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NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

June 21, 2018

Barbora Strycova

Birmingham, England

B. STRYCOVA/G. Muguruza

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That's your third win in a row against Muguruza on grass. What is it you like about this match up?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I'm not sure what I like, but every time I play her, I have to play my best tennis and it happen. The last two matches were in Eastbourne last year and this year here. I played well and I felt on the court very good, especially today. I was serving very well and it was working a lot. It helped save me -- not save me, but help me.

Q. You obviously have had a fair degree of success in Birmingham. What is it about this particularly setup that compliments your game?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I like this tournament. I like to come here. I like the people, the surroundings. It feels like, not home, but it feels very nice to be here. And even I was long in Paris, so I was, like, not sure if I can come here. I wasn't feeling well. But then I came and it feels everything nice. I enjoy playing on grass here.

Q. What is it about the Czechs and grass? I mean how? Why? You grew up on clay, right?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I don't know. I get this question very often and I can't answer. We just like it. I like to play chip-and-charge. It's just a little fun. It's a different game, not always just playing quick and just go for it. I just like to play slice and serve-and-volley. I like it. But I don't know why we play good on grass.

Q. So would you say this is one of your favorite tournaments in England to play?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Yeah, it is one of my favorite tournaments, yes. My grandfather was living in London, so since I'm two years old, I was coming here very often. I love this country and I love to play here.

Q. Is this introduction to grass for the season a great way to get things going in a place that you love and a place you relax and play well in? Is it a great warmup into Wimbledon?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: It is a great warmup. And to beat Garbine today, it shows me that I can play still a good tennis and I can beat good players. It's a good win for me because she's such a great player. She won last year Wimbledon. It shows that I can play very well on this surface.

Q. Having lost to Muguruza in doubles, did that help you focus on singles today?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: No, I mean, the match we lost on Monday, I was pretty pissed (laughing). But even if we would win, I would be focused the same way if we lost.

Mad. Sorry.

Q. Pissed also means drunk in this country.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Sorry. I was very mad.

Q. Is doubles a great way to get into playing on grass, as well?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: It's great. It's another match, it's a lot of balls. I love to play doubles and doesn't matter if it's more matches on grass or clay, as many matches you get on grass is good before Wimbledon.

Q. Can you talk through the last game, which got a little bit complicated. What happened there?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Oh, God. It went so quick and I was serving well, nearly two aces and I was 40-love and I was shaking. I'm leading and I'm shaking. I was questioning. Then I start to be very nervous. My hands were shaking. I was like, Why I am shaking? This is not a Grand Slam final. Then she had nothing to lose so she went for it. I didn't do anything really bad. But when it was deuce, I had in my mind, Oh, my God, I had to put first serve in. When you have this in your head, it's already bad. So I was like, Okay, you have to play by yourself. You have to win it yourself. She helped me a little bit . When it was deuce, I played the second serve, she went for it, but she missed it. I was very happy that I pulled through somehow.

Q. Just in terms of comfort on grass, do you feel like when you step out on this surface that the options open up for you?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I have more options. I have much more options. Of course the balls are very low, so I can chip it or slice it easily than on clay or on hard court. But I have more options to go and play serve-and-volley. I have more options to play slice. I don't think that the girls like it when I mix the game a lot. This is my game. I have to mix it. I have not so much power like them. I have to play clever and tricky. If I play like this, I have chances to win matches.

Q. Just recapping from the French Open, a good run in singles and in doubles, but the way that it ended, did it take time to kind of process the two weeks in Paris?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Yeah, I mean, I was two weeks, I was two and a half weeks there. It was the longest that I was at the Grand Slam. I have to be honest, you have to keep your head all the time focused, and to do that for two weeks, it takes so much energy. Like I said in the beginning, I wasn't sure I will come here because I was so empty because you put everything on the court, singles, doubles. Even if you have day off, you have to take care of yourself, to keep energy in you. It takes a lot. But I love it. I love to do this job. I love to play tennis. I love to be good in Grand Slam, so this is how it is.

Q. Coaching-wise here, who's with you here?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Lukas is. I have two coaches. The main coach is David and then there is Lukas.

Q. But you're still working with David?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, David has four kids, so sometimes he needs to be home. And I like to also switch it because you have different perspective. You have different thoughts. I like it. I'm 32 years old. I don't want to be with one guy for 28 weeks straight. You know how I mean it (laughing).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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