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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2017

Petra Kvitova

Wimbledon, London, England

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is the feeling of being back here? How do you feel when you come to Wimbledon? It's a place you've had a lot of success.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, it's true. I feel great here. It feels like my second home, so I can't complain it.

The weather, it's okay still. So that's good as well.

Yeah, we are renting house, as every other year. It feels great to be here again. It's always bring me lot of nice memories. Just always like that.

Yeah, I already hit as well on the grass. The grass is perfect, as always, so...

Q. When Serena is not at a tournament, which is the case now, what is the effect on who's going to win?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think we still do have a great players in the draw, even Serena is not playing. But, I mean, I think it's a few favorites of the tournament. But it's very open. So who knows who going to win.

Q. Three years between the two titles here. Thinking another three years on, is that in your mind?
PETRA KVITOVA: Actually this question came in Birmingham. I start to laugh because I didn't count that well as you guys do (smiling).

Yeah, it's a nice one. It's just a number, so who knows what will happen in the end of the second week. But I will do my best, of course.

Q. A lot of times when players have a baby, she'll take time off from the grind of the tour. What are your thoughts seeing Victoria Azarenka back?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think it's nice to have her back. For sure, she's one of the best players of this time. She's a former No. 1 player. I think that she looks very happy when she has a baby around.

I saw her today, yesterday. Yeah, she is very nice girl. She was okay. So it's nice to see her back playing.

Q. Are you surprised at all that you've already won a title, that you've come back to that level at this point in time? I know you talked about you're not quite where you were. How far off do you think you are from being 100%, if you'll be 100%?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yes, I felt very surprised. I'm still surprised how I played in my second event after my comeback.

I think the grass always giving me extra confidence. I know I can play well on it. Through the tournament, I felt like every round I played better and better, which is always good sign.

The second question, I mean, it's tough to say the percentage, what my level is of my game. As I said, in Birmingham was going up. You never know how you going to wake up in the next morning. So I will see how I wake up on Monday.

It's my first goal to go try to play my best in the first round. I think that I still do have things to improve, which I really wanted to do, to be back in the best level, if I can say. Will try to be better than that.

Q. Do you have a different attitude now following your comeback to tennis and competition? You spoke earlier about locker room support, that a lot of players came up to you and spoke to you encouragingly. Why is that important? What does it mean to you?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think I am little bit different on the court and off the court, too. I think I see life and tennis from little bit different angle than before. I think that before I was very nervous before every match. Now I seeing that I shouldn't be. There's more important things in the life that should be more important than just tennis.

On the other hand I found out how I missed tennis through the period I didn't play. It was difficult time to watching girls playing on the TV, me sitting in the sofa with the hand in a splint. I find out how I love this sport.

I still do have the passion, which I always had. That's most important for me to have it, because I didn't know how everything will be when I coming back. So I'm really glad that I do have it.

The support from the girls was amazing. Have to say I was a bit surprised how the girls behaved and still behaving to me. Sometimes you feel if it's honest or not. I really do feel that most of it is very honest, too, saying that they are really happy to see me back. It's very nice.

I'm glad that I'm part of the tennis family.

Q. Since you came back in Paris till now, I'm sure you've done so many interviews, so many people are asking you the same things over and over. How has it been for you having to deal with that, perhaps having to answer about something that was a scary moment for you?
PETRA KVITOVA: The worst time was in Paris, definitely was. After that I think was good that I did have a time just for practice. As I said in Paris after my loss, that now the fairytale ended and it's now job to be realistic in the work, playing tennis, traveling, and really thinking about the tennis, which was true. I'm really doing that.

This kind of question which is always coming up, it's much easier for me to answer right now. I hope that will be with me all the time if I got these questions.

But, yeah, sometimes when I'm really thinking about, I got a little bit weird inside. But I think I'm better every week. I hope one day will be everything fine.

Q. Do you feel like you're playing more offensively than even from before? Watching you in Birmingham, it seemed that way. I don't know if that's because you have to, because you don't want to get into long rallies, or if that is pure instinct. What do you think?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think all my career I have to play very offensively. There was a part of the time when I didn't play, and I didn't play well. So I think everything just set up. Of course, we are, like, working on it with the coach as well to play my game.

I'm not sure if it is the results of what happened, but maybe I feel a bit fearless, I think, because of what happened. I find out what's important and what is not. Sometimes I'm thinking on the court that I already won the biggest fight, and if I fight in the match, doesn't matter if I win the last point or lost, but still will be happy to play, as I said before.

Well, for me right now it doesn't matter where it's from, but it's there, and I'm happy for that.

Q. Your first-round opponent, Larsson, your thoughts on her. And Pliskova, a Fed Cup teammates of yours, just won Eastbourne, has the chance of becoming No. 1 at Wimbledon. Your thoughts on her rise and what it would mean for Czech tennis to get a No. 1?
PETRA KVITOVA: I start with the last one then (smiling).

I think I played Johanna last year Indian Wells. She's very good serving. Have a big forehand. I think from backhand she has a good touch on the slice, having good dropshots.

Yeah, she's playing little bit different compared to other girls, little bit like men tennis, if I can say. That will be the key probably, just to keep my serve and try to break her.

About Karolina, I think it's good news. I won Birmingham, she won Eastbourne. Who knows who going to win here. No, I'm kidding (smiling).

Yeah, I think it's great, for sure. She's playing great. She has a great form. Will be interesting how she's going here.

Q. What do you think it is that makes her so good?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't know. It's question for her, I think. I'm not sure. I didn't really see her playing. I'm not really following games of the girls. I will tell you if I play her, but I didn't.

But I think that she's still serving very well. I think she's making lot of points. She's going for it. She's playing very offensively. If it's going to the court, it's difficult to catch it. It's good.

Q. You said when you were sitting on the couch at home, you realized you still had the passion, you still loved the game. What about memories of what you've done here at Wimbledon? What degree were those in your mind when you weren't playing? What are your thoughts now that you're back?
PETRA KVITOVA: When I was sitting on the couch watching the TV, I didn't really think about the Wimbledon. I just thought about the tennis as a sport, as a game, which I played since I four. I played as kind of a hobby. I liked it so much, I started to play as a professional tennis player. I still do have the love for the sport, which I know I have before the December happened. In that angle to watch, that wasn't my really fault that I couldn't play, it was even more in me that I really want to be back and play.

I didn't think about the Wimbledon. But then when the time, about the end of the March, I took the racquet for the first time to my hand, I was starting to think I would love to be back in Wimbledon. Would be very sad if I can't make this this year.

That's the big, big thing that I'm here. I already play in Paris, but Wimbledon was my dream to coming back, was my motivation to play her.

Q. You mentioned you're still surprised you won Birmingham. Now that you have won it, did it automatically maybe raise the expectations of yourself coming here? Were you able to reset and say, I still need to be patient, it's only my third tournament back?
PETRA KVITOVA: Not really. I think it doesn't raise my expectation coming to Wimbledon. I think, you know, six months, it's a long time when I didn't play. Yeah, I'm playing okay in the last month. But I'm still missing the matches. It's something what I can't really train. It just come automatically.

I'm happy that I have a five matches in Birmingham. Definitely will help. But, I mean, for me sounds little bit weird, some of the people are saying that I'm kind of one of the favorites of the tournament even I didn't play five, six months. It just sounds weird.

I don't know what I should think about. I mean, I'm just here. As I said, it was my dream to come here to play. That was the goal of my recovery. I'm here. I will, hopefully nothing happen, stand on the court and play again here in my favorite place. That means everything.

Q. Is there anything, maybe aside from your two championships here, that makes Wimbledon an important or special tournament in your mind, for players, for fans? What sets Wimbledon apart?
PETRA KVITOVA: It is not about the memories here. I have to say the first tournament I saw in the TV was Wimbledon, because of Martina Navratilova. From the time, it's one of the best.

In Czech Republic it's the best tournament in the world. There's always a lot of history here. I like the rules, playing in the white. I like renting the house with the team. It feels like a home and family. I think it's a few things which I really do like, if I'm not counting grass and my trophies here.

I really do feel very comfortable here. It's quiet. It's a relaxed place. That's how my personality is, as well. That's why probably it's feeling so good here.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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