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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIAMay 8, 2016Angelique KerberRome, Italy An interview with: ANGELIQUE KERBER THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Which is your feeling with Rome in the past and now at the moment in the new situation for you after Australia? ANGELIQUE KERBER: My feeling is good. I arrived yesterday and I already practiced here. It's always nice to be back in Rome. I mean, I love the city. It's always nice to see so many fans here watching you and during the practice, so I'm feeling good and I'm really looking forward to be here again and trying to play a lot of good matches. Q. How do you balance everything this year with the Olympics also in the picture and the French Open, Wimbledon right next to each other? Where are your priorities going into this rough stretch of the season? ANGELIQUE KERBER: I'm trying to play tournament by tournament, and I'm looking forward to play a lot of matches now before Paris, of course, on clay, and trying to get used to the clay outside. Also with the weather and everything. So right now I'm really looking forward to be here and focusing on Rome, and then if Paris it's coming a little bit near, I will focusing on that tournament. Of course, I mean, like it's every year that it's really short time, like between Paris and Wimbledon, but, yeah, I think now it's a great time to have a lot of challenges like step by step. Q. What's on your Olympic program besides singles, doubles, mixed? ANGELIQUE KERBER: I play for sure singles (smiling). Then I'm thinking to playing doubles. At the moment, that's it. So I'm trying to play... Q. With? Doubles with? ANGELIQUE KERBER: We will see (smiling). I mean, I'm speaking with Andrea right now, so that's, I think... Q. Nobody has approached you for fix mixed? ANGELIQUE KERBER: Maybe, yes, because I played like four years ago mixed as well. It's always fun, and of course to playing for your country. I'm still thinking and we will see who will came from the men's side and we are still discussing. Q. The most important difference in your life, especially outside the ground after Melbourne. In better or in worse? ANGELIQUE KERBER: So there are always good and bad things, but for me there are more positive things that I can, yeah, say right now after Australia. Of course I have much more things to do. I have much more media stuff during the tournaments. But also is nice to have the problem, you know, because I know that I playing good tennis and everybody is recognized me right now. There are much more fans coming during the practice and this is what the feeling is much better, and I'm really proud about all the stuff that I did in the last few months. I think there are just good things. Q. On which surface do you like play more? Hard courts? Clay courts? Grass? ANGELIQUE KERBER: I like to play on hard, but I'm also playing -- what I'm really like is playing grass, because there are not so many tournaments. I played semis one year in Wimbledon and Eastbourne and I won Birmingham. So grass is also one of my favorites. Clay, it was not always my favorite surface, but in the last years I learned to play on clay, and also with the movements it's always a little bit different. But, I mean, I won last year Charleston Stuttgart. Also this year I won Stuttgart. I think clay court getting closer to my favorite. Q. Happy to see that Serena is back here after missing Madrid and have that challenge, possibly? ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yes. It's always nice when Serena is in the draw. I mean, it's tougher, for sure, but the challenge, it's also bigger. But I think it's good for the tournament. It's good for the fans that she is playing always in the big events. Yeah, but there are also a lot of other good players and young players that are coming. So I'm looking forward to the week and also how we all will play. Q. It's been more than three months since you won the Australian Open. Can you tell us all the phases like psychologically, emotionally you have been through these last three months and coming through here and coming here? How big of a, I don't know, weight does it have, the win, the amazing win you had in Melbourne? ANGELIQUE KERBER: I mean, there are a lot of emotions that I had in the last three months. I mean, my dream came true, and this is emotion what I will never forget and it will be always in me, you know. Of course I had much more things to do to get used to it and to handle this stuff, because, yeah, it's not like it was before Australia. This is actually what I'm trying to getting used to it and I think in a good way to handle all my emotions and also handle that I'm going still on the practice court and I have the time for working really hard, because this is what I did before Australia, which was the key that I won my first Grand Slam. Yeah, to handle all this stuff together, this is a challenge, and I think that I'm on a good way to mix it. Q. Do you think to play again until the age that is now Serena, for example? This is in your mind or not? ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know. I mean, I don't have age for how long I will play or if I will play still with 30-something. Right now I'm really enjoying the moment. I'm really happy that I'm healthy, that I'm playing really one of my best tennis in my career right now. This is what I'm looking forward now, so I'm not thinking about when I stop. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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