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DONGFENG MOTOR WUHAN OPEN

September 27, 2015

Angelique Kerber

WUHAN, CHINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Have you had a chance to hit at all on the main stadium court yet?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Not yet. I just arrived yesterday very late from Tokyo. I just practiced once now like on the outside courts, yeah.

Q. As we're looking towards the last section of the season, what is your goal for the next three weeks?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, of course, they are the last tournaments of the year. My goal is just to try to keep all my energy I have left for the next tournaments and just try to play good tennis at the end, just going out there and trying to, yeah, play tough, keep fighting, just try to take my energy, the last energy I have, to the next tournaments.
I think that's my goal: to play good tennis.

Q. You've been a part of a lot of very memorable matches over the course of this season, on the winning side and losing side. Why do you think that is? What is it about you or your game style or whatever that creates these sorts of matches?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: That's a good question. I have no idea (smiling).
Yeah, I played a lot of good matches this year. It actually doesn't matter if I lost or if I won the matches, I had great memories from that. They were always tough.
I played good tennis the whole year. I think that's the most important thing for me, you know, that I show every time when I go out there, I play my game and try to fighting until the last point, keep going.
I'm working also a lot on the weeks off and during the tournament. It's good to have the transition on the matches. I'm just looking forward to keep going, working hard, and play more matches like this.

Q. Do you think there's anything specific about your game style that kind of allows you to, I don't know, work your way through these matches?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, I don't know. My game is moving very good, playing good from the defensive, and also like trying to be aggressive.
I don't know why it's happened. But, you know, at the end when I'm sitting there and I'm looking back to these matches, it's always a good feeling.

Q. Is there one specifically from this year that stands out to you as the biggest or best one?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, there were a lot. I mean, of course the last match was the match in New York against Vika. But also against Aga in Stanford. I had the Maria match in Stuttgart. So I had a lot this year.

Q. Every time you travel to Asia, how do you deal with the cultural differences, differences between western and eastern culture? How do you save energy to live in this environment and focus on the court?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Of course, it's a little bit different here in Asia than in the rest of the tour. But, you know, it's nice coming here. It's something different.
The trip is the last trip of the year, so I just try to be still focused, try to practice very good, just try to enjoy the matches here. I mean, it's always nice to be back.

Q. Every time the tournament or the WTA will ask you to participate in some of the activities or promotions, would you keep an open eye to try to experience the culture, communicate with the local people, that kind of stuff?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, of course. It's always nice to do something different than staying on the court and playing tennis.

Q. Since you're working with a new fitness coach, how is the cooperation between you and him? Do you think your next career you're going to benefit from this cooperation with him because he's very experienced, working with Li Na before?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, it's nice to have Alex on my team. He's a physio/fitness coach. Yeah, I think I also improve a lot in my fitness.
It's, of course, good to have somebody with a lot of experience to know the tennis style and the tennis team and everybody around.
Yeah, of course, sometimes it's not easy. It's tough. But I think it works out, and that's the most important thing, yeah.

Q. Do you like to talk about Azarenka?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Azarenka? About what?

Q. Skills and maybe you will meet her, her game.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I mean, she is a great player. I mean, she's one of the top players on the tour and in the world. Yeah, she's a tough opponent.
I never beat her now, but my hope is one day I can beat her. She's a great player and a nice person.

Q. Do you remember the first time that you came to China?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: It's a long time ago.

Q. When you were a teenager?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yes, actually. I played Osaka juniors. Yeah, it was juniors.

Q. That was not China.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: It's Japan. No, China was Peking for my first time.

Q. What do you remember of being in China for the first time?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: In China? What I remember? I remember that it was totally different from Europe. I came here, and everything was not like there. I mean, it was different.
At the end I like it because it was not the same. The food was different. The people were different. But it was nice, you know, to see something different in the world.
Yeah, when I get here for my first time, I remember it was a nice trip actually because I came back and I say, Okay, wow, there's something different in the world you can see.

Q. Do you remember at all anything very specific that you remember seeing where you were like, Wow?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I went to the China wall. I saw it. It was something very special. When I saw it, it was like, Wow.

Q. A lot of players come into this section of the season, it's the last few weeks, there's been a lot of matches that you've played. How do you rate kind of where you are fatigue‑wise, how tired you are coming into this section, and what do you do to snap yourself out of it, to get yourself up to play for the rest of the season?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: After New York, I had like few days off where I went home and just not thinking about tennis. Then I had like few days to prepare to coming here to the Asia trip.
You know, I think, of course, you are tired, but I think more mentally. The year was long. I'm trying to have a lot of treatments and be relaxed a little bit when I have time during the matches or during practice.
Yeah, I actually try to think just one day by day, you know. Yeah, I enjoy every day. I have in my head it's three or four weeks at the end and I have a little bit holidays.

Q. Are you looking forward to Singapore or Zhuhai, the year‑end tournaments?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, actually not really. Of course, this is at the end the big goal. I mean, I'm here to play every match, match by match. At the end, if I can play Singapore, it's great. If I can play Zhuhai, it's great as well. I mean, I'm not thinking about this right now. It's still a long, long way to go.

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