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NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

June 19, 2018

Petra Kvitova

Birmingham, England

P. KVITOVA/J. Konta

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How pleased are you to be back playing competitive matches on the grass?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think it was not really easy playing Jo here. So, for sure, she had a couple of great matches in Nottingham, so it showed me something. I'm glad after three days on the grass I could play kind of good game. Of course there are a couple things I can improve, but overall, like for the first match, I think it was fine.

Q. Were you happy to get that done in two, because obviously Jo came back? I know that we know that you love three sets.
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, sometimes, but it was the first one.

Q. How relieved are you? What elements of your game are you happy with today?
PETRA KVITOVA: For sure my second serve. I think with the slice from a lefty, it's always kind of challenging for the opponent. The first serve sometimes was good, sometimes not really. But I think when we played kind of rally, I think it was like me who was dominating a little bit. With the depth of the ball, that's why I try to put long balls, which I think Jo had a few troubles. I know how it is when she put me long balls. It was in the grass, so there's a few things that should be more focusing on.

Q. Do you think it says really good things about your game that you beat a good player in straight sets?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, you know, sometimes not really. Sometime yes. But I think Jo for sure played well on the grass. On the other hand, I think that she was a little bit tired as well. It's always both sides of it. For sure Jo is playing great on the grass. She showed it to me in Eastbourne and she beat me. Then she played the semifinals of Wimbledon. I think definitely it was a good game.

Q. Did you have it in your mind that she might be tired after a long week in Nottingham?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, I didn't, no.

Q. Jo said that your return, the quality of your returning put her serve under pressure. Is that something you were looking to do today?
PETRA KVITOVA: Always I'm looking for that, but not every time it's working. I think we played a couple of times, so I knew a little bit about how she serving and the important points as well. But overall I think still she surprised me with her serve, especially with the second one. I just tried, for sure. If I just put the return to the court, I can pick up those balls. But that's what I tried and it was kind of paying off today.

Q. In those tight moments, there wasn't too much between the both of you. What do you think was the main difference in those big points?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, overall I think those matches with the tough opponents are about the important key points, which we had today as well, more was on my side. But it's tough to say. I think Jo double fault once or maybe twice for the right point where I break her serve. That's probably the same which I won the set, and the second set as well.

Q. Ahead of the French Open you said you had a bit of a break obviously, but you said it wasn't enough. You were still feeling the aftereffects of the clay season. How are you feeling going into the grass season?
PETRA KVITOVA: It's like playing on the grass, which always brings more energy to me. But overall I needed that break, which I had after the French. I'm looking forward to my next one after Wimbledon. But overall I felt good with the energy. That's important. Those matches are always trying with the tough opponent. You need to be ready for every point. Luckily it was fine.

Q. Back to the French Open, Simona said that you were one of the first people to text her after last year's final. Then obviously I guess you text her again after this year's final. I'm just kind of curious about -- I mean, she had very nice things to say about having that support. Why Simona? What was the connection there?
PETRA KVITOVA: It's tough I think with Simona. We are like on the tour for couple of years already. We know each other on the court, off the court a little bit. I can't say we are, like, friends going for the coffee, but I think when we are not playing tennis, we can be friends. Sometimes I do feel what people feel, so I felt that before when she lost the finals, I always felt that she must be really sad and disappointed and whatever, that she's always putting so much work to do that. It was pretty close that she lost. I just felt it, so I texted her. Finally she did it, so it was just one of the nicest message that I could send her congrats.

Q. You said you kind of knew where Jo is serving based on your experience. Are you the kind of player who uses data?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, it's just probably from the experiences I have with those players. Maybe my coach is using it, but he never really told me. Sometimes it's pretty tough, I don't know, serving and kind of scouring the game, sometimes you don't really see yourself playing. So you are just focusing on something else and not on yourself. It's really tough. Every match is different and obviously when you play, you get to know of your opponent in the day, which every day is different. Sometimes it's working going wide, sometimes goes going to the T, especially on the grass with the slice of the serve. So I'm not using the data.

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