US OPEN

September 1, 2025

Karolina Muchova

Press Conference

K. MUCHOVA/M. Kostyuk

6-3, 6-7, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Hard-fought win. Your thoughts on the match.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Thank you very much. Yeah, I mean, another tough battle, long battle. I think Marta played really great. It's tough to find -- she's so athletic, I felt at some point that she was everywhere. I'm just glad that in the third set, like in the previous matches, I regrouped, I focused more on myself, was a bit more aggressive, and managed to win the match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How are you doing this? How are you winning all these incredibly long matches? You had periods out. Did you do extra fitness work, or is it just kind of natural?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Honestly, yeah, I think I'm just fighting, and then when you are in the heat of the match, I don't like to lose, so I just try to do everything to be able to win the match.

Yeah, again, it's once you're there, I just try to put everything I have in myself to win it.

Q. Three Czech women in the quarters. Can you describe the relationship that you guys all have, if there is one. I mean, I know the Aussies sort of, like, travel together, and they have coaches that travel with them. Is there that sort of situation with the Czechs where you're all sort of working together and playing off each other, or are you free agents? What helps your tiny country compared with the U.S.?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I think we are more one by one, honestly. Yeah, when we see each other here in the locker, I think we are all happy for each other and we talk and all that. Obviously with Marketa, we are from the same club, so I know her a little better than Bora. But with both of them, we just, nice relationship, we support each other.

I think that there is three of us in the quarters, it's so nice for our country.

Q. More on the sort of dominance among players from your country, especially women, three of four in the quarterfinals tomorrow, do you feel like you always had the opportunity to develop your tennis game? It wasn't just for perhaps people with more money? My sense is there is a good system of clubs and academies. And second question: Who do you admire most from your country, female player?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: The system, I'd say again it's more I think, I wouldn't really say it's a system. I think, you know, for me personally, I was practicing most of the time in my hometown, always found myself a coach and built my team.

I think for most of us, it was this way. It's either family or parents helping out. Then when I was older, I moved to Prague and went to the bigger club where there was more players to have more opportunities.

But I wouldn't say it was system for me, but it was nice that we had a lot of tournaments that we could compete each other in Czech. So that would be probably the one thing that I will tell you is great in Czech Republic.

Who I admired the most as a player? I'd say I always liked Karolina Pliskova. Later we became friends, so we have nice relationship with her, and I'd say her.

Q. You're playing Naomi next for the third hard court major in a row. What has it been like playing her the last two times and what do you expect the challenge to be, a much deeper round than the previous two meetings were?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, she's great player. I think she picked up her form again and she's getting better and better. We can see on her results.

We practiced here actually. So yeah, I expect really tough battle. It's going to be challenge, for sure.

Q. What difference have you seen in her game over the times you have played her?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Like, the last, let's say, last three times?

Q. Yeah.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: The difference, I think she just now got more matches under her belt, winning matches, and I'd say she's not -- yeah, I'd say she got that belief again that she can be the best, and trust her strokes more. Playing really fast, really good.

Yeah, gonna be tough.

Q. What has this past few months since you have come back from injury, what's that period taught you about yourself, and what have you learned about yourself going through those difficulties and coming out now in the quarterfinal?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, I mean, it was not my first injury now, so been there and done that. Always trying to just, you know, do the best I can, try to heal as fast as I can, do what I can in that moment.

Yeah, honestly, it's never nice to have some injury or to cope with anything. But I think I just take it as it is and always try to focus on the better side and just happy I manage with my team to be in the form for this tournament, that I can play again, and enjoy tennis.

Q. You spoke a bit about Naomi a little while ago. What do you consider to be her greatest strengths and the biggest challenges of her game?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I didn't see her matches here, honestly. So I think just that she's playing fast. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, good serve. Fast strokes. She's moving well. Yeah, I mean, she's great. It's going to be, again I will repeat myself, it's going to be a tough battle, for sure, but I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Czech Republic is quite small. I mean, it's like three Italian regions, small regions. How do you explain that there are so many Czech players coming out, especially in the women's? How do you explain it? Is it possible, because Czech men prefer to try to ice hockey and football, and the Czech girls, they have tennis as a main goal to become rich and famous?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, I don't know. Maybe.

Q. I'm asking you.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, but I don't know the answer for that. I mean, it is possible that guys are going more for hockey and football because it's popular in our country.

Yeah, I think as you mentioned, there are so many of us playing. I think it's so nice for younger and upcoming players to see that they can get there. I see the young juniors to play, as well, in my club, and they can practice with us and all that. I think it helps them and maybe as well the belief that they can do it one day, so maybe that.

Q. Tennis academies? Prague, Prostejov? Have they helped?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I mean, yeah, they have courts and coaches, so it helps for sure.