Maybe there’s a little bit of superstition to it as well. The one other time I won the Adelaide International [in 2022], I ended up making the semifinals of the Australian Open. So when I won Adelaide again this year, in my head, I was like, Oh, maybe this is good luck. Maybe we’ll see a run in Australia.
I actually never look at the draw, so I am always kind of surprised at the end of any match about who the next opponent is. Some people like to look—I know [current World No. 6] Jessie Pegula does and knows every possible thing that could happen—but I’ve always just thought that the chances of it actually playing out how it should are so rare, why waste your time? Eventually, at some point, you figure it out, when there’s not very many people left. But in this case, I think I’m glad that I didn’t look at the draw, because that could have been a little bit daunting. Every round, I definitely gained more and more confidence, and as things went on, I felt more and more sure of myself, sure that I could be the one holding the trophy on Saturday.
What does it mean to you to finally achieve this milestone of winning a major? Does it feel like a lot of pressure has been lifted?
I think that I finally got to the point where I felt like I didn’t need to prove myself anymore, where I was really content with what I had done. Obviously, as a professional tennis player, I was still always wanting more, always wanting to win every draw, but no longer searching for validation through winning a Slam. Not winning a Slam, I think, gave me the freedom to not only win one, but now really appreciate it in a way that I don’t think that I could have before.
In some ways, I wish I could [reassure my younger self], but in other ways, I think going through all of the hard moments and the heartbreak got me to this point, because that was how I learned the lessons that I needed to win. So I am kind of a believer that everything happens for a reason.
With your Australian Open win, you join Black tennis greats like Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, who have also achieved that distinction. What does it mean to you that many young girls see themselves represented in you?
I think representation matters, especially as a woman of color who has been playing for as long as I have and has gone through a lot of hard times to finally—at this point in my career—get the win. Being able to be someone who a little girl can look up to and say, ‘She looks like me,’ I mean, it’s amazing.
I got a very nice note from Serena. From the first time we played, she’s been someone who has always said that she believed I could absolutely be a Grand Slam winner. And as someone who looked up to her so much growing up, that always made me feel like, ‘Okay, if she says it, then it’s got to be true.’ So finally getting one, and having all of her support and kind words, it’s definitely something that you dream of when you’re a little kid.