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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 21, 2019

Petra Kvitova

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

P. KVITOVA/V. Kuzmova

6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Better playing after lunch instead of before?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, it's better. I should play later every day (laughter).

Q. Careful, you'll get the 10 p.m. start.
PETRA KVITOVA: Oh, no. I played in Sydney like that (smiling).

Q. You have to be very pleased with that.
PETRA KVITOVA: I am, yeah. I am pleased. Definitely more than those two matches before. I didn't give her any, like, time to do her job, maybe turn the match on her way.

Yeah, I was up pretty quickly, but I lose those games. It was about that game when she was serving for 5-All. She played the two double-faults. From that game, I think I was really fired up. Even in the first game of the second set, I was already facing breakpoints again, which I didn't want to.

Yeah, it was probably the key game of the second set.

Q. First two matches were so long and tiring. How were you feeling coming into the match today?
PETRA KVITOVA: I do feel my muscles, for sure, especially on the legs. I need a treatment and massage again.

Yeah, I played like two long matches before, and I'm still fine, which is great. I'm very pleased with that, as well.

Q. What did you take out of those two matches?
PETRA KVITOVA: Those two (laughter)?

Q. Not to take you back to the tired days, but what did you get out of those two matches?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think, as I mentioned yesterday, I didn't really have a great preparation coming here. I didn't really have time to really work on some specific things in the tennis. I didn't really spend too much time on the court, to be honest, before.

I was very pleased that even I didn't play great, I find a way to win it. Even yesterday, very windy, and I never faced Jennifer before. She really played great match.

For sure, I'm taking it that even I didn't play well, I won. That's really important in tennis. Not every day I'm playing great. This is very nice to know.

Q. Tricky opponent next.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, she is tricky opponent (smiling). Any questions?

Q. Is there anybody who likes playing her?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, as we saw today, she's big fighter. She beat Angie yesterday, I think. Definitely she's a tough and tricky opponent. I played her in Sydney in really tough match.

Yeah, will be probably some rallies tomorrow, and I need to be ready for every shot what she going to brings to the game.

Q. Karolina described the feeling of playing against her as you never feel like you're playing well because she makes you feel uncomfortable, you're kind of reacting. Is that how you feel when you play against her? How would you describe it?
PETRA KVITOVA: Actually, when I played against her in Sydney, I felt well. I felt the ball pretty nicely. She's tricky. She is not really having her space under the net. She's really playing above the net, like one centimeter above. It's pretty difficult to do anything. You need to be really very, very low.

I don't know. I think she's reading the game very, very good. That's what is tricky. She is moving well. When she's on the good spot, it's really tough to make those winners.

She has very tricky serve, to be honest. Sometimes it's more difficult to play from her second serve than from the first.

Yeah, I mean, we will see. But sometimes I really don't know what she going to brings every shot. It's fun actually sometimes.

Q. Do you like that different kind of challenge?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I should like it, otherwise it's tough to play tennis. But yeah, we don't really find many players like her on our tour. It's something unusual. I think that she really getting better. She has a great success in the past few months, yeah.

Q. How are you spending your off time this week?
PETRA KVITOVA: My off time? On the massage table most of the time. I've been in the Dubai Mall twice to see the beautiful first fountain. I'm sleeping a lot, as well. Nothing really interesting for you. Sorry (smiling).

Q. Before the tournament, you said you were kind of in a little bit of a funk.
PETRA KVITOVA: A funk? What is it (smiling)?

Q. That you weren't feeling that great before the tournament, just with everything that had been happening, the rush to get here, all that. How are you feeling now? Has the tennis almost allowed you to escape that or do you still feel that?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I felt tennis is the way how I can escape to other things. Maybe sometimes I don't look like that I'm really enjoying being on the court and play tennis, but inside I'm really enjoying it.

To be honest, I think today was the first day of the better days hopefully to be on the court, off the court. Yeah, it's been tough since I come from Australia and from St. Petersburg. I'm glad that it's on the way up.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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