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DONGFENG MOTOR WUHAN OPEN

September 28, 2016

Angelique Kerber

Wuhan, Hubei, China

P. KVITOVA/A. Kerber

6-7, 7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Today you had a tough performance. What do you think about your match?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I think it was a tough match. It's always tough to play against Petra. I think we both played on a really high level over three hours.

At the end I think there's no loser. I did everything today. Yeah, I was fighting until the end. Yeah, at the end I make a little easy mistake in the important moment in the second set. In the third set I was trying to coming back.

Yeah, it was a tough one, but I think it was a good one at a high level in the end.

Q. You've almost always had tough matches with her. How would you describe her level today? Is that one of the best matches she's ever played against you?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Again?

No, I think we played really good matches in the past. We are always playing tough matches and close ones. Today was a really special, special one, because we played like over three hours. We played on a really high level the whole three hours.

Like I said already, there are no losers today. Of course, I mean she won the last point, so I think the match was just decided in one, two points, and that's it.

Yeah, I was trying to fighting, but she deserved at the end.

Q. Did you see she was cramping in the last game? Was it tough to handle on your side, to pick the good shot?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: That's always a tough question. I saw it at the end, but she handled it really good. She was trying, I think, to go for it for the first shot. That's also her game. Yeah, she did it. She won the last point.

At the end, I think the whole game was a good match.

Q. At this point of the season it could be very easy for any player who is stuck in a three-hour match to kind of check out a little bit. Okay, on to Beijing. You stayed out there and fought hard till the end. Did it ever cross your mind at all during that time to dial it back or were you just engaged in the match the whole time?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I was, yeah, the whole time in the match. That's the last really long (indiscernible) at the end. Yeah, after such a year, you are getting a little bit tired. But still, I mean, when I'm on court, I will try to give everything. Of course, I'm going out there to win the matches.

But, yeah, I think when I sleep tonight and waking up tomorrow, of course I'm a little bit disappointed. But tomorrow when I look back of the match today, I think it was a good one and I just can go with positive emotions to Beijing. I still playing good. Yeah, I mean, I'm looking forward to the last few tournaments of the year.

Q. What do you think let you down in your game, if anything, today? It looked like you were trying to attack her backhand most of the time. Maybe the ball was falling a little bit short on you.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think my serve was not the best today. I think that in the really important moments, I make like two, three easy mistakes, which was the key in the second set, and then also in the long game in the third set. So I think that was what I could make it better. But it's always easier to say after a match, yeah.

Q. Do you also take it as a good sign that you're that disappointed? You won two Grand Slams, you're No. 1. You could be more easy on yourself after a loss. Is it a good sign that you're so sad?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: No, but that's not me. I'm always disappointed when I lost matches. At the end it was a good one. But, yeah, I'm going out to win every single match. I'm not thinking about what's happen, what's ahead. I'm just focusing on the match.

I was trying to give my best. That's always my goal, when I can sit down at the end of the day and telling myself, I give everything today. I did. Then I'm feeling actually not so bad.

Q. From looking at her side of the net, what did Petra do today in particular that surprised you with how well she executed? We know how Petra plays, but what were some of the key things she did today that gave her the advantage?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think she was going for it. I think she served very well in the important moments. I know her game very well, so I know how she's playing. But at the end I think that we both play really a consistent match, like on a really high level. There were not like up and downs or bad few games. So every point was always really tough. That I think was also from her side very good.

Q. With the rest of the season, obviously Singapore at the end, as you're playing these tournaments, do you feel like you're trying to get your game in order for Singapore or is that not how you think?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: It's both. I mean, I already know that I'm qualified for Singapore, so this is also in my mind, to be ready for that special tournament, but also to be ready for these big tournaments here. I did everything to be ready here, and now I will focusing, first of all, for Beijing. This is my next goal. Singapore is still a few weeks away.

It's like both, but more first of all I will focusing on the next tournament.

Q. I was speaking to Torben the other day. He said in previous years at this time you were always counting points. How nice is it not to have to do that?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: It's really nice, because I remember every year actually when I played Istanbul or Singapore, I was always like eight or nine. We always like counting points. Actually, he is counting and I try to focusing on the matches.

It's actually nice. It's actually nice to being here and know you are already in Singapore and not to counting, and to win match by match, know you have to win one or two matches to get qualified.

Q. In recent years you have participated in many tournaments in each season. How do you keep healthy when you have such a heavy schedule?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: For me it's important to have like a physio always with me. Like I'm always traveling with a coach and a physio because I know that health is the most important thing. That's why I also taking care to have good rest between the tournaments and also during the tournaments.

Yeah, I know my body very well, and this is the most important thing for me, for every player, to know how to care about that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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