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AEGON CLASSIC


June 15, 2014


Barbora Zahlavova Strycova


BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND

A. IVANOVIC/B. Zahlavova Strycova
6‑3, 6‑2


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Well done for this week anyway.  Your first thoughts about the final and the conditions.  Looked a bit sticky out there today.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Yeah, it was very slippery.  I didn't expect that and I was not prepared for it.  Was first couple games sliding a lot and the grass went into our shoes so we couldn't really push from the legs.
Well, actually I was complaining more than Ana.  The court was good, but it was just a little bit slippery.

Q.  Yeah.  The players in the doubles as well were having to carve out the mud.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Yeah, I didn't have anything to put it out.

Q.  They didn't bring you anything?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  I did with my badge.  (Laughing.)  They then brought me some stick, so it was fine.

Q.  What positives can you at this out of this week going into 's‑Hertogenbosch?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Positives, a lot of positive things from this week.  I was playing tough matches and I think I was mentally very strong.  This is important for me.  I know I can do it and I can play good tennis.
From this week I take only the positive and I believe myself that I can play good.

Q.  How does this week change your year?  Does it change it at all?  You scheduling?  Your plans?  Your ranking will go up a bunch.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  I mean, it's a tournament and it was a final and I was playing good, but it doesn't change my planning.  Maybe I start a little bit later in states because it helped me, like you said, in the ranking, so maybe I get to main draw Montréal, Cincinnati.
So this is also a big change.  So I can have two weeks home and a good practice.  This is the only change.  Otherwise everything stays the same.

Q.  I know that you're going to play another tournament, but thinking about Wimbledon, what are your feelings and your goal for that tournament?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Well, Wimbledon is my favorite tournament, and my goal, I mean, I want to play as good as I can.  If I would play the same tennis like I know I did here in Birmingham I think I can play very well and I can go far.
But I will take it like match by match, and we see also it depend of the draw.  I will not be seeded.  This is important who I get for the first round.

Q.  Talking about your serve and volley, is more an offensive weapon or defensive one?  Do you play serve and volley when you are down...
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Oh, I try to mix it.  When you mix it, the player gets a little bit confused.
But you're right, sometimes when I'm down I try to play serve and volley.  Good eyes.  But today I didn't ‑‑ I lost couple games because of the volley and I'm not really happy about it, because it wasn't such difficult volleys to play.
Actually the first ‑‑ well, I broke her first game and then I had easy volley to play and I didn't make it.  I'm a little bit sad about it, but otherwise serve and volley is a good thing on grass.

Q.  $64,000.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Finally tell me, huh?

Q.  They told you on court.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  I didn't listen to it.  I didn't know.

Q.  Okay.  They said it on court, so I felt safe saying it here.  Do you have any plans?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Plans?

Q.  Because you didn't know.  I mean, you could have lost first round here.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  I told myself after I think third round against Timea Babos I will buy one pair of shoes.  So I will buy the shoes and that's it.

Q.  Very expensive pair of the shoes.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Yeah.  They are high heels, but they're nice.

Q.  Are you going to the Wimbledon party next week?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Hopefully not because I'm playing 's‑Hertogenbosch, and if I'm still playing then I can't.  But if I'm not, I try to go, yes, with my new shoes.

Q.  You think about pulling out of 's‑Hertogenbosch?  Because you got a lot of matches here and stuff.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  No.  I do a lot of matches, but also I feel good.  I'm a little bit tired, but I want to take the confidence and play matches.  No, I'm not thinking about it.

Q.  What kind of shoes?  What make?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  It's, how you pronounce it, Christian Louboutin.

Q.  How much do they cost?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Why you want to know about the money?
I don't know.  I think around 400 pounds.  Not that bad, or it's...

Q.  More than I would pay, but that's okay.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  No, it's really expensive, but I told myself I will buy it and I did, it so I'm going to buy it.

Q.  Is there a specific pair of shoes you have in mind?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Yeah.

Q.  What are those like?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  They are black and red sole.  Christian Louboutin only a red sole.  (Laughing.)  Just black.  Classic.

Q.  Taking you back to the tennis, you said earlier you came from a German league match on clay and you were sort of scrambling to adapt earlier in the week.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Uh‑huh.

Q.  Is there any performance out of the course of week the that you're particularly proud of.
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Yes, I am, and it's the first round against Naomi Broady, because she's a great player on grass.  It's really tough to play her.  She has a big serve.
Like I said, I didn't have a good preparation on grass.  It was tricky, and I'm very proud I pulled that one through.

Q.  Do you think Ana now could be considered to be a contender for Wimbledon?
BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA:  Ana is playing great.  She takes the you ball very early, and it's really tough to get the rhythm with her.
She has some good chances to play great there, yes.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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