	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AEGON INTERNATIONAL

June 26, 2017

Karolina Pliskova

Eastbourne, England

K. PLISKOVA/A. Riske

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Since Paris, what have you been up to?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Not much. Obviously I had few days off after Paris, and I quite tired. And even my arm I was struggling a little bit before French Open, and after was a little bit hurting.

That's why I withdraw from Wimbledon, and -- Wimbledon. Not from Wimbledon. From Birmingham. And then I did one week of practice, I would say, pretty good week.

And then I came few days early here. I feel ready. I think I start well. Yeah, good start so far on grass.

Q. Was it the arm or shoulder?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Was elbow.

Q. Elbow?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah.

Q. You were feeling it before Paris, too?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah. I think it's from the clay. Few tournaments, few matches were pretty tough and with the balls together. But it's nothing really serious.

Q. Have you been able to kind of shut the door on the clay season and move on to the grass?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I think it close it pretty fast, the door (smiling).

But, no, still I went to semis. Was good, I would say, good in the end, the clay, clay part. But just happy that I can play on different surface now. Yeah, I was just -- I saw some practices in Prague, and I was, like, no, I would not love to go on clay back. Just happy that there is grass now. Obviously afterwards it's hard court, so I would say it's the better part now.

Q. Do you come out of the clay season because of the way it did end like way more confident?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I think I felt so good today. Even though it was first match, I probably didn't expect much from myself. And obviously the tennis was not the best. I felt so free, and so that's what I want, to just feel like this every match.

I know it's going to be tough with some pressure obviously in Wimbledon. But with the way how I finish in Paris, even though it didn't happen some goals what I had, and this thing with No. 1, I still was happy with the way how it finished.

I think it can give me a lot of confidence right now on grass and then in the end of the year.

Q. Beginning of the French Open I asked you what your reaction would be if somebody said that you were one of the favorites in Paris, and I think you laughed at me. So now, at the start of the grass season, if I were to tell you people think that you are one off the favorites at Wimbledon, what's your reaction to that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, better, because obviously I think with my game on grass, there is a bigger chance. Doesn't have to be that I go in semis or finals every time, but I think there is a chance. And now we can see that if I have a chance on clay, I think I have a big chance on grass.

I still think on grass there is few very tough, can be very tough rounds with the way how some girls are playing. So somebody's really dangerous on grass but not unbeatable. I believe I can go far.

Q. How surprised were you the way that the French Open ended up turning out with Ostapenko winning?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, a lot surprised. And I think I was not the only one. But, yeah, that's tennis. And especially women's tennis. Probably Simona, I think she had some kind of pressure for herself, as well.

Q. Simona?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, from Simona, winning the Grand Slam and she would even become world No. 1. So there was a lot of things around that match, so probably she had it in her head. I didn't see anything, unfortunately.

And even Jelena Ostapenko, she can play very good. I played few times her, so she can play huge tennis, so probably she played very good match.

Q. In terms of today's match, I mean, sounds like you were pretty happy with it, the level you were playing?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I didn't play much on grass. I was practicing not on grass but I came on Friday so I had two days to practice here.

But, you know, the practice here, it's not really the best, so you have just an hour just for few games. So I was quite surprised how I felt for my first match on grass. Obviously was expecting a little bit worse from my side, but I think was solid.

So as I said, not the best. I still want to play better. But the serve was okay and I think few shots there was pretty good.

Q. On Saturday I was watching you practice with Bouchard out there, and you were splitting the court with the guys. You guys did the whole two points on, two points off, rotating. I have never seen something like that before. Is that like a common practice thing?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I mean, it's tough when sharing the court, especially with men's. I think they play so much better than us.

It was so windy, so it was not really the best practice time, I would say. Yeah, still, I was just happy that I was able to hit because all day was raining somehow.

Yeah, but this is the normal thing. When you share the court, you have to somehow, if you want to play points, you somehow have to make it.

Q. But is that like a standard thing?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I think it's standard. You change after two or four points if you want to play points. So there is no other way how you can do it.

Q. For most of the season, you have been the ace leader, WTA ace leader. As of today, you're not. Your sister has won more than you.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Really? How many?

Q. One more.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Okay. But since it's in the family, I don't mind (smiling).

Q. Are you guys that competitive to where something like that might spur you on?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Not at all. I'm not even searching and looking at these statistics. Obviously people like you always know this, but I'm sure she's gonna know it and she's gonna tell me. But as I said, it's in the family, so it's good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297