PORSCHE TENNIS GRAND PRIX

April 19, 2026

Karolina Muchova

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/K. Muchova

7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Karolina, obviously not the result you wanted today, but you must be pleased with your performance throughout the whole week here, generally.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, it was a really good week for me. I beated players I have never beated before. I had some tough battles. It was, for me, kind of like a first tournament on the clay, so kind of like a preparation.

Of course could have been a little better if I'd make it today, but I have to give credit to Elena. I think she played really good, really fast. I was probably a little bit tired from the last two matches that I played here, but all credits to her.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Well done on the whole tournament. I know you just talked about it there, how this is a good segue into the rest of the clay court season. Now adjusting to it being outdoors the rest of the way, how do you think this tournament helped you getting a footing on the clay and moving the rest of the way?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: The clay here is a little bit specific, I would say. It's a little bit different than on the other tournaments, but overall, the movement, the sliding, that's still the base, still the same on coming tournaments. So I think now it's going to be just little adjustments on those other clay courts. But I think this was really good, really good preparation.

Q. Congrats on a great week.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Thank you.

Q. You had a lot of injuries the last couple of years. How are you physically right now, the last weeks, month?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, I'm trying to balance it. You know, I'd say you kind of never know when something can happen, but I'm trying to work on it, try to strengthen my body, and just overall I'm feeling so far this year -- you know, there is always little things, but I think that's normal. I'm kind of balancing it to be able to play all these tournaments. So so far, I'm feeling good.

Q. The wrists, it's very difficult. A lot of tennis players have problems their whole career and have to end it. Is that something you still have to work on, then, or have to be physically extra training or something like that?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, definitely. Definitely I have to plan my trainings looking at that, especially now playing on the clay. You know, the balls are heavier.

So it's a bit more sensitive, I would say, now. So I have to kind of sometimes slow down and give it the right rest, the right rehab, exercises, and just trying to do best I can to keep it healthy.

Q. Just a sort of valuation from you going through matches against Svitolina, Gauff, and now Rybakina, you played three top-10 players, three very good-form players. You did amazing, and get to the final and now toe to toe with Rybakina. What these matches can give to you in terms of experience and values?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, thank you very much. I think it gives you the most experience and the most what you can learn from. These are the best players, so definitely only to face them already gives you experience and a lot of things to learn about my own game, their game, and all that.

So I'm really happy to get these matches under the belt, even that one today. I will only try to take positives out of it.

Q. About the match today, obviously the first set was very close. You got the break back pretty late. But about the second set, what do you think made the difference in between her kind of just getting both of the breaks, and what do you think kind of led to that?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I think I was overall a little bit slow today in the rallies and with my reactions, and she played really fast, so didn't make it easy for me. Didn't give me much rhythm. It's just fast balls, one, two balls, and it's done.

I couldn't really get some rally to get back to the game. Yeah, she returned really well. I did few more errors, and, you know, it goes like this. Then it's really tough to break her. She was serving on fire today. Yeah.

Q. Congratulations for the whole tournament.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Thank you.

Q. You worked since the beginning of the year with Sven Groeneveld, yes? What did you change with this coach since this period?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: It's tough to say. I would say it's not like I would change something crazy big. It's the little things that he sees, that he points out here and there, you know. It's not like he would give me suddenly some advice and I would start to play good or anything like that.

I think it's, you know, with the time, it's just little adjustments, something that he sees, he point it out, we talk about it, if there is a way to improve it or how to look at it.

I wouldn't say I changed one thing. It's just little things throughout this period we worked together.

Q. Second place, this year final. You will have the chance next year to win this tournament in Stuttgart. Is it your aim to win?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: It's tough to think about it. It's in a year (smiling). But, yeah, I'll definitely try to come back and win that Porsche.