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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 14, 2018

Karolina Pliskova

Cincinnati, Ohio

Ka. PLISKOVA/A. Radwanska

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What does that win kind of mean, just getting that finally?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It means a lot because it was against her, and, like, you know, I never beat her. We played so many times. I think I always played her at her best level the matches before, so it was always tough. But I had some chances to at least do a set in the previous matches when we played, so I was just happy after my first set that I finally at least have a set (smiling).

No, but I think the match was under my control. So obviously she had a couple of break points, but even though if she would break me I still, like, felt like I'm the better one today. I had even like some of her service games under control.

So it was pretty much about me, I felt like, today. And the conditions here I feel quite just good. Not because I won here two years ago and last year played semi, but just it's flying, it's pretty fast, so I felt like there was no wind, so it was perfect for me today.

Q. Is it safe to say that this was maybe one of those matches before you walked out against Aga that you felt, I have my chance today to finally get this?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah. But it's just different story for both of us. I don't think I was playing the best tennis now in the last two months, but somehow I just felt like maybe this could be the chance, because she didn't play also tournament now on hard courts. It was her first match. So there was few things which I felt they were a little bit more on my side.

And then once we started, I just felt like maybe this is gonna be the day, because I was just hitting the ball pretty clearly, and I just felt like I have a good chance to win after couple of games where we played. My serve was okay today, not the best, but it was quite working. Saved some break points. Yeah, I think everything was just great.

Q. Talk about your coaching setup. You split with Tomas. What made that the time to do that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, somehow I'm still changing people (smiling).

No, I think I just felt like I need to do some change, not because -- I don't want to make changes when I just feel bad. I just felt I need somebody a little bit more positive.

I really liked Rennae when we were working in Singapore last year, so it was just about a few weeks' work, but it was so positive and she's just positive, doesn't matter how I play, how I feel. I just said, like, for a couple of weeks she's going to try to help me out. She has her stuff, a lot to work around, not only me. I think this could work at least for a few weeks. Yeah, for next year we'll see, but we have just a few tournaments to go this year, so I think I'm going to just stay with her.

Q. Do you feel more positive now since you have been around her?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Look, I have been around her, like, four days, so it's not much, but actually I feel positive, and, look, I beat Radwanska for first time in my life (smiling). I'm not saying it's because of her, but, no, for sure I feel pretty good and I'm just happy on the court, which I didn't feel for a while.

So, yeah, with me just I need to enjoy a little bit, and if I'm not enjoying, I'm not gonna play good tennis ever. So right now just enjoying, doesn't matter what the score was, so that's the most important thing for me.

Q. One of the things that Jo Konta said when she got Michael Joyce, a former player, was it gave a different perspective to not so much tweaking the technical but understanding how you, as a player, think in the moment. Do you feel that's what you're getting with Rennae?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, and I think she had just different game, so she just understand my game so well and just trying to use my weapons what I have. And of course she just want to add some things, maybe coming to the net more often because she was just so good at the net.

So she has just some things which she can improve my game in, and of course it's understanding of some situations you cannot have from coaches which they never played. It's not the case with Tomas because I know he was around and he played tournaments.

But sometimes it's just important to understand how the player feels, because she was in the same situation. So for me this is important, and also, it's a woman. So we have maybe different feeling than men sometimes (smiling).

And I think maybe Tomas sometimes wanted the too much from me and I was just not able to do it, so right now I feel like it can work together.

Q. Seems like almost all the Czech players always have Czech coaches.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah. That's why I'm done with Czech coaches (smiling). Yeah, I'm done. For sure.

Q. That's it?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah.

Q. Just because you have already used all of them?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, that's the other thing (smiling). There is nobody else who I can take. No, there would be few if I want, but, no, I think it's just too much changes and I just don't want to have any Czech people around me anymore.

Q. Did you feel as though, you know, when you split from David, it seemed like there was a disagreement with kind of how you should play that maybe led to that? With Tomas, was it purely just the connection wasn't there, or throughout this year, was your game changing in a way that you didn't like?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It's tough to say, because I just didn't have the best year so far, but because I had so good year last year, so it's just tough to compare and it's just sometimes not the mistake of the coach. I'm not saying he was bad. And I felt like we have been practicing well. I have been playing quite a lot with him compared to David, because David doesn't just play much. But Tomas is just can be on court like four hours per day, so I've been feeling I have a lot of tennis, but so far I was just somehow not enjoying.

Maybe too much tennis or maybe too much of this men's thinking, and I feel like he's a little bit, like, negative. I'm also negative and I'm always so hard on myself. So I think he's the same. It's somehow not going together.

I felt maybe I need somebody just to be more positive, even though it's not the best season ever, but things are not that bad. I'm still, what, 8 in the race, so it can be also worse.

So, yeah, like I said, to enjoy a little bit more. And I felt like also the end of the year last year was not great for me, the tournaments in Asia. And Rennae I felt just like happy on the court, and also knowing that she just understand my game, which is also important. So she doesn't want any crazy things for my game. So she just understands me pretty well, what I feel, what I can play, what situation I can serve or whatever. So she just, I think, just suits me better than Tomas.

Q. I'm writing about Andy Murray today. I remember when you made the Sydney final back a few years ago, he said nice things about your game. In general, he's been pretty positive about women's tennis. I'm guessing you notice these things. How different does that make him among the other ATP players for you?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I think he's -- not maybe the only one, but there is not many mens like this. For sure, for me, it's very rare that at least he can say something not only in, like, with our team but also in the press. It's just so nice from him.

I think, look, it's true, it's a different sport, women tennis and men's tennis, but we are just doing the best that we can, so we are never going to be at the same level. I think it's just nice that there is somebody who just, you know, thinks that, I don't know, somebody's playing good from the women. Doesn't have to be me.

But, yeah, so maybe it's because he was working with a lot of womens, so that's why he's respecting them. I think there should be more mens respecting women.

Q. Have you played Sabalenka before?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I lost to her in Eastbourne.

Q. Do you think this surface is going to matter much, playing her on hard court? Does that change things?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I like hard, so for me, it's for sure better. I don't know what's better for her. But I think she just played great in Eastbourne. She won so many matches, I think two matches, 7-6 in the third. It was so close. I had 4-1 in the third. I don't really take this match that I lost. I lost but I lost because of me.

But of course she improved. She beat Wozniacki last week. I just saw couple scores. She can be dangerous. She has a good game. She's young, so she's not really scared. She's not defending anything.

She can be dangerous, for sure. I think if I play a little bit like I was playing today, maybe little bit more aggressive, for sure I can have the match under my control.

Q. When you're training now, do you have to do any extra finger exercises? Because your ring looks so heavy.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, I got pretty quickly used to it (smiling). Yeah, it's just I have to put it down always, but, yeah, it's okay.

Q. How was the wedding?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It was good. It was very small. We just had very close people. Not only family but we had just couple of more friends coming. It was in Monaco.

Yeah, it was just not huge but we enjoyed. We had everybody who we wanted to have, and, yeah, it was very nice (smiling).

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