Does carrying that weight help you mentally on court?
I want to think that way because I definitely changed. Stressful moments trigger you, and there’s a lot of room to improve as a human. I learned how to navigate it. But great suffering comes with it. My goal is to have as much balance as I can. At some point I felt that if I wasn’t anxious about the war, I would betray my family. But it interfered with my daily life. I had to change. Last year I decided I’m not going to have news notifications. You cannot expose yourself to that all the time when you’re not in it.

Tennis can be lonely. What keeps you grounded during long stretches on tour?
Generally on tour it’s pretty lonely, especially for me on the WTA side. The most lonely I feel is usually the Asian swing because everyone is tired, and I never go there with my husband or my dogs. But I think it’s just the nature of the sport. If Katie Boulter or Eva Lys or Gaby Ruse isn’t at a tournament, I feel lonely even if there are hundreds of people. They’re my colleagues, but from a human perspective, it’s lonely.

How do you experience friendships on tour?
I like steady, long, healthy relationships. With Eva, I’m the closest—I can tell her anything. She once told me, “I’m jealous you got that contract, but I’m happy for you.” That honesty is important. A lot of people say bad things behind your back and then smile at you. When you get injured, you see who remembers you. Not a lot of people reached out to me when I was injured. It’s fine—but it’s the reality.

Does success make trusting people harder?
No. I’m very trustful. I usually over‑trust and end up with a broken heart, but that’s fine. I want to put attention on things that matter—friendship, relationships. I’m sensitive, so I see when people have other intentions. But I love being open with people. I would rather have too many opportunities with people than miss a big one.

With all the travel and hotel life, what does “home” mean to you right now?
My husband joked on the plane from Madrid: The whole planet is our home. You try to create home wherever you are—a little corner next to your bed, routines, rituals. I’m lucky I travel with my husband and my dogs. But sometimes you just want your own bed, your kitchen, your food. And hotels matter. In Rouen, my husband had to sleep on a mattress on the floor. Two tournaments in a row I didn’t have a bathtub—and I love taking baths. It’s my space to relax.

How do you see your identity beyond tennis?
I’m very spontaneous. I can decide something and go somewhere. I don’t like to plan. I’m very forgiving and easygoing. I can laugh at myself. And food is a big part of my identity—I love to cook, I love to taste food. It’s one of the biggest joys of my life.

What makes a partnership meaningful to you at this stage of your career?
I always want a long‑term strategy for why I have certain partnerships. You can do something for money, but if you work with someone you don’t want to work with long-term, it’s not worth it. Quality is more important than quantity. With Wilson and now also with my new partner Duravit, I hope it’s long‑term, quality relationships. I want people who work with me to be happy with who they’re represented by. I want to pay attention to what actions I take, what I can do better, how I can present them better. The world is becoming more digital and distant—for me, relationships are the most important part of any partnership.