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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN


August 14, 2012


Petra Kvitova


CINCINNATI, OHIO

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  How satisfying was your win in Montréal, and can you talk about how well you played there and what you did well to play there?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that the first match really I played really badly, and I'm so glad that I won and I got a chance to play better next matches.
Yeah, I think that it's always tough to go on the hard courts from the grass.  Yeah, I think that I used to better than last year.  Yeah, I think all week I played really solid.  I didn't had a lot of the mistakes and tried to have more first serve in.

Q.  Did you need to take a more positive attitude into the North American hard court season, do you think, this time?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I need to be positive.  I think that in the past I didn't have a great result here.  So finally I have won, and I hope that it will be continuing in this pre US Open Series and in the US Open.

Q.  You spoke about the asthma again yesterday.  Is that always a concern for?  Do you think it's possible for you to maybe win Cincinnati and the US Open if it's very humid out?
PETRA KVITOVA:  That's the good question, because in the Montréal wasn't that bad as normally, I think.  Here it's more humid.
So, yeah, I will see how is it going here.  I will try my best and try to fight not only with the opponent, but with my asthma also.
Yeah, I think that it's hard to answer this question, because I never know.  (Smiling.)

Q.  All tennis players obviously have to adjust to the travel and different conditions and everything else.  How do you deal with that?  Is that something you learn over time?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that it's our life, so I think that we used to.  Every week at different places and different opponents, that's for us pretty normal.

Q.  Do you like it?  Do you like the constant travel and so forth?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, sometimes.  I think in the end of the season sometimes it's too much and we feel tired sometimes.
But I think, yeah, it's part of our life, so I can't thinking too much about.

Q.  When did you get to Cincinnati?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Today 1:15, 1:30, something like this.

Q.  As good of a last half of last year that you had, 2011, with Wimbledon and the WTA Championships, are you a little surprised it took you this long this year to win a title?
PETRA KVITOVA:  No, I'm not surprise.  I knew that this season will be tough again because the 2011 was amazing for me.  It's tough to replay and have a similar result.
I think that I played really solid this season.  I was injured and still I had a semifinals in the Grand Slam and quarterfinals in the Wimbledon, so I think that it's not really bad.
Yeah, finally I was in the final and I won, so that's the nice way.

Q.  What was the difference last week when you were able to come through in the semifinal and the final of then let's say Wimbledon or Australia when you're close but not quite winning those matches?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, in the Melbourne I was really upset because I had a lot chances to be in the final and beat Maria, but I think that it's good experience for me to be in the semifinal.  I knew that I have to like still fighting and playing better and I can improve a lot in my game.
Yeah, that was so nice when I beat Caroline and be in the final.

Q.  Going back to the asthma, how do you handle it in the humid conditions?  Do you have an inhaler in your bag or something like that?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I have inhaler in my bag, and as a protection I have different inhalator to have asthma under the control.  Well, actually I have biggest problem here in the North America; in the Europe or Australia it's fine because there is not that humid as here.

Q.  You come from a small town.  What was your first impression of New York City and the US Open?  How did it feel to you?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that the New York, it's amazing city in the world.  I think that the Manhattan is beautiful.  It's quite full on the streets.
But, yeah, I really like it.  I love to play in the US Open, the Grand Slams.  And I love the crowd, the people who came to support us.  It's really nice.

Q.  But is it a difficult tournament, do you think, to do well?  You haven't had your best results there.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, that's true.  I never did very well in the US Open, but maybe this time.  (Smiling.)

Q.  Is it because of the humidity or the...
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that could be part of it.  But, yeah, I never feel very well in this tournament, so I didn't a good result before.  I didn't had a great preparation.
So I hope in this tournament in Montréal can help.

Q.  Looked like you didn't realize that you lost 16 straight points yesterday during the second set.  That's surprising for us to hear that you don't realize it.  What are your thoughts?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, that's true.  Actually one moment I was thinking if I won some points, but then I said, Oh, my God, it doesn't matter right now so just play.
Yeah, actually they told me in the interview that I didn't win any point and I was quite surprised.  That's nice that I can win the third set then.

Q.  Talking about the US Open, is it harder to maintain your focus because of all the people and the photographers?
PETRA KVITOVA:  No, I think it's very similar to other Grand Slams, so I don't think it's about the people or photographer or something like this.

Q.  Is there anything you'll do differently this year in preparation for the US Open to improve the results?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think to have more matches.  I did already in the Montréal, so I hope that it's can help.  Now of course I will try the best here and improve some troubles what I had in the game in the Montréal.
Yeah, I hope so.

Q.  When your game goes off like it did yesterday in the second set and you're not winning any points, what are you telling yourself?  Do you have something you say in your head to sort of get back into the match?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that it was really a specialist today, because the second set she played very well.  Actually I didn't have any chance to win the game and win the point.
So I think that, yeah, I was just thinking positively and be calm because I knew that she's playing really well.  Maybe in the third set it can be return, and it was.
Yeah, I was thinking that I have to be like more patient but still playing more aggressive than before.

Q.  But in general, in your own game when you feel like it's not going well or sometimes you make some errors, what are you telling yourself to get back into it?
PETRA KVITOVA:  I'm trying to be still positive and fight.  I'm telling to myself that I really to have fight until the end, play every point for 100%.  That's the key, I think, to come back in the match.

Q.  Given how well Serena played at Wimbledon and the Olympics, do you think she can repeat the same type of performance on hard courts?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that she's champion, so I think she can replay good result from the grass to hard courts.  I think that all of us, we try to have hard time for her here and in the US Open.
Yeah, we see, but she played so well.  She played amazing during the grass season.

Q.  So for you, what separates her from the other players when she's playing that well?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, I think that if she plays in the grass court it's something‑‑ yeah, on the grass I can say that she played the best tennis.  I think that she's playing much better than when she was before.  Yeah, she plays so well now.

Q.  Is it her serve more than anything?
PETRA KVITOVA:  It's also the serve, but from the baseline she's playing very aggressively and she can have winners from bad positions and she's moving very well.  If she's playing so fast, the opponent didn't have really time to have some answer.

Q.  You mentioned having a lot of injuries throughout the year.  You pulled out of mixed at the Olympics with Radek.  Was that injury‑related?  How are you feeling now?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Well, yeah, unfortunately I have to pulled out from the mixed.  I was looking forward to play with Radek.  Yeah, I think I was a little bit injured with my abdominal muscle and I wanted to try to have some good result in the singles.
If I will play the mixed it will be like two matches in day.  I think that I not really can do it.  Finally now I'm feeling better and I'm healthy and I don't have any injury.  (Knocking on head).  So, yeah.

Q.  You were able to win Montréal without your coach there.
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, actually it was fine because my PR manager came to support me.  With the girls it's always fun.  It was so nice to have like free time.  I hope that the coach had a great time at home.
Now he will be full of energy and he will giving me some.  So, yeah, he came yesterday, so now we are together again.

Q.  When he takes a break from being with you at tournaments, is that to be with his family back home?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah.  Actually, yeah.  He was at home with the girlfriend and with the kids.  Yeah, I think that he enjoyed his time at home.  (Smiling.)

Q.  Katie hit with you, Katie Spellman?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yes.

Q.  She hit with you one day?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Yeah, because my hitting partner had a delay about a half an hour.  I have to warm up, and, yeah, she took the racquet.

Q.  How was she?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Actually, she's quite good, yeah.  She's lefty, yeah, and she's playing very well forehand volleys.  The backhand is a little bit worse, but that's good.

Q.  So she hit some winners against you?
PETRA KVITOVA:  Oh, that's no, but... (laughter.)
But we had a warm up so it's not about the winners.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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