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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 24, 2015

Petra Kvitova

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

M. KEYS/P. Kvitova
6-4, 7-5
An interview with:
PETRA KVITOVA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was the main issue for you tonight in your game and her game?
PETRA KVITOVA: For sure it was the serve. I mean, I didn't really expect that I can really put one serve in. So it was really difficult for me to, you know, playing this kind of player when she has a big serve and I really need to hold my serve. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't put a serve in. So it was the main issue, for sure.

Q. Serve aside, off the ground, hitting with Madison, what did you find was difficult in the rallies with her?
PETRA KVITOVA: For me I think was more difficult the ball from the return from her I think. She was going forward for it, playing real aggressive from the first point. I think that she played really, really fast, aggressively. She didn't make a lot of mistakes at all. So it was really tough. I was trying to have a chance, but just didn't come probably. But still, I mean, the serve was really the big difference.

Q. What is your analysis of her future? Could she become an elite player?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure. She is a young girl. She can be top 10 for sure. I felt that she improved her movement, as well. I think that she gets more balls than when I played her in the Tokyo. So I think she improve like globally. Yeah, I think she can be one of the top ones, for sure.

Q. You look very fit, as if you've lost weight in the off-season. Do you think that might have compromised your strength?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, I don't think so actually. I mean, I played two tournaments before the Australian Open and I felt well, especially in the Sydney. So I don't think it's going to be really one of the things. Just I think that I need to take the positive way of this and still working on. You know, in the end of the day I did better than the last year and the year before, so I need to be happy, but I'm not. So, yeah, I expect little bit more from this tournament unfortunately.

Q. Alex Stober is now your trainer. Are you working harder on the physical side?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I do actually. We started preparation in the off-season. I think we did a good job. Still working on it. It's a lot of improvements over there.

Q. Casey Dellacqua said in the last round that Madison took the racquet out of her hand, when she was hitting the ball hard, there wasn't much she could do. Did you feel Madison was controlling with how aggressive and powerful she is?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think during the match I didn't really like trying to find out what's happening on the court when she's playing so well. I was still trying to focusing on myself. Probably when I look back, she played a great match. I had a few chances still. When I broke her back, she was still without nerves and playing really well. Yeah, you know, these kind of players, I remember the time when I was one of them and playing the top player, you always feel that you don't have nothing to lose, just playing and going for it. That's what she did today. She did excellent job today and she won.

Q. At the French Open they measured the speed of everyone's groundstrokes. The average speed of Madison's was higher than the men and the women.
PETRA KVITOVA: Okay.

Q. Did you feel it was that fast?
PETRA KVITOVA: Thank you (smiling). Actually, I didn't play any men, so I'm not really sure how is it. But for sure I felt the pressure of today on the court from the baseline. I tried to find position from the beginning. I was staying on the line and try to hit it back, but didn't help. I was a little bit down in the baseline and maybe try to put more balls in. But, you know, that's not my game at all. So it was tough. I was trying, but, yeah.

Q. You mentioned the early losses last year and the year before. Is this loss extremely disappointing? Kind of disappointing? How do you react to it?
PETRA KVITOVA: It is disappointing, for sure. Every lost [sic] is very disappointing, especially early in the tournament. I didn't make the second week, but I really wanted to do. I'm not the first, I'm not the last person who lost here. That's probably true. It's really tough to say something positively about this lost. I mean, everybody just want to win. I just didn't today. I know that the life in tennis is still continue. I still have a lot of space to work on it. But of course, I'm disappointed right now, but I need to take something positive from this trip here in Australia.

Q. Despite the loss, we know how devastating your form can be on grass. Do you feel your game is improving on the hard courts?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think hard courts is a good surface for me, as well. I mean, I had a great results past few years. I just need to employ it in the Grand Slams, try to be more fitter again. Try to, I don't know, like for sure the serve is the key. I need to work on it every day and we see.

Q. Despite this loss, how do you feel about your game overall right now? Do you feel better than you have in the past few months?
PETRA KVITOVA: Past few months? You know, I think that the second part of the last year was pretty good for myself. I didn't play really good in the Singapore, but then I finished great season winning the Fed Cup title. So it was a great fight over there. You know, it's the first three tournaments of the year. It's always tough to find when it's good, when it's bad. But few matches I played, that's good. I still have a lot of space, as I said already, to improve. That's good news for me and the coaches as well. We will not be bored at all. We will work on it. Actually I felt well on the court. Unfortunately didn't happen today. But, you know, still playing.

Q. You touched on Madison's long-term prospects. What about this tournament, how far do you think she can go here?
PETRA KVITOVA: That's the question. I'm not pretty sure. I'm not pretty sure who she's playing here anyway.

Q. Brengle.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think she has a good chance to beat her. I didn't see the draw. I'm not pretty sure how is it there. But I hope that she will go far when she beat me.

Q. The Australian Open is played very soon after the off-season. There's thought it can be moved back to February or March. Do you think that scheduling will help the players?
PETRA KVITOVA: You know, I think like from the time when I started to play this tour, it was always like this, so I never really complain anything about. I don't have really troubles with the matches before the Australian Open. I always playing the tournaments before. I'm totally fine with that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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