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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 23, 2016

Dominika Cibulkova

Kallang, Singapore

A. KERBER/D. Cibulkova

7-6, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tough match. How did it feel going out there today?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: You know, I felt pretty good out there apart from the beginning. I was I cannot say nervous, but maybe I was too excited maybe in the beginning. But after few games I just started to play my tennis.

I think it was pretty good match. I made few mistakes, few mistakes from the second serve and a few mistakes -- she was already running in the back and I missed two easy shots.

I think this what made me lose today. It is really, really tough one. It was really close. In this game it's all about small details. She was just bit more consistent in few games, and that's what made her win today.

Q. How were you feeling out there physically? You mentioned feeling some fatigue over the weekend. Issue today?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I was a little bit too much emotional in the first set. I was too much into the game because it's something new for me and I wanted to do well.

So I was -- that maybe cost me too much energy for the third set. Yeah, but it was nothing I couldn't recover many now I have my first match here -- I mean, behind me, and I will be ready 100% for my second match.

Yeah, it's a new experience for me and I know that -- you know, I just maybe wanted too much in the first set and cost me a bit more energy I wanted.

Q. Madison was saying that it just felt very alien out there today?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: What is alien?

Q. Like very different out there compared to normal tournaments.
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Okay.

Q. So how did you feel playing your first match at the Finals?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, that's how I felt maybe first two, three games because it was something new.

But then I quickly got used to it and I was just -- after I was on the right move and I was doing the right things. I think for the first match I was playing pretty good.

I believed in myself I can beat Angie today, and that was it the most important thing. I think I felt sometimes as a -- not sometimes, but in rallies I felt that I'm gooder, better on the court. But she won in the end, you know, so...

But it felt pretty okay. After few games I was feeling like in the normal tournament. I was just focusing on the game.

Q. Generally when you play a good match and you lose you are out of the tournament. Does it make it maybe a little bit easier to look at the positives when you know that even though you lost you still have your chances and you can play another match?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, if you see it this way it makes a difference. I'm not leaving tomorrow.

But, yeah, right now it's my priority. I want to get fit, ready for Tuesday. Yeah, I'm going to play another two matches. I want to keep going, keep this level of tennis.

This is the most important thing. We're at the end of the season, so also the fatigue is in the game. It's normal. But, yeah, I want to keep this level of tennis during the whole week.

Q. You used a lot of drop shots today very effectively; slice as well. Is that something you noticed practicing in the days before the tournament, that that shot -- because the court is bouncing quite low -- was pretty effective? Or was that something you realized during the match?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: No, that was part of my tactic, but I play a lot of dropshots already. That's part of my game and something that I know how to do on the court.

Yeah, here it's even better to play because it bounces really low. She's really, really fast. In the beginning the drop shots weren't too good from my side because I was just maybe overmotivated and they were not in the right time.

After, yeah, I hit few good ones. Yeah, I mean, she's a great runner. She world No. 1, so she must have been something extra in something.

Q. How do you rate her movement, her ability to make you hit one extra ball consistently through the rallies? How good is that compared to other players?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, this is something what she's good in. In the beginning I made few mistakes that I don't do because I thought, Okay, I have to do something against her, but it wasn't like this.

When my coach came on the court and during the first set he said, Don't try to play nothing extra. Play what you do and it will be enough. That's what after I was doing, and it was really enough.

So, yeah, of course movement is good, but when I was hitting my shots I was clear what I want to do. It was working. But, yeah, her movement is very good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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