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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 21, 2017

Karolina Pliskova

Kallang, Singapore

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Second straight year in Singapore. What were some of your thoughts arriving into the city again?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I have been here from Tuesday, so I have few days of good practice. I have a good team here this year, so I'm enjoying every minute actually here this year. Yesterday we had a great evening. So far everything is working well.

I have been experienced from last year, so I'm feeling well this year. Better than I was feeling last year. Tomorrow it's starting for me, it's my first match, so hopefully I can play better than I was playing last year. I have a tough group, as we all see, so it's going to be tough. But I'm looking forward to the matches.

Q. What do you think has made the difference, then, from last year to this year? What was it that you found difficult last time around?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, last time it was, for me, the first time when I got here, you know, so I think that's the biggest difference. So now I know a little bit how the things are going here. I know the surface. I know the, you know, the courts and everything.

I just feel a little bit better. Obviously if you travel to some places during the years, you feel better on the places. Or at least I feel better on the places (smiling).

So I feel like much better than I was feeling last year. As I said, even with the surface, it's a little bit unusual, the surface, so we don't have it anywhere on the tour. So I feel like I have played on the surface couple of hours, like, a lot of hours last year, so I just want to take advantage from that, as well.

Q. Coming into the WTA Finals Singapore there are seven women who can end the year as No. 1, you being one of them. What do you think this says about the landscape of women's tennis today?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I don't know. I think it's very open. It's very tough to get there, but on the other hand, we are all so close to everyone now on the ranking, I mean, and everybody can get there right now. So this tournament is really going to decide who is going to finish the year world No. 1. I think everybody has a good chance. So we still have to play well.

Q. You said yesterday that you preferred your group, even if it's a tough one, compared to the other one. Can you just explain why you think the other one would have been tougher for you?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I don't know what the other girls prefer, but I'm happy with my group, actually. I think my group is more aggressive style players in the group and the other one is more defending. I just like to play better these players. I played all of them few times. It's not that I didn't lose to them, but it's just like I like better their style of the game.

So it's going to be tough, because Venus -- I start with Venus tomorrow, so I beat her once from match point and once I lost very close match. This one is open. And then obviously GarbiÃ±e, she had a great year. I lost last match against her. And Ostapenko, which had a great year, we met last time on the hard court in Melbourne. I think it's not easy group. I think there is no easy player here. But I prefer my group.

Q. This is your second year here, and you said that there are things that you adjusted to better this year. Can you talk a little about the format and how that was for you last year and how you're going to -- because you need to play three matches, and win or lose, you play them all.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I don't remember if I was starting Monday or Sunday last year, but I think the timing of my practices and of the days what I have been here has been pretty good. So for me the Sunday start is good. So I don't mind that. I'm ready to go on the court.

I think it's just good that even after those matches, because we finished pretty late because we start really late, it's good that we have a day off, you know, and then we have those three matches. So I'm just ready for those three matches.

I know last year I was not really ready for my last match against Radwanska. I didn't play my best because I had a tough loss against Kuznetsova, so I think I want just to try to take this experience from this. When I lose some matches, I just want to be ready for the next one.

Q. Can you just talk about how you teamed up with Rennae?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah (smiling). Yeah, we all know I was without coach in Asia. I was with my dad. So I was already talking to her for a few weeks, let's say, and she said, Yeah, if you want to go, so let's go to Singapore. So I said, Yeah, why not? I didn't find any coach. I was actually not even searching for any coach before, so that's how it is.

I feel like we are having fun. I feel relaxed on the court, which is the main thing for me. I think it's working pretty well. So let's see. The matches can happen that I'm going to lose, but so far I'm enjoying my stay here.

Q. Obviously it's pretty soon with Rennae to have started, but do you sense my differences? Seems like in practices she was praising some of your defense. How would she differ from coaches in the past for you?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think this is really tough to say, because we came up on Tuesday, so there has been only few days of practice. You cannot really practice much if you know you have matches later. Obviously she's been in my team for a few days now, so she sees me play through all the year, all those matches, but to practice is something a little bit different.

If you want to change some things, you need a little bit more time. So we didn't really specify on something. We just want to feel well, play well, serve well, so there are obviously some important things in my game, but we didn't change anything in my technique or something like this.

Q. This is the year that women coaches have featured very strongly on the tour. Now that you're working with Rennae, do you feel there should be more women coaches on the tour, and do you feel any difference to your game?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, she was No. 1 in the world in doubles, so she played singles, as well. So like I already said few times before, I prefer to have a coach which played on the tour, as well, because they have those experience what we need, you know. So if you have a coach who didn't play, it's just tough. He maybe cannot understand the situations how you feel on the court, so this is important actually for me. That's what I found through last few years.

And I think we can be working pretty well together, as she can teach me maybe something on the net, some different things in my game.

Q. Just talking on Simona a little bit, it's the first tournament that she will play as world No. 1, finally getting it in Beijing. I saw you guys talking a lot and kind of laughing on the stage last night at the gala. But thoughts on her taking over the No. 1.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think it's different situation what I had, what probably GarbiÃ±e had, but still she has a guarantee of matches what she's gonna play, so I think maybe she might be a little bit nervous the first match, but then probably it's going to be a ways, so I think that's a big help for her to actually play this tournament as she's world No. 1, but obviously I think she's going to feel maybe for her country more like pressure a little bit. I don't know how she's handling the pressure. I don't know how she feels right now, but we practiced once and she looked okay, so -- and she's not in my group, so... (Smiling.)

Q. Caroline Garcia was the topic of the past few weeks. Were you surprised of the good run she had in Asia and that she qualified for Singapore?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I was actually not surprised that she had -- well, maybe a little bit, because two tournaments in a row, each is a little bit different. It's very tough to win. But I always knew she's a great player. So I think she has a great style, very aggressive, and doesn't really have any weakness in the game.

So just not surprised she's here. Maybe I was expecting to play her better during the year, but I think she definitely deserved to be here with her game.

Q. Your dress last night was stunning. Black dress with a lot of roses. How did you choose that one? And as a tennis player, how do you follow fashion?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I like to change clothes sometimes from tennis clothes, so obviously this occasion we have to have a dress and heels, unfortunately heels (smiling). But, yeah, I didn't really think about any other dress so far, so I just choose this one. So I like flowers, as every girl, so that's why I choose.

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