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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2019

Karolina Pliskova

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

K. PLISKOVA/S. Williams

6-4, 4-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. 5-1, I saw you walking out on the court feeling, This is it. Then what happened? Tell us what's going on in your mind?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I guess you feel just that way when it's 1-5 against you in the third. You don't really feel like you're going to win this match. Of course, I was playing well I think set and a half.

Obviously the second set was very close. I got some chances I could do. I could go in 5-All. That was the biggest game I think in the match. Could be different, for sure. I think I could do better in the second set. I could put more pressure on her. I was break up.

But, you know, suddenly I lost somehow momentum. I was not playing the same game what I was playing, which was working, till the set and break. I was pushing her. I was more aggressive.

I stopped little bit. Obviously she took her chance. That's what happened. She just went for it. She went for her serves. She went for the returns. She was just putting pressure on me. I was more passive.

Then suddenly I got a chance too. That's how it is in tennis. You need luck, of course, because this is I think not happening often, maybe once in life. But I went for it. I just said, Like whatever. Maybe this can be over, but let's just try this game. I was with the wind, which kind of helped me little bit. I just went for my shots.

I played actually a good game I think going on 5-2. Then, you know, I said, Okay, let's try to hold my serve. Then we will see what's going to happen. She was already match point up in that 5-1 game. Lot of things happened I felt like in those games. I just felt a chance.

I think she maybe got little bit, I don't, for sure it was in her head. Lot of things happen. I saw a chance and I just took it.

Q. It seemed like you were able to, from 5-1 down, separate Serena Williams from just hitting the tennis ball. How were you able to do that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Sorry?

Q. You were able to separate, there's Serena Williams across the net, but at a point you were just hitting the tennis ball.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yes, I think I was just too negative those last couple games when she was going on 5-1 with myself, with the way that I had a set and break, I didn't make it. I think I was honestly playing the best the first set so far in the tournament. I was serving well. I was just controlling all the rallies, putting pressure. I was just feeling super confident about this match today.

Suddenly, like I said, I just lost it. It went into my head. I think she improved. It's always kind of like changing the momentum sometimes in the tennis. I went little bit down, she went up, that was it. She was serving well. She had amazing percentage of the first serve. It was really tough to do something.

Like I said, I got a chance, and I took it in the end.

Q. You said in your on-court interview she got shaky. In the replay, looked like she rolled her ankle, had trouble on her serve, didn't win a point on serve the rest of the match. Did you notice anything change in her game like that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I saw little bit. I think it was on deuce. I don't even know which point it was.

Q. Match point.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Match point.

Yeah, but I said already the matches before, whatever is happening on the other side, I just try to block it. Either it's positive or negative, whatever is there, it's just not my business. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. I know once I'm start to think about that, it's bad.

That's what I did at that time. But I really, like, I was like, Yeah, maybe something little bit happened, but she's still on serve. Even if she lose this game, it's still 5-2. I didn't really think about it, that maybe there's going to be a chance at that game.

But she did I think double-fault. I really went for my shots. I didn't feel like she played something really bad that game. Maybe the double-fault was a big help. Otherwise, I don't think she did anything actually that bad. I thought she little bit was missing more than she was the set and a half. But I was more aggressive. That's what was working in the first set, so that's just what I did.

Q. Given where this happened and against who, where does this comeback rank compared to other moments you had in your career?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, normally I'm having lot of comebacks, but maybe like from being a set down or a break down, so nothing like this. I think it's going to be the best comeback ever so far in my life (smiling).

Q. Serena just described your level of play on her match point as crazy and possibly the best she's ever seen. Do you feel the same?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah (laughter). I'm not going to go against Serena.

Yeah, I felt, like I told you, I was with the wind little bit, so I just went for it that game when she was serving. Then, you know, I was still on serve when she had those match points later, it was 40-15. It was pretty tough situation. She was hitting the ball still big. She can hit returns. She can just kill you. Sometimes you just don't have a chance to do anything, not even to react.

I just tried to serve clever, maybe go for first serves, which I did. I got a chance. Like I said, the side with the wind really helped me because I was always there on my match points. I was pushing her a little bit more.

I played bravely I think on the match point, so yeah.

Q. It seems like you really embraced the challenge of playing Serena, whereas some other players maybe talk themselves down a bit. Do you feel like that helps you in a situation like this?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Of course. And also before the match, this time I really believed, like, it's still a player, I know she's the greatest ever, but I don't want to put her somewhere where I would not have a chance to beat her. I beat her before. She was No. 1 at that time. I knew I'm going to have my chances. But I had to play well.

I think honestly she played much better than when she was playing when I beat her in New York. The match was so much better. There were more mistakes. Maybe she was nervous, it was in States.

I always want to give myself a chance to beat anybody, doesn't matter who is there. Because I was feeling confident all week and half here. There was no reason why I should for one moment think I could not beat her. I know she was playing great all of her matches. I was watching little bit. But my game was different than the players which she played before me.

I know she maybe is struggling a little bit with this game when somebody is putting pressure on her, too, because she can hold her serve quite easily. If I can hold my serve, too, there is always going to be a chance.

Q. Since the start of the season you find ways to win in every situation. Seems like you play with much more confidence than last year. What's the difference this season?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I feel better this year. I don't know why. I had the feeling that 2019 can be good year. So far it started all good. Hopefully it can continue.

I did everything possible to be here and to feel this way. So I was, you know, practicing in a good way, not always I was practicing like this. So there is no reason why I should not be here in the semifinal right now.

Finally I played, you know, couple good matches in a row. So sometimes I had trouble by putting the matches in a row. So I had one good match, one bad match. Then it's tough, especially Grand Slams, when everything takes time. There are the days off. I really had to get used to it. I feel better.

Already last year I was feeling better on Grand Slams. This time I just feel somehow different and more confident. I'm not doubting myself if I win or if I lose, whatever. So I just feel good.

Q. The remaining four players are fighting for a slam, but there's a three-way race for the No. 1 ranking. Does that add an extra element of excitement to the situation? And look ahead to Naomi?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: For me, no. I don't want to say it means zero, but it doesn't mean the same. Right now in this situation would not mean the same as to win the Grand Slam. I don't know that somebody has a chance to be No. 1. I'm not going to chase this, so for me nothing is changing.

Q. A few words looking ahead to the match against Naomi.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I've played few hitters here in the last matches, obviously Giorgi, now Serena. I think I'm well prepared for Naomi. Maybe a little bit different game she still has. But big pressure from the forehand. Obviously she's trying to make her game from the forehand side.

I just try to do anything possible just to maybe put one extra ball back but on the other hand to still be aggressive. Taking my chances, I'm sure I'm going to get some. Of course, maybe she, too. But I think anything is possible. She is in the first semifinal here, too.

Obviously she played well in New York. She didn't have that many experiences in this tournament as maybe Serena. So it's still pretty new for both of us. Obviously it's my first semifinal, too.

I think if I play well, well, there's going to be a chance. If I play well, I think for sure there is a chance.

Q. In your first three matches here, you hit a total of almost 70 unforced errors. In your last two, you've hit 18 total, against Muguruza and Serena. Can you talk about how that's happening, why that's happening. What do you think is attributing to how clean you're playing off the ground?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I don't actually know. I feel I'm not doing very stupid mistakes. I'm just taking care of the balls which are maybe in the middle of the court, around the service line.

I think it has something to do with my legs, of course. So I'm more ready for these short balls. We've been practicing that a lot, because sometimes after a great serve, I was just sleeping, not getting ready for the ball, not getting there enough on time.

I'm just taking care of these balls, which I think is most important because I can hit big, so there's going to be always these balls somewhere around service line. I just have to take care of this.

I've been really feeling well. I don't see any reason why I should really do mistakes. Of course, somebody is going to put a pressure on you, so then you do some mistakes. That's normal. But from myself, you can be still nervous, but I feel like I can control my hands actually in this tournament, and I can control the mistakes. Still, I don't want to be too passive. I don't think I'm that passive, but still I don't miss that much.

I think it's that I'm more ready on my legs than I was before.

Q. There's some players who go out an court and play Serena, it looks like they look like they lost before the match starts. You've never been that way. Where does that attitude come from for you?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Which attitude? That I'm not scared?

Q. Yes. And how much that helps you when you're down.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: You cannot know if I'm scared or not. (Laughter.)

I think I'm feeling confident, not in every situation, but about my tennis overall. I feel like I have weapons. So, of course, the weapons, they don't have to work. If I have, I feel like there is really nobody. Okay, she was killing me set and a half, but it's tough to be -- I know by myself, if you play somebody who is just maybe even running, putting the balls back, it's tough to do it for two, three sets.

On one hand, I was waiting for the chance, especially today. But on the other hand I know I can serve well on some moments. It's not that I have only, I don't know, forehand or serve, but I feel like I have more things. I don't see any reason why I should be -- of course, I'm nervous, which is different to be scared. But, yeah, especially I beat so many good players already, I know I can do it again.

It doesn't have to come, of course, you can still lose. But I'm pretty confident if I'm playing well that I can beat anybody. I don't want to be overconfident right now because I beat Serena, but that's how it is. Most of the time I was not playing well, and that's why I lost. This time I was just able. Of course, it was still lucky.

I think the biggest win against her for me is that I believed I could win this match. That's how I started the match actually. I got my chance. I just went for it. I think maybe she didn't expect it from the beginning. She looked like she was a little too passive. Then she just went for it because I believed from the first ball I can win. I think that was the biggest victory for me today.

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