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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 26, 2019

Petra Kvitova

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

N. OSAKA/P. Kvitova

7-6, 5-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you look back at that incredible match?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, it's painful, for sure. I don't know how long will take me to get over it. When I look back, I did have my chances in the first set when I had 40-Love on her serve. Did have few breakpoints.

I don't think I played something really badly, but I just think I should maybe go a little bit more aggressive one or two rallies. I really fight back in the second set. I'm proud of myself in that case. And, yeah, the third set was just one break. That's how the tennis is. It's the final. I think you just will get few chances. When you don't make it and you make it and you lose. And I think that also was the case today.

Q. It's been a pretty rapid rise for Naomi. It was your first meeting with her today, but do you see her as someone that can dominate the women's game for the next 10 years?
PETRA KVITOVA: Who knows. I think women's tennis is very open. You really never know who going to be there. But definitely she's playing great game. She's really big player, as she showed in the results, winning US Open and Australian Open, it's amazing achievement.

Definitely she is a great one. We'll see what the future will bring. But for sure she has probably everything what to be there and play her best tennis.

Q. You've come a long way in two and a bit years. How proud are you of the whole journey to get to this point?
PETRA KVITOVA: I'm not proud at all right now (smiling).

No, definitely I am, for sure. It will be very bad if I'm not. So, yeah, as I said, it's hurting a lot today. I wanted to win and have the trophy. But I think I already won two years ago. So for me, it's amazing. I think I still don't really realize that I played the final.

I think, I mean, I've been through many, many things, not really great ones. As I said on the court, I didn't know if I going to hold the racquet again. I'm holding it, so that's good.

Still few things which I can improve, and we'll do it. So it's not the end. Yeah, I be back for sure.

Q. Last year you had some ups and downs. How much do you think what you've done here this fortnight will change things for you going into future tournaments, particularly at Grand Slams?
PETRA KVITOVA: You never know, I think. With me (laughter)? Who knows, but hopefully. Hopefully will help me.

You know how it is. You know how the women's tennis is. Everybody can just beat anyone, which it's good and it's bad on the other side. That's the tennis. It's beautiful sport. I'm happy to be playing it. Hopefully the downs will be less than the ups.

I think I already did much better than the last year. It's just first month of the year, so it's great.

Q. How about Naomi's return today? She hit on the rise, inside the court. She return so aggressively. Did you feel pressure when you hit serves?
PETRA KVITOVA: She is standing on the return quite close, are you asking?

Q. Inside the court, so aggressive on the rise.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, well, I think that she is putting the pressure, of course, when she's standing nearby the baseline, for sure. She likes to play aggressive. When she's standing closer, it's more aggressive. She has a good length of the balls, as well. Sometimes it's very hard just to push it back.

That's probably what she likes to play. She is good in that.

Q. It's not often that someone saves three championship points and wins the set in a slam final. How on earth did you do that? What were you thinking at that point?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I was thinking that if I turn it around, probably it's on my side. In the end, it wasn't.

But, yeah, I think in that game, I just wanted to stay on my serve and have her to serve for the match, which she didn't. I took the chances over there finally when I didn't take it in the first set.

So I think for me was a good confident boost in that set. But I just probably couldn't really do something more from that.

Q. In terms of taking that second set, then maybe thinking that the momentum is on your side before, we've seen that happen in a lot of matches in the past. What do you think was the difference in the third set that it didn't turn that way? Are you surprised at all that she was so down, it looked like, and was able to play the way she did in the final set?
PETRA KVITOVA: In the third set, it's kind of new match starting. We hold the serves in the beginning of the third set. I think that game, when she hold the serve, that calm down a bit. From that time, I think she played better again than the end of the second set when she missed a lot.

I think that for her, she came back and played better game. I don't know. She left. She went on the toilet. I was before there as well. There is nothing really special (smiling).

Yeah, maybe she calm down a bit.

Q. You won your first Wimbledon title when you were 20.
PETRA KVITOVA: 21.

Q. The same age Naomi is now. What is it like to win a Grand Slam when you're so early into adulthood? What are some of the insights you see in terms of the way you've grown from then until now?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for me was kind of big thing happened when I was young. I didn't really know what everything is about. For me was a big surprise. I probably wasn't really ready to win it, to be honest. I wasn't really prepared.

It took me a while to kind of get used to. Yeah, I think it's always a bit pressure from outside, as well, from yourself. You just want to play better. You're thinking like you have to win every single match because you just won a Grand Slam. That's how I was thinking actually. Yeah, I put a bit more pressure than I should.

Q. What is it like in your head to experience that kind of success at that age?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think it's about the time, as well. You just need to get used to the attention as well. Every time you are stepping on the court, you are kind of favorite of the match. The other players just want to beat you because you're playing well.

I do remember my young age when I played someone really great. I just played really fearless, going for it.

Q. This is your first matchup with Naomi. She's known as a pretty shy player. What was it like facing her across the court?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think it's same to facing another player, as well. But she's playing fast. She's playing aggressive, which for sure I did meet these kind of players. I was prepared for that.

Of course, it's kind of tough to play someone who you didn't play before. But I think it's about the few games to kind of realize what she's playing. I think that's how was it today.

Q. You had a conversation with Li Na at the ceremony. How did she comfort you? In her previous interview, she said she hoped you could win the Australian Open title.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I'm sorry that she wasn't right. I wish to get the trophy from her hands, for sure. Was such a nice to see her, for sure, for the final ceremony. I'm happy to see her, for sure. She is as great as she is always. She looks great, as well. That's what matter. She's still same. So I just really like her.

Q. After everything that happened two years ago, did you really think you could get back to this level? You'll be world No. 2 on Monday.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, good question. I don't think I probably didn't really put kind of these high goals in my mind. I never really put kind of this ranking-wise to my head.

I wanted to be back on my greatest level probably as I played before. I knew it will be very, very difficult because my hand, it's not 100%, and never will be. It's just how it is. I'm just trying to take maximum from the minimum.

Yeah, I feel great. I'm playing great tennis. I don't think that I could really imagine the time to be kind of this player again. So, yeah, great.

Q. Can you compare your mindset going into this final compared to the two Wimbledon finals? Were you more nervous this time or less?
PETRA KVITOVA: Actually, I think I was less nervous than those two finals before. Not sure why. I went there pretty relaxed. The mindset was there, for sure, that I wanted to win, or to left everything out there, which I did.

Yeah, I don't think I was that nervous as I was in the Wimbledon finals.

Q. You said it's painful, it hurts to lose a final like this. Is it also motivating for the future to get this close?
PETRA KVITOVA: Right now? Right now not really (laughter).

But, of course, that I wanted to be back stronger, that's for sure. I was pretty close, but pretty far. So I need one more step to hold it. I think in couple weeks I going to be back and play and work and whatever it takes, I going to do that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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