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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2018

Angelique Kerber

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

A. KERBER/M. Sharapova

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said you wanted to improve your aggressive play. That to you must have been the perfect match.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I mean, I knew before that it will be a tough match. I was trying to starting from the first point to being aggressive, but also staying really focused on my game, playing every single point.

I mean, I know Maria is always fighting. After the first set, I was trying to not thinking about the score, just going for it, trying to, yeah, being aggressive and playing actually my game.

And it works. It works from the beginning. Yeah, I'm happy about how I played tonight.

Q. How big of a match did this feel like to you?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, of course is quite big match. I mean, Maria is a champion. She's always dangerous, especially at the Grand Slams. You know, I mean, it was the third round. But even, I mean, we both know each other very well. We played so many good matches in the past.

I was really trying to not thinking about everything around and everything about the match, about against who I'm playing. I was just more trying to going out on the special court for me and playing, again, good tennis.

Q. Were you doubting at any point this winter that you could get back at this level? Were there any moments you thought, I'm done, I can't do more?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, yeah, I mean, after last year, when I start my off-season, I was really focusing again on what I'm doing. I was just trying to getting fit again, trying to going on court every single practice, trying to improving my game, trying to improving my serve, a lot of things which can helps me to being better on court.

Of course, it's always easy on practice courts. But then during the matches... I had so many good matches this year already, I'm trying to, yeah, continue like that.

Q. Are you feeling a similar feeling to what you had two years ago here when you won at this point or just in general?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, it's completely different. I mean, this year's different like 2016 and 2017. I mean, I learned a lot from the 24 months which I was saying already a lot of times.

But now I'm just trying to going out there, trying to take all the experience I had, from what I learned, going there, enjoying it again. Just, you know, playing again. I think just enjoying my tennis, fighting until every single ball, not thinking too much what's happen around, against who I'm playing, all the things which are beside the court.

Q. Did you do anything special for your birthday?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: We just went for a nice dinner, St. Kilda. Yeah, nice restaurant. We enjoyed a nice evening.

Q. Your serve looks quite different. The knee bend. What has Wim brought to your serve?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, when we start, we talk about the serve. I was also, like, telling him that I would like to, yeah, improve my serve because I know that I can still improve it. We sit down and we spoke a lot about that.

Yeah, changed a little bit the technique. I served a lot of balls during the last few weeks. But now I'm feeling much better, feeling much safer with much more control. I know that I can still improve it, but I think I'm on a good way.

Q. What's the biggest change you've made to your serve in the past few years?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think from the technique, yeah.

Q. One of the things you said in the past is you want to get more aggressive. Obviously one of your strengths is you can run anything down all day long. How hard do you find it to not go back to just trying to be patient?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You have to say it to yourself every single point. I know that I can always trust my legs, that I can run forever, that I can bring a lot of balls back. This is what I know that I can do it.

But I wanted also to improve my game, to being more aggressive, also taking the ball in my hands like the point. That's why, yeah, I'm trying to still improving it.

Q. Looks like you might be the only former Grand Slam champion left in the women's draw. Do you think that experience will help you?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, every single match is tough. I'm not looking too much ahead. I just looking from match to match, day by day. Tomorrow I have another day off where I will go on court and practice. This is what I'm looking forward.

I mean, really, I'm not looking too much who is in the draw, who not. I'm just looking every single match.

Q. How much of a new impetus has Wim given you coming into the job?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: You know, of course, I mean, it's a new voice who is speaking to me. We sit down a lot of times and we speaking about my game, where we can still improve a few things. But, you know, yeah, it's a different voice actually who is speaking to me. It's a little bit different than with Torben.

But, you know, I think I needed the change and that's why I decide to change everything. I think it was a good decision to do it.

Q. Why did you choose him? Did you know him well from before?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Actually, no. For me, it's important to speak German, which is my first language. So this is for me much easier. He's speaking German. So that was actually my first choose. He agree.

I think, yeah, we both happy about that.

Q. With the preparation of the new year, compared with last year, everything is different. This year you decided to start with the Hopman Cup. You have many matches and also a new coach. You don't have as much pressure as last year. With all the preparation, do you think you made the right decisions to start with Hopman Cup?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: When you decided, you never know if it's the right decision or not. I decide to playing Hopman Cup already like few months ago because I never played it, and I really wanted to play with Sascha together.

Yeah, I knew that I have, for sure, three matches. That was actually why I decide to start with the Hopman Cup and then Sydney, where I know it's a tournament. It's a little bit different than to the Hopman Cup matches.

So actually, yeah, I knew that I need a lot of matches because last year I didn't have too much matches. I know if I have lot of matches where I can take my confidence from, coming to a Grand Slam, actually that was the plan.

Q. When did you start enjoying being on the court again?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: When I start my pre-season. I take a lot more weeks off than usually. I said to myself I'm just going on court again, I'm really feeling it again, where I know that I have a lot of rest.

When I walk on the court my pre-season, the first day I felt it again that I will work hard to coming back and playing good tennis again, enjoying it. Yeah, it was the first day.

Q. Did you get much time to do stuff with your academy in the off-season?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I was there, like, more than three weeks. We have a lot of good young players. I'm really proud because they are really working hard. I was playing with them, as well. It was nice to see them, like, a little bit longer. Normally I'm just few days there, then I'm leaving. It was nice.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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