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With just one day to go for the WTA Finals to begin, the eight participants — Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka, and Daria Kasatkina are beyond thrilled to be a part of the prestigious tournament.
The event is scheduled to be held from October 31 to November 7 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The tournament has returned to the USA for the first time since Los Angeles was the host in 2005.
Swiatek, Gauff, Garcia, and Kasatkina are in the Tracy Austin group, with Ons Jabeur, Pegula, Sakkari, and Sabalenka in the Nancy Richey group. While the players dressed up and got together for the grand gala party a couple of days ago, they attended press conferences on Saturday.
Starting with Ons Jabeur, here's a look at the best quotes from each player before the tournament:
Ons Jabeur on the gala event
Ons Jabeur is one of four WTA Finals debutants.
"It was very nice to see everybody dressed up," Ons Jabeur said, adding, "Everybody is getting ready, the makeup, the hair. The thing that I loved the most was everybody trying to give advice to others, what dress to choose, what goes with it. Usually, we want the other one to look bad (laughs). So that was very nice."
Iga Swiatek on Simona Halep's doping scandal
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was asked about her reaction to Simona Halep getting suspended and what the Pole did to ensure something similar didn't happen to her.
"It was confusing to me because I wouldn't expect hearing this news. Simona seems like a person who always cared about being fair. It's kind of disappointing and she must feel really bad. From my point of view, the most important thing for me is just taking care of myself and being always safe and making my environment safer and more careful. But right now, it's just the beginning of my journey because I always had people around me who knew how to do that," Swiatek said.
Caroline Garcia on half the players being first-timers in WTA Finals
"We know in sports, same as in life, that life goes on. There are some people leaving tennis. There are some new ones coming. Like Coco, four, five years already, she's only 18. I think it's good. First time is always a great experience. When I did it, no one was there. So it was kind of weird. I feel very old right now (laughs)," Garcis said.
"Iga is very young as well, but she's now well in place at the first spot. Ons Jabeur is doing better every year and very consistent. It's not a surprise for me to see any of the seven right now," she added.
Coco Gauff on new faces in the tournament
"I think it's significant that there's a lot of new faces. I think it shows that the tour is always evolving. There's always going to be someone coming up and doing well. I think that's what makes it exciting. Obviously, when Serena and Venus were playing, they were pretty much dominant players. I've always felt that any person has a chance to win, but the fans now believe that as well. There's not one dominant force there," Gauff said.
Maria Sakkari on her season
Maria Sakkari seemed a little offended when asked how she felt after ending up at the event "unexpectedly." She seemed and stated that there was nothing unexpected and that she had remained a top-10 player for a long time.
"It's not unexpected because I've been a top-10 player for the last year. It's not like I just came out of nowhere. I believed that I was going to find my rhythm again after having that blip this season. So I believe personally, and I think that that's what everyone around me has the same way of thinking, that when you have that level, you're going to find it again. I believe I deserve to be here," Sakkari said.
Daria Kasatkina on trying to learn from men's tennis
Eighth-ranked Daria Kasatkina revealed that instead of her competitors, she watched and tried to learn from the men's circuit.
"More from the men's side because it's still very difficult. We compete against each other, so I want to see more disadvantages in the game of the girls. It's very difficult to see their good parts. Of course, I see them, but it's tough to accept (laughs). I watch more men's tennis, and I try to catch something from their game. Also, because my game is a bit more like boy style," Kasatkina said.
Aryna Sabalenka on the best advice she has received
"Oh, my God, the best advice? Just don't listen to anybody. Follow your journey and just don't give a f**k about what people are saying. Sorry, there's no way to say it different. This is just the only one way. You can do, like, bleep (laughing)," Sabalenka said.
Jessica Pegula on the turnaround after winning Guadalajara Open
"I definitely wouldn't change the fact that I won it and had to have a quick turnaround. But at the same time, I kind of like being in match rhythm. I think being able to play matches between San Diego and Guadalajara, where I was playing for two weeks straight, makes it easier to come here and play. I think it's much easier to be playing lots of matches," Pegula said.
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