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MUTUA MADRID OPEN


May 7, 2015


Petra Kvitova


MADRID, SPAIN

P. KVITOVA/I. Begu
7‑5, 6‑3


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Looked like your easiest win so far, but still a bit of a battle.  She played very well.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Still not dating.  (Laughter.)

Q.  I wasn't going to ask because I didn't want to throw you off.  No, looked like a better win.  Looked like you were much more settled this time round.  Was that the case?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, I think yesterday was very good match as well from my side.  It was the first like tougher match for me.  Mentally as well, but today I think the mentally was prepared more.
Of course it's more difficult for me to play someone who I don't know.  From the beginning when you are like trying to a little bit know about her game it's always a little bit different.
I lose my serve in the beginning of the match and fought back to have it.  Really I think that she played really good match today.  I expect that for sure, because otherwise she's not in the quarterfinals here.
But, yeah, I think she play really good.  I'm happy that I did what I should in the moment, like the tactic playing as well.  I'm glad to be in the semifinal now.  (Smiling.)

Q.  Serena next.  You must be quite excited for that.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, I'm excited about my win today.  Of course playing Serena is a nice challenge.  I'm really looking forward.
It's long time what I played her, and I'm really looking forward.  Really.  She's a champion, and for me it's a really good challenge and to see how I am, how I going to play in the time which I have getting ready for the Grand Slam, and to see how I going to play tomorrow.
So it's going to be nice.  (Smiling.)

Q.  Did you watch Serena a lot when you were kind of a junior?
PETRA KVITOVA:  No, I didn't actually.  I mean, I did not watch tennis on the TV.  It was not really joy for me.  I was preferring to play tennis than to watch.
If I watch something, I just watch Martina when she was playing Wimbledon.  So not really.

Q.  Do you watch tennis now?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Now?

Q.  Yeah.
PETRA KVITOVA:  No.  Well, if I'm watching, most of the time I'm watching the men.  So not really.  (Smiling.)

Q.  On a slightly lighter note, what is the definitive fist pump for you?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Fist pump?  I think it's quite sign of myself.  I'm I think I'm using a lot, but I think in the past I did using more than now.
But anyway, I think that it's the sign of the fight for me.  Sometimes when I'm not feeling good and I know that I have to fight and I'm not there yet, it's helping me to get it there as well.
If you understand.

Q.  Like motivating yourself?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yes, exactly.

Q.  You said you prefer to watch men.  Any particular men you like watching?
PETRA KVITOVA:  I like watching Roger for sure.  It's very nice and very elegant.  It's nice to watch him.
And sometimes I'm just watching doesn't matter really who is playing, but I can see a little bit like how the tactic plan they are playing.  That's nice.  I mean, when they put it cross court and stand in.  So, yeah.

Q.  And good result on clay here making semifinals.  Grass has proved to be your best surface so far with two Wimbledon titles.  Do you feel like your clay game is catching up to your grass game?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, I think slowly getting there.  For sure the peak is in the French Open, so I'm very happy that I played four matches already and I can still be in the tournament and playing tomorrow again.
I think that's what I just need now after the break.  And on the clay especially.
So I hope so.  I think that clay is not that bad for me as I think, but I just need to, you know, think more positive about the clay.  (Smiling.)

Q.  Because we are from the Romanian press, I'm going to ask you how would you characterize Irina Begu's game.  You said she did an early good game.  What do you think happened, after and was it maybe physical?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, as I said, I think she had to play really good tennis, because otherwise she's not in the quarterfinals.  So that was the first point.
So I knew she was going to play really well, but I didn't know how, what kind of style she's playing.  I think she moved really well in the end of the day and is playing really aggressively.
I think she had a good tactical plan as well to playing by the forehand.  If she could to change it down the line, she did.  I think she play really good.  From the beginning I think she played better than in the end of the first set and second set.
On the other side, I think I was a little bit slower from the beginning of the match.  I think it was both sides.  Definitely she played well.  She served well as well.  For me it was really tough to return her serve.
So I think she had really great tournament here.

Q.  We covered in Stuttgart the reasons why you decided to take the two months off.  You're now in your second semifinal since I think Sydney at the beginning of the year.  Does that vindicate what you did in taking time off?  Do you feel that's a good indication of the results of that?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, I hope so.  It was really difficult situation for me to say I'm taking two months off and not to play two big tournaments.  Of course it's the decision which is really big.  Everybody was asking why.
It just tough really to explain why when you re feeling really tired.  Just, you know, I told you already about.  Now of course I feel better as before for sure.  I am enjoying more and more focus on the points.  I really can stay in the match, still fight back, and that's I think why I did it, to be here again and really enjoy it.

Q.  Many WTA players change coaches quite a lot.  You've obviously been with David for quite a long time.  Over like the past four years, since Wimbledon 2011, have your routines and training changed?  How much has it changed?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think it's not really usual that I'm with the coach for seven seasons already.  We had really good times and the bad times as well.
I think that our relationship is much more stronger than it was from the beginning.  Of course with the result which I had and with the struggling, it's a lot of experiences for both of us.
So I think that both of us changed a little bit, but we still are really close.  I'm happy about it because David really knows me the best, and I'm really glad that I still have him and he wants to still work with me.  (Smiling.)
It's really nice.  I mean, of course sometimes it's really difficult and I want just time off and don't see him.  But on the other side, he really knows and he is still I think learning a lot.
So the routine, I mean, with the time of course the routine is a little bit changing, but trying still to find the best way what we can.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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