DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2024

Marketa Vondrousova

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

M. VONDROUSOVA/P. Stearns

6-1, 5-7, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Marketa, congratulations on your win today. A very tough opponent. Can you talk about your performance today in the match.

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I mean, we played a couple times last year. Yeah, expected tough match. I think she's a great player. Conditions are different from Doha. I think every match here is very, very tough.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In terms of playing Peyton and dealing with particularly the forehand, from your perspective, what is the key for you to break that shot down when players have that heavy of a forehand?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I think you have to try maybe more forehands down the line. Here it's pretty tough because it's pretty fast and you don't have time for that. Yeah, I was just trying to stay in the rally.

I think she played great backhand, too. I think it was very good rallies. Yeah, I just tried to stay in the game, then tried to fight for every point.

Q. Seven of the top-10 players in the world are playing here today. What do you think that says about the attraction to this tournament and what brings players here, how it's evolved over the years? It's a WTA 1000 event. What do you think it is about this tournament that attracts the players?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I think for us, Doha, Dubai, it's in our schedule. It's also both now 1000s. For us it's big points and big matches from the first round. I think that's the main thing.

I feel like everybody really like this swing. Yeah, I really like it here. I think for us it's mostly like our schedule, and I think we're used to be it, to be in Doha, Dubai.

Q. In terms of building momentum with the start of the season and things like that, what is the key to you to getting and where do you rate your confidence in your game right now and what do you need to feel better on the court?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I mean, my pre-season was very quick, then I went to Aussie. I was kind of sick, so it was tough to practice there. Yeah, it wasn't that good. I withdrew from Linz. We had a couple weeks in Prague of practice. I think that really helped.

Yeah, for me it's mostly I need matches. Yeah, I'm just trying to fight, I don't know, every match and have as many matches as I can.

Now I feel like we are all, like, really good players. First rounds are always tricky and very tough. I'm very grateful for every match I win and I can play more.

Q. What is the reputation of this event amongst the players?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I think fast (smiling). I feel like it's very difficult here. The court is pretty fast. It was also windy today. Yeah, it's a bit tricky.

If you can have few days of practice here, then get used to the court, I feel like it's very good matches.

Q. What is your goal for the next 12 months?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: For me it's always to stay healthy and then just enjoy tennis. It's going to be very tough summer for me. I have many points to defend. I'm going to keep focused on that.

Yeah, now I have few byes, so I try to take advantage of that, focus on every match, just come back to my game.

Q. You talk about the summer being a pressure time for you. Up until then, you don't have a lot of points obviously to defend. Do you see it has opportunity or do you see it as that makes pressure for you to get the points now? How do you manage that?

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: I mean, it's always nice to have some byes in the tournaments 'cause, yeah, I'm in the third round, you win one match. That's the real advantage of it. Indian Wells, Miami, it's going to be bye again. I think it's maybe a bit easier to defend some points.

Yeah, I just want to defend more points from the beginning of the year than the summer. We'll see how it's going to go. Of course, it's going to be very tough with Olympics, too.

Yeah, I just want to stay healthy and then I'll play as many matches as I can.

Q. On the topic of the Olympics, obviously you have a medal, a silver medal from Tokyo. Does that make the Olympics more special? Less special? More or less pressure for you this summer? You're in a different position than a lot of the players that are really chasing a medal.

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA: Yeah, I think it's maybe less pressure for me 'cause you don't have to chase the medal. It's going to be in Paris on clay where I played finals in Roland Garros. I honestly cannot wait for it.

I think Czech team is great people, and we are all really friends. It's going to be something else than the tournament.

Yeah, I'll try to enjoy it. I really cannot wait for it.