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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 29, 2016

Angelique Kerber

Kallang, Singapore

A. KERBER/A. Radwanska

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You started the season in Brisbane with a final; you're ending the season with a final. You've had a few bits and pieces in between. How do you feel about having reached the final? Start with your thoughts about facing Domi again.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: First of all, of course I'm really happy to being in the final here for my first time. It's the last tournament, and of course to finish with a final it's great. I remember the last year how I was finishing here, so this is big improvement.

Of course it's a little bit weird to play against one opponent twice in one tournament. This never happened before for me. I'm looking forward to play against her. The first match here was really tight and close, so she has a lot of confidence from the last two matches she won.

Yeah, she has nothing to lose, so I think it will be a good match and final from both of us.

Q. Starting at three sets in the first match; haven't dropped a set since. Seems like you're playing better and better. Were there any specific adjustments you made after the first match to be more efficient?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think if you know me, you know that my first match is always tough. I have to get the rhythm and come to the tournament with really close and tough matches.

This happened here as well. For me, I find the rhythm in the first few matches, and now I have a lot of confidence again.

Of course for me it's a big improvement also to deal with the pressure, because that was not so easy. I have much more things to do than last year here in the last few weeks.

So this is what I will take also for the future for me and the match tomorrow.

Right now I will try to enjoying the last match of the year, and of course I will try to win it.

Q. Today Aga was coming a lot to the net, and it seems like not only today, but you always play really good passing shots. How do you process that? What do you think? Where do you know how to pass it? What makes a perfect passing shot for you?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know. It's just maybe sometimes also guessing or like seeing where the opponent is going.

But for me, it's always -- I know how Aga is playing. We know each other very well. It's always tough to play against somebody you know for so long years and to being friends. So that's always not easy.

On the other side, you know actually how the other one is playing, so this gives you a little bit more to know where she is going and how you can guess at the end.

Q. It looked as though she was trying to play a lot more aggressively, and perhaps having played to suit her game throughout the tournament. That seemed to just sort of wrong footer her because she didn't get anywhere. Did you feel that was what she was trying to do?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Of course we practicing as well a lot in the last few weeks. Everybody is I think trying to improve her game. I know that she's trying to playing more aggressive. Today I think I was moving good and I bring a lot of balls back. I think today I had always the right answer.

For sure, I mean, I think that Aga improved a lot as well in the last few weeks and months. I think she will end the year as No. 3 and I think this is also very good. She's top 3 as well. Yeah, she played as well a great year.

Q. Martina Navratilova was in her earlier today, and she talked about back in her day she could play a match against a player, lose or win, go back to the locker room, get dressed, go out to dinner and stuff, or play cards. Do you see any of that in today's world on the tour? If so, are you like that?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Of course when you are on court you compete against each other. I think I'm like this. Of course you need few hours or like few minutes after the match for yourself because you're always disappointed after matches.

But you know that you will meet each other the next years as well and the next months, so for me, you can just talk with me as well and go out for a dinner after a match if you lose or if you win.

So I think I am the same.

Q. As you look back to the first match against Domi here, what is the biggest adjustment or one thing that you're doing much better at this point in the tournament than you did in that match? Footwork? Tactics?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think I playing a lot of more aggressive now than in the first match. The first match are always tough, especially when you're playing in the group.

I think I am moving as well a little bit better right now. It's like the last match, not the first one. I think I improved in this as well. I get used to the court and the crowd and everything.

Yeah, I think my tennis improved in the last few days since the first match.

Q. Does this feel new to you? Obviously you've never played the finals of the Finals before, or the semifinals before. At the same time, you've been in big finals all throughout the year. Does this circumstance feel new or is this kind of like old hat at this point?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: It's both. First of all, of course I know it's a big final again, but I never played such a final. I'm really looking forward. I mean, it's a big thing for me and really special because it's the last tournament after such incredible year for me.

So I will try to enjoy it, but of course I think I will be nervous in the beginning, like always. I think with all the experience I learned in this year in the big finals what I played, that gives me a lot of more confidence when I walk on court tomorrow night.

Q. You just compared this year's schedule to last year and having a lot more things to do. What sort of extra things do you have to do on a daily basis? Sponsors? Clinics?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: It's everything. It's sponsors, clinics. The press is not like ten minutes now. It's a little bit longer. Everything is much more longer. This is what change.

Yeah, I have much more things so the schedule is tighter. Yeah, but now I guess used to it. It was not so easy after Australia to deal with this, but now we are like ten months after so it's a little bit easier for me to know how the schedule is and to know how to focusing still on my practice and on my tennis. That's the priority.

Q. What were some of the initial emotions for you like when you started getting all these requests and the press conferences got longer? Was it surreal in any way? Did you feel like you weren't expecting this much attention from the win?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know. It was different. It was also difficult at the beginning to deal with this because, yeah, it was not as usual, you know, where you just come to the press conference and that's it. Now after the press you have much more things to do as well.

So it was more at the beginning, yeah, it was new. Now I can also like enjoy it and I know how to expect. So this is also something different now than at the beginning.

Q. You mentioned the post-Australian Open struggle. How important was it in the grand scheme of things to defend your title at home in Stuttgart?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: That was also really important because I love to playing at home, and to defend a title in Stuttgart, that was special again. If you win the first time it's always nice, but to defending the title like the next year, I think it's not so easy.

After Australia especially and after the few weeks where I was not playing so good and I was not dealing with the, yeah, the pressure, that was actually very good that I came to Stuttgart. Yeah, my day was as well very tight there.

But this gives me a lot of confidence that I can deal with this and playing good tennis after all the things I have to do.

Q. Early in the first set you hit a squash shot winner. The forehand out wide.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah.

Q. That was a pretty good shot from you.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: (Smiling.)

Q. Is that pure instinct? Is that a shot that at all you can replicate in practice? Talk me through hitting that shot.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: To be honest, I'm not practicing this shot. You know, it's like more that I know I can do it. When you are playing the matches you are focusing so much on every single point. I'm trying to reach every ball.

So I think it's just like, yeah, I was maybe a little bit lucky as well at the end. At the end I know that I can make such a shot, so it's nothing new actually for me. (Smiling.)

Q. Aga said in her post-match that in addition to watching her own hot shots on YouTube she liked watching some of your shots as well. Are there any players that are playing now or not playing that you like to watch on YouTube?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I have to say Aga as well. I love to watch her hot shots as well because they're always amazing, like everybody knows. I think she's always the winner of the month with the hot shots.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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