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DONGFENG MOTOR WUHAN OPEN

September 29, 2016

Petra Kvitova

Wuhan, Hubei, China

P. KVITOVA/J. Konta

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How happy are you with your performance, given the very long match yesterday?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think I'm very satisfied actually. I mean, I didn't really expect that the game we played today was really great. I think was fast enough, and like pretty close. I mean, Johanna played great. Was about one break in each set. My serve was much better than yesterday. Her serve was great, too. So it was very difficult. I'm glad I was able to hold all my serves today.

Q. How are you feeling right now? It did look a bit hard at times.
PETRA KVITOVA: In the morning, I didn't really feel the best. I think I did everything what I could recovery, ice bath, massage, eat well as well. I didn't really sleep well, so it's always kind of difficult. Sometimes when you're really too exhausted, you can't really fall asleep. That's happened to me yesterday.

Yeah, but, I mean, I was kind of tired all day long. But when the match is coming, you just have the adrenaline and everything that's just coming to that. I mean, I don't have any injuries or something like that. I just feel all my body. That's normal. We getting used to it every time.

Q. Talking about the match today, against a player like Konta, what is it like to play her? What do you see from her side of the net?
PETRA KVITOVA: I do see very consistency from both sides. I think she doesn't really have any weakness, which is always kind of tricky. On the other hand, I think that she doesn't have like big, big shot. So I think everything is just very, very good. From both sides she really can put the pressure on you. Even she is moving well as well.

And, you know, I think from her backhand, it's really fast every time. She's playing really great cross-courts from both sides. She can really open the court from the forehand with big angle, then it's her turn. It's really difficult to still be able to stay on the baseline and going too much back. Otherwise I can just run and run, it's nothing really there. And I think when she's putting first serve in, it's very difficult to return because she has very good placement, too.

Q. You said before the tournament, you didn't know what to expect here in Wuhan. You get the win on Kerber. Is it fair to say that you stepped out on court today with more confidence? Was it a different Petra today?
PETRA KVITOVA: I was kind of worried how I was going to feel physically on the court, which in the middle of the second set I really started to feel that I'm very tired. So it wasn't really easy. But I was happy with my serve. That helped me a lot today. Probably that was the mental side today, about the serve, about really getting in the match, not really lost the focus in it.

I think the match yesterday helped me, for sure, mentally, and with the confidence as well. But it was different game today. So I think we didn't really play that long rallies. As I said, the serve was much better.

But it was a little bit quicker. It was just different. And I just came from the court and I saw the time. I'm like, No, it's late again.

Q. It's your tradition at this point.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yes. It's not good tradition (smiling).

Q. You said yesterday it was also mental that got you through the match. Watching you play these two matches, it feels like a long time since we've seen you play at this level consistently. Why do you think it's happening here? Why is it different?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't think that it just came like suddenly. I just do feel that from the US trip I'm getting better. I think my level of the game is improving as well. I don't think it's just this tournament. I mean, I know the confidence is building with a couple matches, that you really have to fight, you have to feel well. You get some wins in a row, which really didn't happen in the beginning of the season. But from Montreal I'm just better in that. That's I think always giving me the confidence.

Just coming here, I mean, of course it's not easy the first rounds and second rounds in these big tournaments. It's just incredible.

It's difficult to say. Of course, I love to play in China, as well. But I think I'm kind of more relaxed probably and just enjoy the game. The loss against Angie in US Open hurts me like a lot. It took me awhile to get over it and practice again, everything with the motivation and coming here. But it's end of the season and I know that everybody's tired, so it's not only me.

On the court is just fighting. That's what I love, as well.

Q. Do you think Jo has what it takes to become a consistent top-10 player?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think that she has the quality, for sure. I mean, she's very consistent player. I think she really can be very good ranking-wise. I'm not pretty sure how the top-10 girls are really playing. I'm not really focusing on that right now. But I think that she really has a quality to be one of the top-10 players.

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