The only German woman holding a main-draw place in Berlin before qualifying had even finished, wild card Eva Lys, met the media before the WTA 500 got under way. The 24-year-old, currently No. 82 in the world, fielded questions on adjusting her game to grass, a possible meeting with Elina Svitolina, and the goals behind a season she is trying to rebuild after injury. TennisRatio opened the conference, and here is what she had to say.
Lys reworks her movement for a slippery grass start
TennisRatio: How much does the preparation to this event differ from normal stuff, knowing that it's such an unusual surface and that grass season is by far the shortest part of the whole calendar?
"I mean, definitely working a lot on the glutes and the quads, because the ball bounces very low on the surface. I'm a player who loves taking the ball very early, standing very close to the baseline. So sometimes I get very excited about the grass season, but I'm also thinking about the movement and how important it is not to slip on this surface, because it's very slippery, especially in the rain like this. The mindset is also very different, because the season is so short. I've been talking to a lot of the girls, and I feel like we're just going to try to go into the grass season with no expectations and see how it goes."
Lys treats a possible Svitolina meeting like any other match
You could face Elina Svitolina. Is that something special for you, and do you have contact with athletes from Ukraine?
"I see her the same as any other athlete and tennis player I play against. I haven't actually looked that far ahead, I'm only focused on the first round for now. But I get on well with all of them. With some I'm naturally in a bit closer contact, with Elina not so much at the moment. I see her around the grounds, we talk, it's nice, and I think it's the same as with the other girls, a good relationship. But as I said, there are always some you are closer with."
Lys aims to hold her top-100 place after an injury-hit start
Even if you have no expectations, are there still goals you have set for yourself?
"Definitely. My season hasn't started brilliantly, partly because of the injury, so I'm still trying to find my form again and to keep working hard on my fitness. I feel better week by week, and I'm glad I'm enjoying the game more and more again. You can see that mostly in training and on court. Grass, I think, has never really been my best season, so I always go in trying to do better than the year before, and I've managed that recently because I hadn't played many grass tournaments earlier on. Looking at the next few months, I of course want to stay in the top 100. I know I have a few points to defend."