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QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 13, 2018

Petra Kvitova

Doha, Qatar

P. KVITOVA/C. Buyukakcay

6-0, 6-3

Q. Petra, that was quite the first set. You only lost four points. And it was over quite quickly. Were you just feeling it when you stepped out there?
PETRA KVITOVA: You know, I just came yesterday, and I didn't really think too much about the tennis. So probably that looked like I played very free, even with sun and wind. And I didn't really know where I am, but it was just in, surprisingly. I'm not really sure, like many times on the lines and anything.

And then in the second set, it was a little bit kind of tricky from the beginning. I didn't hit it properly, and then when she was coming back and it was like, again, was really tough and tight. And I was just trying to keep the serve in and try to hit it harder like I did before. So yeah, the first set was very exciting for me.

Q. What was your trip here like? I mean was it difficult turnaround from obviously playing Fed Cup and getting on the plane and getting out here? Was it standard?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, luckily we finished quite early on Sunday. I had to play two matches, so obviously I was physically and mentally pretty empty after the match. But overall like with the Fed Cup tie we were done pretty early. We didn't have any nerves like when it's important to deciding doubles and kind of this stuff, which if there is, we're going to finish pretty late and everything will be different story. But I came home a little bit for a few hours to rest, to wash my clothes and everything. And in the morning I went 6 am to the airport, and we flew like six hours to get here. I think maybe get to the hotel around 6 p.m. So I didn't hit. I went to the party. I wanted to have a day off from the tennis, obviously. So I just hit my warmup for the first time here today. Then went into the match. So this was my story.

Q. It's a good story. And you play Aga Radwanska next in the second round. That's a very weird match to see in the second round of a big tournament like this. What do you expect from a match like that?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, as we spoke in Sydney, that we are not really set, the number is a little bit higher than we want to. She is not seeded here. So yeah, it's pretty interesting second round. We know each other very well on and off the court. I think I probably saw the end of the last match which she played yesterday when we get to the hotel. But overall I know that she's pretty tricky. And that's all I can really say, nothing more. She can play unbelievable. So I need to be ready for that.

Here it's a little bit windy. I think it's a little bit her advantage as well. But I need to just play my game and continue in what I played in St. Petersburg and Prague. So that's how it is.

Q. What do you like about Doha as a tournament and as a city?
PETRA KVITOVA: I didn't really have options to go to the city and visit something. Most of the time I'm in the hotel and I've been on the beach nearby the hotel. It was pretty far. (Laughs). So that's what I know. But overall I mean I see beautiful buildings here, which I think each of them means something to you, so I think it's very nice. And I like the tournament. You know, it's starting pretty late in the day as well, so we have time to enjoy our morning a little bit. And it's nice to play like outside when it's not that warm later in the day. So it's nice. It's fine. And the surface, it's not as slow. So it's good for me as well. So yeah, it's nice.

Q. How important is finding time like the beach or like to go to the player party to balance what sounds like a crazy schedule?
PETRA KVITOVA: It doesn't sound like only. It is kind of busy schedule. But like for me personally it's very important. I need some time off from the tennis. I cannot think about tennis like a whole day. So for me it's very important to go to the beach, to go for a coffee, to watch some movies, to go to the shopping mall next to the hotel as well. So I need kind of this time of the day.

Q. If there was a winter Olympic sport that you could play?
PETRA KVITOVA: Nothing. No. None one. I was thinking about which one I can do in the winter Olympic. No.

Q. None?
PETRA KVITOVA: None.

Q. Not even -- I've seen you play like some hockey.
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't like winter that much. (Laughs). Well, hockey, I'm not sure.

Q. Curling?
PETRA KVITOVA: Maybe curling. Yeah. Why not? That can be good. I can be like the cleaner one.

Q. I'll take curling. Okay. That's your final answer.
PETRA KVITOVA: Thank you, Courtney.

Q. So it's been nine months since you came back on tour. So how do you look back on this nine months, and how do you see the progress you have made since then?
PETRA KVITOVA: I see it positively for sure. It's nice to be back for nine months already. I'm not really counting, but it's been a while as I heard now. I think I'm still progressing and improving my game, which I'm very happy with that. My hand has allowed me to improve what I can. And obviously it's a lot of hard work off the court and on the court as well. So I'm pretty happy with everything which I've been through, coming back on the courts.

Q. Many people are surprised, though. Personally I'm very impressed with how quickly you came back from that tragedy. So are you surprised about that or do you think you were kind of expecting to come back like at this position?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I was surprised it was pretty quick. Yeah. That's true. I think I was like one month ahead which we expected. At that time I was really thinking to play November as the first tournament, but then it was French Open. And surprisingly I won my second tournament in Birmingham, which was a big surprise for me. And overall like now I'm not really thinking that I'm coming back after that, but I'm just here to play, and I'm thinking about the future, not about the past. So I'm not surprising anymore. Sometimes I should, I think, but I'm not that much.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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