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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 7, 2016

Angelique Kerber

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

A. KERBER/A. Pavlyuchenkova

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Looked very comfortable out there. How did you feel?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, I think it was a good match from both of us. I mean, Anastasia was playing the first few games really tough. She was hitting the ball so fast, so I was I was just feeling that I was always on the defensive.

But I was trying to be relaxed and focus on my game and just try to serving good and if I had the chance going for it. I think, yeah, it works good. I'm happy that I can transfer is like little by little from the practice in the matches.

Q. How pleased are you with your first three matches? A lot of players been having difficulty for different reasons this week. You seem to be sneaking through the draw pretty cleanly.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, you know, my goal is to have a lot of matches before going to Melbourne. I just try to get out there and just play like I practice the last few weeks, you know. Trying to transfer it on my matches, to be more aggressive, to serving a little bit better than the last months.

I think it works good. I think that I'm on a good way to be 100% ready for Melbourne.

Q. How long did it take for you to maybe get over the disappointment from Singapore?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, it takes actually few days after. I mean, of course I was a little bit disappointed. Maybe a little bit more. I mean, I had three weeks off, and the first few days I was really just trying to think about the year, what was very good and just the positive things.

Then I was sitting on the beach and trying to focus on this, what could be better and where I can improve more. I think, yeah, I will try to take the experience from the last months and also from Singapore to this year to getting better in the stressful moments, what I think I will have this year for sure.

Yeah, I will try to take the experience for this year.

Q. Are you planning on playing Sydney, or will this depend how far you go here?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Right now I will play Sydney, yes. That's my schedule, to play Sydney and Melbourne.

Q. That wouldn't change if you got to the final here?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Right now I'm not thinking. My schedule is to go to Sydney and to have a lot of matches.

Q. You're saying that you wanted to play more aggressively. Yesterday against Madison you were hitting the ball with a lot of zing. Is the key for you that balance, to not force the aggression? Do you think that that's perhaps what you did towards the tail end of last year?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yes, I think so. I think for me it's good to find the middle. To be more aggressive, but also still running everywhere and try to get every single ball back.

I think that's what I was also practicing last few weeks, to make the transition from the defense to the aggressive playing. Yeah, still I think what I should playing or making better is my serve, you know, to be more aggressive on my second serve and then the next few points.

Q. Is the Petkovic doubles going to transfer to Sydney?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: No, because Petkovic is not playing Sydney. She's not the entered. So we will playing here, and for sure we will play few more tournaments this year. (Smiling.)

Q. You look noticeably fitter maybe than last time we saw you. I'm just curious, is that a result of just particularly hard work in the off-season? Any dietary changes or things like that?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think both, you know. I was trying of course to get more fitter than the last year. I think my fitness coach does a good job. I'm feeling very good.

But also like to eating very healthy. That was also the key in the last few weeks. To really looking what I'm eating or like what I'm drinking. Yeah, I'm feeling good.

It was not easy sometimes. I had Christmas, and three days I was eating everything. That was always my goal, you know.

Q. Are there certain things you've had to give up food-wise?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Actually, no. I mean, sometimes you are looking, Okay, let's take a sweet chocolate or something sweet, but at the end it was not like this that I was always saying no, no. Sometimes I grab a little thing, you know, just to test it a little bit. Yeah.

Q. The season is barely started and already we've got the top 5 of the WTA players out or ill or whatever the situation is. What are your thoughts on that?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Well, you know, actually I just can say something from my side. I don't know how they are feeling or how the preparation are for them.

Of course I think it's not so easy to start the year and to coming back, because like we had two months off right now. I think it's, yeah, the most important thing to think is to starting easy, you know, and not going and like playing the first matches 100%, because I think you need time with the weather, jet lag, everything.

I think everybody is here and preparing so good as she can for the Australian Open. For me, was of course to have a lot of the matches, which is always important for me. Yeah.

Q. You've had some good times on this court over the years, haven't you? Talk about how comfortable it is to come back to a place where you've had some good results.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, of course. I have great memories, especially here. I mean, I was few times in the quarters; now I'm in the semis; we played Fed Cup here two years ago. So I have great memories.

It's always nice to start the year here in Brisbane. It's everything different than in Europe: weather, time zone. Yeah, I like to coming back here. I'm always playing good. I don't know why, but...

Q. Andrea was in here yesterday, and she said it was the match in Charleston that you two played that kind of turned your season around last year. Is that how you remember it as well, that was an important match for you, or was it a different match?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think for me, last year which turn around was of course Charleston, the title. When I won really the title in Charleston, that was the turnaround point, you know.

Every single match what I was playing there was really important for me, starting from the first match where I was down actually, and of course against Andrea in the semis.

But I think what was very important for me last year where I was not playing so good that I was keep going and trying to stay positive, you know. Just I lost few first rounds, but I was going after the next day on practice court and I was just, yeah, practicing and thinking positive.

So I think that all comes together in Charleston last year.

Q. Could you talk, please, about your two possible semifinal opponents.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, Lepchenko is lefty, so it's tricky always to play against a lefty. But, yeah, I had always in the past tough matches against her.

And same against Carla. We played tough matches also. But they are, yeah, both a little bit different from the type of style they play. For me, you know, I will just go try to play like I was practicing and doesn't matter against I'm playing.

Q. You said that the key to starting the season is to ease into it, maybe not play 100% the first match. So three matches in, where do you think you are at this point? Are you kind of back to playing just without thinking, I need to hold something back? Are you 100%?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I'm of course -- when I'm going out I'm trying to give everything I have, you know, and try to be at 100%. But of course the first matches with the time zone and everything it's always not so easy that you don't want to be injured or whatever.

Right now I'm feeling good. Every match that I was still on top, I don't know -- it's tough to say how many percent, but I'm close to the 100.

Q. Are you sleeping through or still walking up 3:00, 4:00 in the morning?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Right now this was the first night where I was sleeping good. Yeah, it's coming.

Q. You were saying that you were on the beach and kind of reflecting on the season. If I recall, you went to the Maldives.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yes.

Q. And ran into a bunch of other players there.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, I met -- who I met?

Q. Mladenovic.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: KiKi. I met KiKi on the airport, but on my island were nobody, so that was good. Only me. No tennis player.

Q. Perfect.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: So that was good.

Q. That was my question, whether or not it was fun...
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, no, I was alone somewhere on the water, island, without tennis players. It was good.

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