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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 5, 2017

Petra Kvitova

Wimbledon, London, England

M. BRENGLE/P. Kvitova

6-3, 1-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Firstly, how are you feeling? What happened at the end of that set?
PETRA KVITOVA: Not great, unfortunately. But that's how it is. I mean, that's happens sometimes on the court, and I just couldn't handle it today.

Unfortunately I didn't really start well in the third set, which I think it took me a lot of energy, as well. I just couldn't get back to that set. It was tough to turn it around afterwards.

Q. Would you put this down to the lack of tennis recently?
PETRA KVITOVA: Who knows? Maybe. I'm not really sure. My body just didn't really do the best, unfortunately. But I was really trying. I fight, and I'm not sure what's happen, actually. I could not just breathe, and I was feeling a bit sick, as well.

That's sometimes happened. But, yeah, unfortunately it happened at Wimbledon, which is not nice. But she still played what she could. I mean, she hit everything back. It was just tough for me to still have those energy to put it back and play my aggressive game.

Q. How difficult has it been since your comeback, after your experience from six months ago, to come back so quickly?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, no one knows how hard I had to work to be back, so probably that's feels more disappointing than normally it is.

But on the other hand, it's been great to be here again. I mean, it was my goal to play this event this year, and that's what I did. So probably in deep myself I feel very, you know, grateful to have this option to play, but on the other hand, I feel sad that I have to leave so early.

Q. We had started to believe in fairy tales and thought you could go all the way and win here. Did it feel like this for you to think, you know what? Maybe I can win the title? Describe the disappointment of today.
PETRA KVITOVA: No, I told you before I don't really feel as the favorite of the tournament, and I didn't really think about the title here.

Yeah, in Birmingham maybe it was a fairy tale but I still have to work hard. The six months is missing. I need to play more matches. That's what I really need to do. I need to practice a lot, as well. I mean, still there is a few things what I have to improve to play on the good level as before, and that's what I gonna try to do better.

Q. Were you feeling kind of sluggish or a little bit slow before you stepped on the court, or was it once you started playing in the heat and maybe the stress...
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, all day I felt a little bit tired. But always I'm saving the energy. So I thought, okay, it's okay.

Then from the beginning I felt, okay, in the warmup or beginning of the match I felt not really anything badly. But then when the match get longer and longer, I felt a little bit sick and tired. So I couldn't really move. I was so slow. I felt like, I don't know, like an animal. But a very slow animal (smiling).

That's what always not giving you extra confidence, right? It was difficult to still stay tough and mental. Yeah. That's how it is.

Q. She has a very special kind of serve. She seems to serve from her arm a lot. Doesn't seem to go that fast. What do you make of her serve? Is it tricky to return?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yes, you're right. It wasn't fast. Which sometimes makes troubles because you're not get too used to this. I knew that. That's why I step to the court and try to hit good returns, which I think the return was okay today. I'm not generally seeing the return as a bad shot today.

But it's a bit tricky. With the slice from the side spin. I mean, when you return and she always played afterwards, so you can't really hit a winner from that. It's a bit tricky.

But we played a lot of rallies, and that's what I think, I missed the easy shots in the end of the rallies which not, is always not great.

Q. Looking ahead to what you have coming up for the rest of the summer, are you in a position now where you can just have like a normal schedule and preparation? Or are you still in a phase of trying to work out what's the best thing to do?
PETRA KVITOVA: You know, I think coming and playing grass courts tournament was a step to be back on the tour, to get used to the normal conditions, which I always did before.

I know how I love playing tennis, so I need to do this, and I hope this will make me stronger again to, you know, to work hard again. You know, it was kind of difficult six months. I mean, it took a lot of energy, as well, and emotionally was tough, as well.

But now, I mean, I should practice as I did before. Still probably will have eye on the hand but otherwise I think it's getting better. I need to see the hand specialist once again to get better my hand.

But afterwards, I hope the schedule will just be as normal as before.

Q. What's the biggest emotion that you walk away from this grass season and Paris, as well, just these few weeks? What's the biggest emotion you walk away with?
PETRA KVITOVA: I'm glad it's over, actually. I mean, it was really tough, and I feel just really empty right now. I know my body, it's not great, but mentally I'm really glad that it's over.

I mean, it was kind of fairy tale, but on the other hand it was very tough. I just need to, you know, look forward and look to the future how everything will be, be focusing on the next tournaments. I know I can play on all surfaces, so that's very nice.

But I wish I playing longer here, for sure. But on the other hand, I mean, I have time to get prepared for everything what will be coming next.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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