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CONNECTICUT OPEN PRESENTED BY UNITED TECHNOLOGIESAugust 22, 2014Magdalena RybarikovaNEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT M. RYBARIKOVA/C. Giorgi THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. I know you don't have a lot of semifinal experience at this level. She doesn't either. You had 12 semifinal appearances to her one. Do you think experience played any part in you're being able to hang on and win the match? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Tough to say because she's a player, which she keeps just everything there. She just plays full power. Yeah, maybe she was nervous, but it's exactly her game. She's just hitting so hard. Also she's used to do double‑faults, because her second serve is just so fast. So it depends, you know. I was trying to serve good, which it works very good. I don't think so, because it's so tough to play against her when she hit the ball, it's so tough to hit it even stronger. Not many players who could do that. So maybe, yeah. She's for sure younger and she doesn't have that much experience, but she already played her final on WTA. She beat Sharapova, so I don't think she was that much nervous this match. Q. You saved all 11 break chances she had. Talk a little bit about that. Did you focus more? How did you manage not to get broken? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Well, I was focusing on every serve, I have to say. It was very important for me to hold my serve because I knew that she could make these double‑faults, she can be struggle on her serve. So I was really focusing to hold my serve, which it works. I really served always good on breakpoints. Even the second serve, I was trying to play good kick, which really works. Maybe I was lucky on some breakpoints, but many I served really good. Q. Talk about what it means to be in a premiere level event final, and what it would mean to win it. MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: I mean, yeah, it's amazing. I already won four WTA tournaments, but never such a big one. I've never been in the final of such a big tournament. It's great for me, it's huge. Especially after I, well, struggled a little bit. I had very tough draw in the beginning of this year's US Open Series. I played all the top‑20 players. Here again, I had very tough during the second round. I was happy I could beat Halep. For me it's really good win, I have to say. Yeah, I mean, it's amazing feeling. Again, US Open I have amazing tough draw again. Just a little bit unlucky, you know, this year about the draws. So at least here I'm in the final, so it's really good for me. If I would lose maybe here second round against Halep, again Wozniacki I play US Open first round, will be for me not easy for sure. This for me, it means a lot. Q. You're the lowest‑ranked player to ever make a final in New Haven. Talk about the progression of your game, where you think you are now, where you want to be soon. MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Well, I kind of lost all my points now. I was more than one year around 30, and I was also seeded on the Grand Slams. I drop everything now because I won Washington last year, I played quarterfinal in Toronto, then I played last 16 in Cincinnati, so I had very good result. Now I just losing first and second, then first. From Slovakia some press ask me, How come you don't play so good now? I said, Can you also check my draws? It's not easy to beat all the top‑20 players. Sometimes you got to check the stuff before asking such questions. But, of course, sometimes I have to beat these players, and it was this tournament. So, yeah, I mean, I think my game, I have to say it was not for my ranking right now because I felt I play really good. Also against this player, I was playing really good. I was really like happy with my game. Not the first tournament, but the second. Against Wozniacki, I think was a good match. Also against Sharapova was not a bad match, I have to say. I felt that I really can play good, but was not easy to beat them. Q. Will you be watching the second semifinal tonight and if so what will you look for? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Oh, I will see if I will watch that. But probably, yes. Depends what is going to be in the TV on Discovery Channel which I watching a lot now. But, yeah, I mean, for sure maybe I'm going to watch some set. Yeah, I know Petra Kvitova. I know Sam Stosur. Especially with Petra, we are good friends, really close to each other. We played couple times together few years ago. So, yeah, I kind of know her, she knows me. Also Stosur, of course, she's a great player. I saw her so many times on TV. I practiced few times with her. They are very good players. I'm sure is going to be very good match. Is tough to say who is going to win this match. But, yeah, I will try to watch this match. I will enjoy it a little bit. I won't be like not too much focus. I just will watch it. Q. What do you think about your game do you think she had the most problems with? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: I mean, for sure, was probably the return. But I was serving crazy today. Really, I was really serving very good. That's tough. When you play against somebody who is serving that good, then she was very nervous when she was serving because she knew she has to win her serve because if she would not, it was exactly like it was, so... She doesn't like I think when you change the rhythm. She likes when you hit hard and she hit hard back. When you put a little bit slice, high ball, little bit kick into her backhand, she's little bit struggling. She can be great player. When she hit the ball, it's amazing. I mean, she already beat good player. So, I mean, it's just little bit that she has A plan and no B plan. She's young player. If she's going to learn to have a B plan, I think she's going to be a very good player. Q. You beat Halep here. What do you think you need to beat top‑20 players more consistently? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: I have to be more consistent because my game is many times up and down. I was able to beat very good players, and I could lose to not such a good players, you know. So I would have to keep my level up. Especially also I had some health problems, some injuries. Then I just don't practice. Some tournaments I didn't practice five days. I practiced two days and I went to the tournament. I made somehow quarterfinal. You just always have to practice every day on something, improve. If you are injured, you cannot practice. It's just not good. You don't have that much confidence. So I think this is like my key. I have to be like ready for all the practices and also always like be calm on the matches because sometimes I can get really nervous. For example, yesterday, I was really nervous that match. I didn't play good, I have to say. It was a really tough win for me. But I made it. Today I was just opposite. I was trying to be calm. It's just something that I have to of course change. Also to be little bit lucky. Sometimes when you have tough draws in the beginning, it's tough to beat such a champions, such a good players. Q. Do you like being the underdog, the player that's not expected to win? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Well, of course, I think everybody likes it. You know, you just go for the match more relaxed. I was going, for example, against Halep, I was like nothing to lose. She is the one who should win this match. I played relax. I think I played good that match. I think everybody likes it. I really like it. Of course, it's tougher for me, for example against Riske. I don't know exactly the ranking now, but I think she was even better than me. But I felt that I should win this match because I won against Halep, so I was little bit on pressure. And I beat her, yeah, a few weeks ago 6‑1, 6‑2. So it's just tough sometimes. Q. It says in your profile you carry around a lucky toy duck. Do you do that? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Not really. Because my mom, she was in my bag. She didn't know it was my lucky duck. She is like, It's so dirty. I don't know where she put it actually. I have to find my lucky duck. Q. When did she do that? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: It was before U.S. tour. I had it like all the time there in the bag. So maybe my lucky duck is swimming somewhere. I don't know actually (smiling). Q. Where did that originate? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: It's from my friend, very good friend. She gave it to me. Q. Do you have any lucky charms to replace that? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: I don't have some, not really. I don't know. I'm not like I have to have it and if I don't have it I'm like nervous. Q. Seems like the U.S. hard courts have been your lucky duck. You've won three titles in this country on hard courts. Is there something about playing in America on this surface that suits you very well? MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA: Probably, yes. It's tough to say, of course, why is it like that. I just like to play on the hard courts. Everything is very easygoing here, relaxing. Just all the hotel is always great. I just feel very good here. Yeah, that's true it's also many tournaments here. On some I have to be lucky, I guess. But, yeah, I just really like to be in States and like to play here. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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