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AEGON INTERNATIONAL


June 22, 2016


Petra Kvitova


Eastbourne, England

J. KONTA/P. Kvitova

5-7, 6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling? It's been a long match and you already had some problems.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I don't know. I think I will find out tomorrow. But now I'm feeling pretty tired and sleepy.

I think the energy level is very low. But I hope that everything will be fine. I have a couple of days until Wimbledon starts, which is good.

Q. Talk about that last set, because it had been a pretty contested match up until that point.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think the score looks terrible, for sure. But I think she return everything and I think that I was serving pretty good. I had a good percentage of the first serve, and she just returned everything. It was just difficult. I don't know what happened, actually.

I didn't really feel that it's like 6-0 but it was. But that's how it is sometimes. It's not looking great (smiling).

Q. Were you surprised to find yourself a set up after she had led, and then she all of a sudden completely turned the table?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think that I had still trust in myself that I can still turn it around, so I wasn't really surprised that I won the first set. I know how tennis, it's difficult to serve to the set or the match. It's still option that you can still turn it around, which I still believed.

Q. Overall, what are you going to take away from the warmup events as you go into Wimbledon?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I had four matches. Especially here the two of them I think I played very well. I think I'm feeling good. The game plan and everything worked kind of well. I had a difficult match yesterday, as well.

So I'm okay with the preparation. Of course we'll see in the next couple of days, but I hope it will be fine.

Q. What do you think of Joanna's performance? How far do you think she can go in this tournament and maybe at Wimbledon?
PETRA KVITOVA: I never really see the draw, so I don't know who she's playing then. But I think if she's playing like that, she can win it here, anyway.

And Wimbledon, it's a little bit different. I don't know -- it's really difficult to say because we know how the women's tennis is very open right now, so I hope she can go far in the tournament.

Q. What do you think are her major qualities?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I felt her return was pretty amazing today, definitely, and second serve, as well. So I think that she can really build up on the first one or two shots in the rallies.

Q. What about your chances at Wimbledon?
PETRA KVITOVA: I'm not personally seeing chances, unfortunately. I don't know. I will do my best. We will see.

I will be very happy if I can show up in the second week.

Q. How did your thigh feel today?
PETRA KVITOVA: I feel it, which is not a good sign. (Smiling.)

I will do my best to get over it and heal it kind of quicker. I think it will be fine.

Q. Your coach and looking at the draw, do you never look at a draw at all, or does he have an idea of what you should look for, what you should be focusing on in your match depending on who you're playing?
PETRA KVITOVA: I never look to the draw before and not now, anyway. So it's still same.

Q. So you just go in?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah. I just know who I'm playing next. That's it.

Q. So you won't be following the drawing ceremony at Wimbledon?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, I will not.

Q. Are you going to the party?
PETRA KVITOVA: I do.

Q. Not too happy?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I was really trying to be in the competition here that I don't have to go there. But now I have to. (Smiling).

Q. It's not been a good week for the Czech Republic.
PETRA KVITOVA: In the football? Oh, boy. That's terrible. Yeah. Actually, I was kind of following it because of my coaches, of course. But we didn't play well. We will be going home, as me. Well, I'm going to Wimbledon, but anyway... It's similar.

Q. I don't think Lendl will be too pleased, either.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah. No, we have to get better.

Q. This is a big year for sports, and also the Olympics. I wondered if you weren't a tennis player what sport you would be as competitive at?
PETRA KVITOVA: Wow. When I was a kid I played volleyball. So I think I stick with that, then. I have a good -- tall, anyway, for it.

Q. And you are a lefty. Always helps in volleyball.
PETRA KVITOVA: Oh, yeah? I'm not moving very well. I'm not jumping that much.

Q. You're tall enough.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, that's true.

Q. Most of the top seeds have fallen in the earlier rounds. Are you up for an explanation why that might be?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think, as I said in women's tennis, it's kind of open. I just feel that the lower-ranked players are getting better and better. So the level between the top and kind of these players are very small.

And I just feel that each match what is playing it's about one, two points, the key points which sometimes it's kind of difficult to win it with the pressure and everything, with the expectation which we are really feeling from the outside and from ourselves, as well.

Q. Last week I spoke to Sevastova, and she said about this topic that's the reason why women's tennis is more exciting because the men's tennis is always Murray against Djokovic, whereas with you it's different people every week. Do you think it's the same?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I prefer same as men if I'm one of them. (Smiling.)

But otherwise, I think that for fans it's kind of nice to see new faces winning the tournaments and Grand Slams. For us, we know that every week is a new chance for us and we can really play well and go deep in the tournament.

So I think that's kind of -- it depends how you look at it, but I think it's nice.

Q. You won your first slam and you were pretty young and had to deal with a lot of pressure. Muguruza won the French Open. How do you think the young players will deal with that kind of pressure when they win?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think everyone is a little bit different. I don't know. I think that Garbiñe was kind of feeling the pressure a little bit before, as well. But of course now it will be more.

I have been top 10 before I win my first Grand Slam, as well. The difference between being just top 10 or winning the Grand Slam was just amazing. It took me a little while to get over it, and it was about a year or something to really deal with that.

I don't know how Garbiñe is mentally on that. I'm not really the person who is wanting to be showed and be like kind of famous or something like that.

So it depends really on the person, I think. I think that Angie is kind of dealing it, finding the way. It's a little bit difficult for her, as well, I think. So we'll see.

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