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MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 6, 2017

Dominika Cibulkova

Madrid, Spain

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How is the wrist feeling?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, it feels good. It feels healthy. Physically I'm hundred percent ready. We just got here last night. Today I had a first points I hit on the court. It felt pretty good.

But I just started, in the beginning, with soft balls. Then on Wednesday, Thursday, I started to hit with regular balls. So first time this year I feel like I don't feel any expectation for myself before tomorrow.

It might help. It will be little bit different situation. But I'm really looking forward for the match tomorrow. I mean, I didn't practice enough as I would wish. But, yeah, the wrist is fine.

Q. What do you remember of the run you had here last year? Is it bringing back positive feelings?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, it brings back great memories. It was really an amazing tournament for me last year. There were so many emotions. I was three times down a set and a breaks or something.

This was really my breaking-through tournament last year, the one that gave me a lot of confidence, the one that I finally played and finally won a few matches in a row on a big stage here last year.

I just love being back here. I was really, really excited to come back. I'm happy I'm able to play, that my wrist is fine. I just really, really want to enjoy playing tennis on the court back here.

Q. Obviously you haven't played that much in the past few weeks due to the wrist. From last year, you had good results here. How much do these conditions suit you with the ball flying? Is the better?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: What do you mean?

Q. Do the conditions here suit you in terms of the ball flying?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, the ball flies a bit more. That's why I said I wish I could be here a few more days before and practice on hundred percent. But I wasn't able. I cannot change that. That's a fact.

I have to go tomorrow on the court with what I have, to hope for the good result. And, yeah, the balls are flying a bit more. I remember last year it was really rainy and cold weather. We played all my matches under the roof. It was a bit different conditions than when you play outside court and it's much hotter, like today. It was really flying much, much more.

Yeah, the conditions are different. But if I will be able to win my first round and get used to it a bit more, it would help me. It would, of course, help me. So we'll see how we'll go tomorrow.

Q. What do you like from Madrid? I know you have a really busy schedule. When you are in a city like Madrid, what is the first thing you like to do?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: To tell you the truth, I haven't been in the city. I didn't go sight-seeing, not even once. I think I played here maybe five or six times, and I didn't see much. I didn't see much.

Last year I went to nice shopping street and I bought for me a birthday present. That was really, really quick one. So no sight-seeing for me. Yeah, I haven't seen much.

Q. You were talking a lot about your first round. What do you expect from the match against Jankovic?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, I expect a tough match. She's a good, experienced player. Yeah, every time I played against her, it was really tough, good match.

I don't expect much from myself, but I hope it's going to be a good one. I will be able to finish the match -- not finish the match, but to be physically ready for it.

For now, these two weeks, I was doing twice a day fitness preparation. But it's different when you were on the court, on the clay, playing a match. I just want to be fit and just to manage to be fit through the whole match, so...

Q. When you say you don't have the expectations, they're pretty low in terms of this week, what does that feel like? How different does that feel, I guess, going to a tournament with that mindset, as opposed to maybe in the past going into tournaments feeling like you really wanted something more?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, yeah, in this way I have to say I'm lucky because I'm that kind of tennis player, even I miss two weeks, it's not like, Okay, now which way I have to hold the racquet? Really, some players have problem with it. They just cannot take few days off because they don't feel the ball for a long time.

Me, even when I have this long break, I just need a few good practices or few good points to get used to. But the clay is little bit different. That's why I'm saying, if it would be on the hard court, it will be different story. Clay is always really hard. You need to get used to the movement. It's different tennis on the clay.

Yeah, as you said, I have low expectations. I'm just exciting to be here, to play. I love this part of the season. It's my favorite part of the season, to be in Europe, playing these tournaments. Right now I'm just excited for tomorrow and excited for the next weeks.

Q. Why is this your favorite part of the season?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: It's on clay. I love playing on clay. I live in Europe. I feel like, okay, I'm really close to home, you know. Even if I lose early, I can go home and practice home.

I just love that feeling, being close in Europe. I don't know, this is how I have it since I was younger and junior. My favorite Grand Slam is Roland Garros. Maybe that's why. On every single tournament, I play well. I have great memories. I just love coming back here.

Q. Given that we are in Madrid, that you play many times, both Muguruza and Suarez Navarro, what is your opinion about both the top Spanish players?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: About the way they play or like the relationship we have?

Q. In general.
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: In general.

I don't want to say my two favorites, but one of the favorite persons on the tour. With Garbine, we have nice relationship. We practice lot together. She's really nice person. She won Roland Garros last year. I was really proud because she's really nice person.

And the way she plays, you know, she's great, aggressive player. She's really tall. We always have fun that she cannot wear high heels, and that's my advantage. I can wear high heels when we were on some party or something (smiling).

About Carla, the same thing, you know. I really like Carla. We had so many great matches against each other. I remember last year Roland Garros, she beat me on three sets.

It's just, you know, always nice to play against them because we have a nice relationship. We talk a lot, even in the locker or during the practice. I practice a lot with both girls.

They are really, really nice.

Q. In your opinion, which is the favorite player in the Madrid for the title?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Oh, I don't know. I have no idea. Right now for me, everything is open. I don't have enough courage to say who could win this tournament or who could win Rome or Roland Garros. I think who is going to have a great week is going to win this one.

Last year it was Simona Halep. I was in the final. This year it can be somebody else or the same people. We'll see. That's how the tennis is right now, you know. Not everybody, but the top girls are playing really on a great level. It's just a matter of who is having a better or worse day.

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