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APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEY


January 16, 2015


Petra Kvitova


SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

P. KVITOVA/K. Pliskova
7‑6, 7‑6


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  There was expectation on you heading to Melbourne anyway, but now really winning Sydney, how does it all fit with you?
PETRA KVITOVA:  It's always great to play the final.  The better feeling is to win in the final.
I'm just glad how I played today.  I mean, it was very a tough match to really handle it everything.  Two tiebreakers, it's always very difficult.  Karolina played really well and she served very well, and, you know, was really difficult.
I miss few of the rallies and the shots was just really amazing.  And I'm just glad that I played what I had to play today and finally I won in the tiebreak.

Q.  (Question regarding the Australian Open draw.)
PETRA KVITOVA:  I just know that I'm playing qualifier in Melbourne on Tuesday.  That's it what I know, so I don't need anything more.  Please don't tell me.

Q.  Talk about the tiebreaks, which were very close.  At the end you decided to be aggressive and that's how you grabbed it, huh?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Actually, both of them was really tight.  First one was like about one, two points.  I was lucky in the end.  I think the first one was really about one point, but the second one I was leading quite a lot.
But, yeah, she came back.  I didn't really play probably what I had to play at that time.  I was little bit scary maybe, or I maybe thought it's going to be over soon but it wasn't.  There was still two points.  It's tennis.  I don't know why I didn't play, but...
She came back and she played really good shots in the moment.  She served well then the two points, and it was again she was on the board.
Yeah, finally my forehand down the line paid.

Q.  She looked a little afraid at the end, but you didn't look afraid.  Did you feel scared at the end?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Me?  If I felt scary?

Q.  No.  She looked a little afraid, but you looked fine.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Oh, thank you.

Q.  Did you feel scared at all because you knew it was close?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Actually, in the tiebreakers, when it's like really close it's always a little bit scary.  You don't know really what you should do.  It's one point away and everything can just change and playing the third set, for example.
It was very difficult actually.  I can't say that I was scary, but I didn't play what I had to play in the moment.  I know I just really didn't move well and I was a little bit tight.  Maybe I just thought it was going to be like that she was going to make some mistakes.
But she didn't, so it was tough.  But, yeah.

Q.  Have you ever lost a tiebreak from 5‑1 up, a match from 5‑1 up in the tiebreak?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Probably, no.  I don't think so, uh‑uh.

Q.  So what did you tell yourself at that point to get yourself back moving the right direction?
PETRA KVITOVA:  You know, it was quite weird tiebreak, because she was serving so well all the match then she did two double faults, so I was a little bit like relaxed and it was fine.
I mean, I was still holding my serve pretty well.  Was 5‑1 and then changed the side, and suddenly I don't know, I just put the serve there and the ball came to me.  It was really difficult.
It's how I said already.  It's tiebreak tennis, and you never know what's going to be there.
So, yeah.  (Laughter.)

Q.  Karolina said she was a bit tired in the final.  Did you feel it at all when you played her?
PETRA KVITOVA:  No, I didn't.  I knew that she was playing doubles here all the week, yesterday as well.  I think it's make her tired, for example, for sure.  I mean, she had a great matches in the singles as well, so it's taking a little bit of the energy.
I didn't feel it.  Maybe in the end when she made the two double faults maybe she was tired, but I really can't say that.  I just don't know her that well to say it.

Q.  So 15 titles, and 15 times you won the first set.  Should people start to be scared when you win the first set?
PETRA KVITOVA:  It's a good news for me actually.  Now I have to work for my first set every time.
Yeah, maybe.  But unfortunately it's not playing only for one set, so it's good.

Q.  So in Australia three years ago against Maria Sharapova, 6‑4 in the third.  That was a very good one.  Last two years have been not where you usually are.  Talk about that a little bit.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, you mention Maria semifinal.  I don't have really nice memories on that match.  I mean, I had a lot of chances and I didn't make it.  I think it's one of the more disappointing matches what I had.  The past two years was just terrible and just didn't really thinking about them nicely.
I mean, I need to do everything what I can this year to be better, because it's not nice, I mean, to lose the first or second round in the Grand Slam.  It's just bad and I know it, but it's happened.  I'm not the only one.
But, yeah, it was tough loses over there, so I will hope that I can do better.

Q.  You feel your more mature now?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, every year I'm more mature maybe.

Q.  Now you're 24.
PETRA KVITOVA:  I'm 25 soon.  (Laughter.)
Maybe.  I mean, you know, I think that when I won the second Wimbledon title it was a little bit different and I probably knew what I can expect a little bit and how the pressure is and how to handle it all the things around.
But it's tennis, and every week is just different.  I come to Melbourne tomorrow and I need to forget about the Sydney trophy to be ready and focused for the Melbourne.
It's just really crazy world sometimes in tennis.  You really can't enjoy the title because the next week it's something different and you have to be prepared already.
So I hope that I'm more mature, but we will see how's it going there.

Q.  Lots of people like to take the week off before a Grand Slam, but you always come to Sydney.  Or you have for the last few years.  How important are the matches leading up in the week, and how important is this title to you going forward?
PETRA KVITOVA:  It's always nice to win a title for sure.  It's a great feeling, and I'm just glad to have it here.  Yeah, I mean, I spoke earlier about that.  I'm preferring to play matches.  In the beginning of the season it's always great to have few matches under the belt.  It's nice to come into Grand Slam with a trophy and with a little bit of confident from the matches what I had.

Q.  You talked about having to forget about the Sydney trophy and focus on Australia.  Is it almost more beneficial to remember the Sydney trophy for confidence?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, of course.  Of course that I will remember feelings when I play and when I won.  But it's something what I really can't take it and put it in my first week of the Melbourne.
It's just really difficult.  It's a Grand Slam and it's a lot of things to think about.  So just be focus on the first round.  It's always very tough and important.

Q.  Your game is obviously suited very well to grass.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, I think for sure grass is my favorite surface, but I think I can play well on the other surfaces as well.  I won titles already on the hard courts and clay as well, so I think that the game is there.  I just need to find it sometimes.

Q.  Fashion question:  A lot of the people this year have been wearing the same kind of minty color.  Do you get to choose the colors or does Nike choose them?
PETRA KVITOVA:  No, Nike is choosing for us, for me.  But in Melbourne will be different, so you can looking forward to see something new.

Q.  Even though Pironkova is a lower‑ranked player, did you feel it was quite an achievement to beat here in the semifinal after she's won so many matches here in the past couple of years?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think it's great.  I was expecting tough match because I remember last year semifinal she play really well and I didn't know what I should play or I didn't know what was that year.
I'm just glad that I beat her.  For sure it was a good revenge for me, especially when she was going from the quallies.  So it's a great success for her.  Yeah, I'm just glad that I beat her and now I won.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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