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NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

June 24, 2018

Petra Kvitova

Birmingham, England

P. KVITOVA/M. Rybarikova

4-6, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've had a great week. Played some fantastic tennis and ended with the best stats on the tour, the most wins and the most titles. Must be a great feeling. How does it compare with last year, very different circumstances? Can you compare the two sets of emotions?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think it's not really same, for sure. Last year was kind of different, much more difficult by the mental side. I really enjoyed the time here last year. I didn't really expect to win here. I just played match by match, being very happy to be on the grass and the tennis court. It was kind of little bit -- not little bit, it was different compared to this time for sure. But not even this time, I didn't expect to come here and winning the title. For me I'm surprised. But on the other hand, I felt good on the court from the first rounds. Meeting Jo in the first round wasn't an easy draw. That match told me I could play well on the grass again. I was just keeping up the good performance on it. I think today was a great final to kind of fight. We played over two hours, so it was a great final to watch I think, I hope. So, yeah, different.

Q. Some people would find it surprising after all these wins you've had this year and grass being your best surface that you would say you didn't expect to win the tournament or go such a long way?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, it's always a bit tough to say it, even if you have the grass before. It's my first tournament on the grass. I spent two or three days on the grass going to the first round. So I don't think it's kind of surprise not to say that I didn't expect to win.

Q. It's a difficult surface to start on, especially after Roland Garros. We were asking Magdalena how hard is it to get that balance because there's so few grass court tournaments? You're going to Eastbourne and that potentially means you have four weeks. So what are the considerations you have when you look at that balance?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, anyway, grass, you need to play a lot on it, which you try. Obviously I wish it's a little bit longer grass season, but what I can do, right? We already have one more even, so that's great. What did you ask? Sorry.

Q. How do you weigh that balance?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I'm trying. Yeah, I think it's a difficult schedule. But on the other hand, if you like grass, you just want to play and that's my case. Obviously you are doing everything to play well in Wimbledon, but I'm counting this tournament as great as well. It's a big one. I played great. Doesn't matter what happens, I'm already happy with my season and with this tournament as well.

Q. Do you ever feel like you were born at the wrong time, because in the '60s and '70s --
PETRA KVITOVA: I do.

Q. -- three of the four slams were on grass?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, yeah, but what I can do?

Q. Get a time machine or something.
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, if I have it. Or we can fight for more grass court season. But obviously when I see myself playing well on the grass, I wish I could born a different time. I'm trying to play well on the other surfaces as well, you know.

Q. Since you made the return, you've started to do really well in lots of the WTA events, but you haven't quite translated that into the Grand Slams. Is there a reason for that?
PETRA KVITOVA: The reason probably is I want it too much. This probably the explanation. In Melbourne, it was kind of different story because I was sick and I didn't really hit courts before. I didn't practice for, like, two weeks. It was difficult physically to be in the level I wanted. French Open I think was pretty close. It was very sad for me to lose in two tiebreakers which took me a while to get over it in time. But I'm here again. It wasn't the end of the world. As I said, doesn't matter what happen in Wimbledon. I'm already pleased with this part of the season. I couldn't imagine to have five titles this time of the year, so I'm pretty happy already.

Q. Do you feel as ready as you can be for Wimbledon having won here?
PETRA KVITOVA: Why not? It's one week to come to Wimbledon. Hopefully my body will be fine, not have any injuries, to be well prepared for the Wimbledon. Well, it's just a little bit different mindset when you're coming to the Grand Slams. I'm going to try to set up my mind in this tournament.

Q. I'm just intrigued, when a slam comes out and the draw comes out, we will go crazy over draw previews.
PETRA KVITOVA: You're like a journalist.

Q. How far ahead do you allow yourself to look? It's emblazoned all over the walls in the locker room. How far ahead do you look?
PETRA KVITOVA: Like to see the draw?

Q. Yeah.
PETRA KVITOVA: I never see the draw.

Q. How can you avoid?
PETRA KVITOVA: When I see the draw, I do like this (turning her head). Obviously I know who's playing in my half the day when we are playing. But on the Monday, it's fine. But, no, I can avoid it. The bad thing on it when I don't look at the draw, that's the social media. That's the only thing I'm on to see other news, not the draw. But there I can find it. When I see WTA, I'm like (flipping hand over face). I'm very quick with that.

Q. You can try muting the WTA site.
PETRA KVITOVA: I should, right?

Q. Of course. Back to today's match briefly. What do you feel you changed after the first set to turn things around?
PETRA KVITOVA: Obviously, when I started the match, it was fine. But then I hit, like, terrible service game. I missed, like, four shots in a row, which is not good to play Magda on the grass. She's playing well on it. I really fought back to get the break back. Then she hit unbelievable to break me again. And it was tough to win the first set. I had chances, but she was little bit better in that. I tried probably to be a little bit more patient, not to, like, trying to hit a winner from the first shot, which it's pretty difficult. I had to wait a little bit. In the end, I fought really doing physically well. We were both a little bit tired. I found my legs. I saw a little bit that she has a lot as well. Well, you can only imaging this physically toughness on the grass, you are serving and returning. Obviously with Magda, you need to do a lot. We had great rallies. You have to go forward. When you push her, you have to go for the volleys, which I did then. I think I was just a little bit more patient. The important thing was that I break her in the first service game in the second set. I was little bit more relaxed. Same thing happened in third set. Probably those early breaks made me more relaxed then.

Q. Does it take time to get used to her game?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, she's a tricky player, so it's always time to get used to. She has a little bit different serve as well. We practiced one day here one day before the tournament, but still match is match. I needed a little bit of time to get used to spins and slices and volleys and whatever she plays just starting a game. Just imagine. Yeah, I needed some time.

Q. You don't want to play the same type of player every match, though, do you?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, no, no, it's fine. I have a day off tomorrow. Thank you, guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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