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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2017

Angelique Kerber

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

C. VANDEWEGHE/A. Kerber

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you feel like you had control of the match at all tonight or was she just hitting you off the court?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, it was a tough match, and of course I'm disappointed. But I was not feeling the ball at all tonight. I was not playing good from the first point.

So, yeah, it was not my day and not my match, for sure.

Q. Coming into the tournament did you feel it would be tough this year, that this winter you didn't have the time to prepare, or were you fine as you wanted?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: No, my preparation was like I wanted and everything was fine. I came here to play good tennis, playing round by round, trying to continue my run from last year.

But this is tennis, and you have good days and bad days. For sure today was not my best day.

Q. How was your confidence coming into this match? You dropped two sets in the first two rounds. Were you feeling at all uneasy about your tennis?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: No, I mean, I'm not looking like this. I'm going always with confidence to the matches. It's the fourth round, so every round is not easy. So I'm not looking about the rankings of my opponents. I'm going out there to play good tennis, trying to play my best.

I was trying tonight, as well, everything. But, yeah, I missed a lot and I make a lot of unforced errors. So this was not my game like I play normally.

Q. Is this is more about you having a bad day or her having a good day?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I think she had, for sure, a good day. But, yeah, I can just say like how I was feeling. Yeah, I make a lot of mistakes. I think that was not my game I play normally.

Q. Coming into the tournament you talked about keeping things simple. Do you think that was possible? Did you find that easy as the tournament went on, to keep things simple?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Of course, it was a little bit difficult at the beginning to get used to everything. But when the tournament starts, I was doing all the things like I did last year, was trying to do everything simple.

Actually, I was feeling good. I have a good team around me, the same team like last year. That was not the problem, I think.

Q. Are you still confident you can have a good year despite today?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I mean, this is the first Grand Slam of the year. I mean, I tried my best. Of course, there is few more tournaments to come with January. Of course, I think that I can still have a good year.

Q. You mentioned before the tournament coming in as world No. 1 and defending champion, you were feeling that pressure. Having this tournament behind you, does that help relieve any of that pressure?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know. I just went out from the court. I think I have to a little bit think about everything what's happened like the last few weeks, what I can take to the next tournaments with all the experience from, yeah, the tournaments I played here in Australia.

But for sure, I mean, I learned a lot, and I have new experience now. I think, yeah, I mean, I'm looking forward to all the next tournaments that are coming.

Q. Did it feel like a different tournament being top seed and defending champion at a Grand Slam for the first time? Did it feel like a new experience for you?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Of course, they are new experiences. This is good, they are new challenges. I can learn from all the other stuff which is new for me.

Yeah, I mean, let's see. It's just the beginning of the year. I can still improve my tennis, which is good. I will try my best to, yeah, of course, coming back stronger.

Q. Is it a relief you don't have to swim in the water this year?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: That was also not the plan, so that was not the bet, yeah.

Q. Will you keep following the event? Who is your tip to win from here?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I mean, I don't know what I will do now, when we will fly back or whatever. But for sure I will watch still the tournament until the end.

Q. Do you have a pick who you think might win?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know. I mean, the best will win at the end.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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