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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS


October 23, 2014


Petra Kvitova


SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

P. KVITOVA/M. Sharapova
6‑3, 6‑2


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Good to get a trophy after two matches.  Not bad.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah I lost one and won one.

Q.  You played much better today.  How did it feel to beat Maria for the first time in a few years?
PETRA KVITOVA:  You know, I was really disappointing when I lost against Aga.  It was a match probably I really didn't know what I'm doing on.  I was so tired and sick of the tennis for a moment.
So I didn't practice today as all and I just really relaxed and clean my mind a little bit.  I knew that I have a game to beat Maria.  I played in the final of the Beijing and I knew what I should play.
I just really trying to play it today.  I served better than in Beijing for sure.
So everything what I did today was really good, and I'm glad that I beat her and I have still a chance to go in semifinal.

Q.  As Ben said, it had been a while since you had beaten Maria.  Did you need a win like this over her to help your confidence at all or turn the rivalry around?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah.  Probably, yes.  I mean, I was still waiting to beat her.  It was the third meeting this year, and I finally made it.  Of course I'm happy for it.  The most important match I won it, in the Wimbledon, so that's important, as well.
I mean, I'm not really thinking that I just beat Maria.  I know that I still have chance to do semifinal.  That's my goal right now.

Q.  How much are you going to pay attention to the math coming up in this third match?  Maybe you need a certain number of games to qualify for the semifinals.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think our group it's very open.  Still everybody can go to semifinal.  I will do everything what I can to be one of them, of course.
Yeah, I played Caro, it's a long time when I play her.  I don't even remember when was the last meeting.  But I know that she improved a lot.  She's not only running and pushing the balls back, but I think she's playing a little bit more aggressive than she did before.
Yeah, he we'll see tomorrow.  Of course I will need to play my game again and play better than I play Aga.

Q.  How much do you like indoors?  Do you wish there was more of an indoor season?  There is no real stretch of tournaments where you get to play indoors and get used to them.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I like to play indoors so it's gonna be nice if it's more indoor tournaments.
But tennis is more it's outdoor sport.  That's part of our job.  Yeah, I know that I had really great record playing indoors from that time.  Probably I feel confident out there.
When I was kid I was practicing during the winter very fast surfaces.  That's probably just something what I really like to play indoor.

Q.  Your racquet looks a little different this week.  Can you talk about the decision to change and also the timing, to do to before this tournament.
PETRA KVITOVA:  You know, still Wilson racquet, so it's not really a big deal.  Roger is playing with the same one.  I want to be as Roger region, so that's why I change it.  (Smiling.)
But I was still playing two‑handed backhand for a while.  (Smiling.)

Q.  Is the racquet different ‑ other than the colors ‑ than the one you were using throughout the rest of the year?
PETRA KVITOVA:  It's very similar.  Yeah, the design is pretty different, but it's still okay.  It's not really a big different in the racquet.
I practiced with that after when I came from Asia.  It was two days, but I really like it.  That's why I'm playing with it.

Q.  Can I ask how many pairs of tennis shoes do you carry with you to a tournament?
PETRA KVITOVA:  It's interesting question.  (Smiling.)  If it's like for a week as here, for example, I have two new ones.

Q.  And for a Grand Slam?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Normally I'm getting Nike clothes over there, so there is always like four our five pairs.  I'm good with that over there.

Q.  Does all of this media stuff and all the stuff that you do to get that little trophy up there, does it tire you out?  Does it exhaust you sometimes at the tournaments?
PETRA KVITOVA:  I think it's more my PR manager.  She makes me doing a lot of work out of the court.
No, it's my first time what I got this award and I think it's very special for me.  Yeah, it's something what you are doing off the court, so I'm trying to promote our sport.  I didn't know about this award at all.  I just find out this week when Katie told me this beautiful news.
Yeah, I think it's important to do off the court as well.  Everybody see us most of the time on the court and playing tennis, in the fight, and every time doing a lot of emotion over there.  Nobody really see what we are doing out of the court.
It's still a lot of work to do, and we are happy to do that.

Q.  It seems from our perspective that you're much better with the media side of things now than maybe you were when you won Wimbledon back in 2011.  At what point did you become comfortable with it?  How did you kind of get used to the fact that everyone starts asking you questions every single day?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, it was new for me when I won 2011, for sure.  It was really something what I never expected it's can be like that.
I think that Katie helped me a lot with all these things.  I improve my English, but it's always great to speak with the media easily then.  Yeah.  Then from that time I'm just trying to help.  I mean, when I won the Grand Slam it's always put a lot of the pressure not only on the court but off the court as well.
Everybody is studying to you and you need to do good job.  So that's what I'm trying.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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