I don't know if she would want me to tell it to you, so I'll keep that for myself."

Elaborating on her emotional reaction after the finals loss, Muchova said the fans' reception and the end of a long and grueling fortnight played a part in moving her to tears.

"Yeah, obviously when you finish this whole two weeks, I'm pretty exhausted," Karolina Muchova said. "Then everyone is clapping for you, yeah, it was a lot of emotional there."

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"I wouldn't expect on clay" - Karolina Muchova on surprise French Open run

Addressing her breakthrough run to the French Open final, Muchova said it came as a surprise to her as well as she did not expect her biggest results to come on the red dirt.

The Czech went on to say the performance had bolstered her confidence on clay, but she was now looking forward to playing on the faster surfaces.

"I wouldn't expect it that much on the clay, honestly," Karolina Muchova said. "I look forward to playing on the grass, on the fast surfaces, that's for sure the surfaces I prefer and I like more. So yeah, I look forward to that, that I played a final on the clay. It's just nice to know that I can play on the clay great as well."

"Yeah, this was my last clay tournament," she added. "It could have end up a little bit better, but it was still pretty great. I look forward to play now on the grass."

Muchova, who made her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Wimbledon Championships back in 2019, will rise to a career-high of World No. 16 when the rankings are updated on Monday courtesy of her run at the French Open. That should help her secure a seeding for Wimbledon, which starts on July 3.