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AEGON CLASSICJune 24, 2017Petra KvitovaBirmingham, England P. KVITOVA/L. Safarova 6-1, 1-0 (ret.) THE MODERATOR: Questions for Petra. Q. It's obviously not the way you wanted to reach your first final here at Birmingham. So some thoughts on how inhibited Lucie was. Did you expect her to be moving better? PETRA KVITOVA: I know that probably she would retire from the rest of the day match, but I didn't think that she moved badly on the court. I was just thinking about my game, and yeah, I'm sorry for her that she's unhealthy, but I hope she will be better soon. And I think she had a great run here for sure. And yeah, I mean I'm happy that I'm in the final, but the way I am going is a bit weird. Q. Congratulations on reaching the final, Petra. How has your hand held up over the last week or so? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, the hand is good, which is the best news which I can have. And I am not feeling any pain, and that's the best news. Q. You won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, three years, three years, three years. Are you superstitious at all? PETRA KVITOVA: Um, well, when I was a child, I was superstitious, but I'm not sure I am right now. Yeah, that's funny actually. But you know, I think tennis is very open right now and it's not about the superstition of the three years but about the performance which you show, and I will do my best there as well. Q. It is very open, as you say, and there will probably be eight or ten potential winners of Wimbledon, which is good for the competition. Do you see yourself in that category, though, as one of maybe eight or ten or twelve girls that can win it? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I don't, because I didn't play six months, and I'm just here to play as many matches as I can, and I'm not really seeing myself as one of them who can win. For me it doesn't really matter like who is playing. I'm just thinking and focusing on myself, and that's what matter right now for me. Q. Is your comeback going better than you dreamed it would so far? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think so. I couldn't have imagined to have a better comeback than I am having now. You know, Paris ^ was a bit weird and strange, and I couldn't play the best over there. And I am happy that I am able to show good tennis here. Q. Petra, if you could tell your 2011 self one piece of advice, one thing, what would you tell yourself? PETRA KVITOVA: Before I won? Q. Yeah. Before you walked out onto the stage at Wimbledon. If you could give yourself one bit of advice back then, from 2011, what would it have been? PETRA KVITOVA: Probably just to believe in yourself. I think that's the most important thing to play. I think the tennis is about the confidence, and that's what -- it's important when you are playing well, you just can't think negatively about some points which you had. Q. Do you think you weren't confident back in 2011 when you won? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think I was, but the few of the matches I wasn't really the favorite, and that probably helped me as well with the pressure. But still, I do believe in myself. Q. Petra, do you have to bring your form into the final tomorrow? I mean in terms of service points alone, you're the best in the competition thus far. So how do you think that's the form leading up into the matches? Obviously this semifinal wasn't as long as you were anticipating, but how do you think you are prepared now for the final tomorrow? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I'm the same as for my other match. Just I played four matches already, so it's a good record and good preparation for the final. And it's the best that I am going to play for sure, but still, I think that my game should be same as every other day, to play fast and aggressive and to show my serve again, and I hope it will help me again. Q. Petra, the fact that you've come back so quickly, does it give you sort of belief and confidence because nobody knows how they're going to react to something that happens to you until it happens. There's no guidebook for it. PETRA KVITOVA: No, it's a new experience for every member of my team. We've been through difficult times, and nobody expected that. I think it's -- it's just something what makes us stronger, I think, and I could never expect anybody to play in my second tournament after the comeback. Q. Petra, so you beat Lucie today who's left-handed and you have a really good record against her. Do you think being left-handed yourself, does that make you more comfortable when facing left-handed opponents? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think it depends. I think maybe, yes, because when you are serving the left serve and you have forehand, which I think it's a little bit more easier to return than the right-handed. But it's the same for the other one. So it always depends on the form. Q. What do you think makes you have such a dominant head-to-head record with Lucie? What is it you like particularly about playing her? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think that we have really similar games. I just think that we know each other very well, and it's about a few tight points when you play a little bit better and the third thing that is making the difference in the end. Q. Just a few words about either Muguruza or Barty next. PETRA KVITOVA: Well, Garbiñe we played a few matches already. The last one was in Beijing. I think that her game is good on the grass; she played final in Wimbledon. So she has to play well on it. She's serving well and playing fast, which is similar to me. So it will be -- if I play her, it will be a really fast game. With Ashleigh, she's the kind of player for sure with a great touch. She's making the game, she's changing direction a lot, slice, some volleys drop shot, something like that. So it will be always interesting to play her because you never know what the other shots will bring. Q. Because this is only your second tournament back, would winning the title tomorrow mean more to you than other tournaments? PETRA KVITOVA: I can't think about the title yet. I'm sorry. If I do have the title, I can speak about it tomorrow. Q. Petra, British tennis has been rocked by the suspension of ^ Dan Evans' failure of a drug test. What are your thoughts on this? Is there sympathy for the life of a tennis player that people might turn to social drugs? I know it's not to be condoned, but is there some kind of sympathy of a release of the pressure is maybe needed at times? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I heard about it yesterday actually, and yeah, it's not good for tennis for sure. But on the other hand, I'm glad that we are trying to have a clean sport and it's the most important thing right now. Q. Petra, do you hope, especially with your ace service, you seem to have very, very good form of that in the competition. Do you hope to bring that into the final tomorrow given that it is that first opportunity to gain those points in order to then win those matches? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think it doesn't really matter. The ^ tournament is counting with the points, and if it's from the serve or if it's from the return or whatever, it's counting. So it will be nice to have a great serve tomorrow, but if you don't -- or if I don't have it, I need to fight with something else. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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