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ROLAND GARROS

May 20, 2016

Angelique Kerber

Paris, France

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How has practice been since Madrid, Rome? It's a big patch of clay events. Do you feel like your form is coming into shape after Stuttgart was really good?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I had a little bit days of practice right now again on clay, and I think that gives me again a lot of confidence on clay court. I mean, I play good in Charleston on green clay, and then Stuttgart, Rome, and Madrid was not the best, but that's happen.

Yeah, I think that the days at home I had also a lot of treatments to get ready physically. Yeah, right now I arrived yesterday, so I practiced today twice first time here. Feels good. Feels good to be back in Paris. Yeah, I'm happy to be back here.

Q. You play against Kiki Bertens. She just reached the final of Nuremberg.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Oh, really?

Q. Yeah, she did. She's obviously in good shape. What do you think of her as a player? What are your chances?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I played against her in Miami this year, but it was completely different. Yeah, it was hard court, and, yeah, completely different conditions, also.

I know that, yeah, if she's now in the finals she's playing good tennis. But actually, every tournament starts from zero, so it doesn't matter how she will play or what's happen.

I'm here to play round by round and to focus on my tennis, and it's great to have the second Grand Slam of the year.

Yeah, and this is all about I care, to be here to playing good tennis. I'm not looking against who I'm playing. I will just trying to focusing on my game.

Q. You obviously have done well in Charleston and Stuttgart, and then you have Madrid, Rome, and Paris, where the results haven't been like that. Have you ever identified why that might be? Is it the conditions? The time of the season? Why haven't you been able to replicate that success in those three tournaments?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know why, but this year is also a little bit different for me. For me, of course I lost the first rounds in both tournaments and then I had to withdraw from Nuremberg, but, I mean, right now it's maybe good that this happen that I had a little bit time to get rest and to maybe also like to have a lot of practice again on clay court.

Because it's also a little bit different than Stuttgart where we played indoor; now we are outdoor again. Yeah, it's also Grand Slam, so always different. Yeah, I'm here now, and I think -- I don't know why it happened in the last years, but I will try to make it better this year.

Q. You mentioned the treatment back home. How is the injury? Are you able to play pain-free? What's the status physically?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Physically I am on a good way. I'm feeling good again. I mean, I had a little bit of my shoulder problems. I was like scared to like play few matches before Paris. I'm not playing when I'm not 100% fit. This is the reason why I withdraw from Nuremberg.

I had a lot of treatments at home. I was working a lot of my fitness, because my legs are fine. Yeah, now I'm feeling good again. I can serve and there is no -- not so many pains like I had one week ago. So it's on a good way.

Q. Regardless of how you've done in tour events since January, this is the first time you walk into a Grand Slam as a Grand Slam champion. Does it feel any different, or do you kind of take confidence from knowing you have had that success at this stage?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: The first feels much more better (Smiling.) Of course I have a lot of confidence to be here. I mean, I reach once the quarterfinal one year and I'm feeling good.

But I'm not thinking too much, yeah, that I won the Grand Slam, first Grand Slam of the year, because every tournament starts from zero. It's a good feeling to be the champion from Australian Open, but here we all start from the first match.

This is what I'm focusing right now, not thinking what's happen in the future or the past. I'm just here right now, and I will try to give my best and trying without pressure and without everything. Just playing good tennis round by round.

Q. In Australia you said that you treated it like it was a normal tournament, that it wasn't a Grand Slam. Have you done things or changed things in Paris to do something similar to make it more simple?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yes, I will try to not making the things too complicated, the same like I said after Australia.

I'm doing the same like if it's a normal tournament. I'm doing the same stuff I'm doing always. This is also my rituals what I have here like, because I learn from Australia that just make it like if it's a normal day, normal tournament, and not thinking too much and not making the things like too much complicated or too many things in my mind.

So I'm trying. As my first day, it's looking good.

Q. In Rome it looked like you didn't have the rhythm on your game and you were frustrated in that match. I'm just curious in your practices leading up to this whether or not that's been fixed, or are you still feeling like you're not having a rhythm on the ball?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: No, it's fix again. I mean, I have my rhythm back. After Rome I make like three days off where I am really not thinking about tennis. I was completely trying to, you know, going for great dinner, to the cinema, something like this, you know. Just going out of the tennis thing.

And then I start to practicing again, also with my treatments and everything. So, yeah, right now I have my feeling back. The courts here are really good, so, yeah, I'm looking forward to have few more days, few more practice before my first round. But the rhythm is back. (Smiling.)

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