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QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 18, 2018

Petra Kvitova

Doha, Qatar

P. KVITOVA/G. Muguruza

3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Q. How does it feel?
PETRA KVITOVA: It feels great. It's a beautiful trophy. It took a while to have it, for sure definitely. Today it was a big fight. Turning against one set down was very difficult. I spent two and something on the court again. So I don't know how I did it. But it's worth it.

Q. What goes through your mind when you're down 5-0 in that first set?
PETRA KVITOVA: I was hoping it will be not as quick as it looked like at 5-0 down. And then I had a game on my serve, and I was like, okay, so try point by point and have the serve. And then actually, I break her and I had the serve again. And I started to feel a little bit better. Like from the beginning I was very slow, like didn't see the ball properly. And I was like not really moving well either. So it took me a while to warming up a little bit.

Q. And how does it feel to be back in the Top 10?
PETRA KVITOVA: It feels great. I mean, first of all, I think that it feels much better right now because Top 10 is the number. Of course, it's such a great achievement to be back there. But I never really was thinking about the numbers, but about the game and kind of results, which I have it now. So it's nice bonus.

Q. On the Top 10 does it feel like more of an achievement because of what happened back in December 2016?
PETRA KVITOVA: You know, as I said, I couldn't really dream about it one year ago when I was in total different position trying to come back and play. And like for me, it's something that's amazing, let's say. I couldn't really wish for more. I played great tennis, St. Petersburg and here as well. So that means a lot to me.

Q. Do you think there are any shots or techniques you add to your play style? For example, today I was amazed by your backhand angle shot. So of course, you used it before.
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't really think so. I think I put a little bit more volleys to my game. I think more slice as well. Sometimes I played drop shots. I am trying to change the game a little bit when I kind of open mind. And today end of the match it was starting to wind a lot. It was windy, and I just tried to play in the middle of the court. So it was kind of funny for myself as well.

I'm not really sure. I think we work a lot on the serve definitely, which I think I didn't really serve well yesterday, and today didn't either in this match. But important is today I was able to win those rallies when I was serving.

Q. Petra, from beating Svitolina now to making the finals, then and dropping the first five games, could you speak about the journey? How did you change it in the final when you lost the first five games today?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think it was a long journey coming to Doha anyway. I had a tough match against Aga in the second round, which I thought probably I'm done in the match because I couldn't really move, and I didn't know how to turning that match. So on the other hand, probably that gave me something more than just the match. I found out that I can still kind of turning those matches when I lost the first set against Karolina and GarbiÃ±e today. I think with Svitolina I played really good game from the beginning, so it wasn't that tough, but of course it was a tough match but in different ways.

And today, as I said already, 5-0 down wasn't really easy, but I tried to come back somehow to play more rallies. I made a lot of unforced errors, same as yesterday, so probably all the experience which I had through this tournament helped me to turn it around today as well.

Q. Petra, you faced 11 break points, only was broken twice. Both of those breaks came in the first set, so second and third set you weren't broken. But it seemed like she was putting pressure on your serve. So I'm just kind of curious from your perspective, do you feel like those were break points that you were able to step up and save and how much of it was maybe kind of dodging a few bullets when she had an opportunity to get that break?
PETRA KVITOVA: That's a lot of break points. But on the other hand, I'm glad that all the breaks was in the first set. You know, when you play, you don't really think how many break points or whatever. You just try to play the best in that moment, which I actually served pretty okay on those break points. But I think that she read the serve pretty good. She almost always put the return in the court and always put the pressure on me, which wasn't really easy. I made some double faults as well, probably from the pressure she put on me. Then the wind start. It wasn't really easy to serve it as well.

So not really sure how was it, but anyway, from the rallies it was like it was pretty close at that time. Like she just hit it and it was like very close to the line at least on the Hawkeye. So it was just about the luck today as well. But I was the lucky one.

Q. You were. And in addition to that, the wind did start picking up in that third set. We know how you feel about the wind and playing in it. So kind of what was going on in your mind?
PETRA KVITOVA: Good or bad?

Q. I don't think you like it very much. What was going through your mind as you're trying to keep this break lead with the wind starting to swirl?
PETRA KVITOVA: It was pretty difficult actually. When GarbiÃ±e took a medical timeout, the wind started more and more, which it was pretty annoying for me. So I don't know. I mean as I said, I tried to play to the middle, not really think about the wind that much. I remember I won my first title in Hobart it was very, very windy. From that time I kind of trying to calm down myself that I can play in the wind.

It was a long time ago. But I'm still trying. Yes, sometimes I think I just put the ball somehow to the court over the net. I think we had like a few rallies which was really nice to watch. I played some slices, and it was just like a few meters after the net. And that's sometimes it's just how it is and trying to put the balls into the court which is the most important thing as well.

Q. With this victory maybe people and players start considering you a serious candidate at even bigger tournaments, like Grand Slams. I know it's too early to talk about that, but do you think you are ready to win the Slams or like Indian Wells or Miami, these bigger tournaments?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't know. I mean I hope so, for sure. That's why I came back, to try to have great results in the Grand Slams and the big tournaments, which one of these was here in Doha. So I think I showed myself that I'm able to play well in those big ones.

Q. Petra, are you going to eat well today. How are you going to celebrate the win because you said you haven't been feeling hungry and when you're tired --
PETRA KVITOVA: I'm still not hungry. Well, I'm going to leave very soon from here. I don't know how my celebration will look like. But I need to eat something good, good taste for me, so it will be no pasta because I ate it like every day before my match. So I'm kind of sick of it as well. So we'll see. I don't know. Something good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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