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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 13, 2019

Petra Kvitova

Rome, Italy

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Winning clay titles different places, different years, are you feeling like a true clay-courter yet? Is that happening?
PETRA KVITOVA: I love those questions, right (laughter)?

No, I don't still feel like a clay specialist. But I think kind of my attitude on the clay is getting better and getting higher. I would rate it, like, much higher than probably few years ago.

I think that I kind of improve my fitness and my movement on the court. Of course, on the clay it's really paying off, as well. Yeah, probably I'm more enjoying playing on the clay.

Q. What do you like more now?
PETRA KVITOVA: I think I'm more like the game plan of it. Sometimes you are playing little bit longer rallies, which I think I'm able to do that now. I can really play the game I wanted to play against the opponent.

Q. What was your reaction to seeing Kiki win the title in Madrid?
PETRA KVITOVA: It's like, Okay, why not?

Well, I know that she played really great match against me. She was just better on that night. I think that she really deserve it. I mean, otherwise she didn't win it. She didn't lost a set in the tournament, which I think it's really saying it by all.

Q. In terms of being here in Rome, practicing, maybe hitting a little bit, how different are the conditions compared to Madrid?
PETRA KVITOVA: Actually, I didn't hit yet (smiling).

Q. I'll take it back.
PETRA KVITOVA: I tell you maybe tonight (laughter).

Q. This is the last tournament before Roland Garros. Do you feel ready for it?
PETRA KVITOVA: Do I feel ready for this tournament or for Roland Garros?

Q. For Roland Garros.
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't think that yet. I still have a few days and weeks to get to Roland Garros. I think I still can improve some kind of things in the game.

I think those tournaments we can count as a preparation, but it's totally different compared to a Grand Slam. To be ready for two weeks is pretty difficult.

Yeah, I'm kind of still preparing for it.

Q. Having won Grand Slams before, what do you think it's going to feel like for Simona going into Paris defending that title?
PETRA KVITOVA: It's not easy, for sure. It's not easy to defend any title, especially the Grand Slam. I do remember my years when I had to defend it. From the first rounds, extra pressure, extra nerves which I think I put on me by myself, like not really around the people.

You know you played well there the year before. It's a bit tough to kind of defend it, for sure.

Q. With you doing well on clay, Madison Keys winning in Charleston, seems like players we think of being more fast court kind of players are doing well on clay now. Do you think there's something in common there?
PETRA KVITOVA: We have to, I think.

Q. Do you feel like you have to adapt? No choice?
PETRA KVITOVA: Exactly, that's what I think. I think we all have to kind of forget those conditions. To be good player means we are playing good on all surfaces. I think we just have to go with the flow, you know, play well everywhere.

Q. You won two tournaments already. You are No. 1 in the race to Singapore. Maybe we can say you're the best player on the tour at this point. My question is, at this point of your career, what do you think makes you this consistent, this very high level? Which one is the biggest goal for you at this point, being No. 1 or winning another major title?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think if I going to win the major title, then I going to be No. 1, but we'll see.

I don't really have any, like, goal like this. I think as I already said many times, I'm already win my goal. My motivation was being back and play, compete with the best, which I'm already doing it.

I'm glad that my consistency is much better, as you mentioned. I think I been working on it a lot, which is together with the fitness and the tennis. I think for sure with the mental strength as well. I think the thing which happened to me make me a little bit stronger, on the court and off the court as well. I think I'm just kind of seeing the things a little bit differently. Maybe the tennis as well.

Those matches I'm not taking sometimes that seriously. I think that's make me more relaxed and I can more enjoy the tennis.

Q. On Kiki again, how would you describe her on court and off court? She's surging up the rankings. You know her pretty well. How would you introduce her to people?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, we are not, like, going together for the coffee or something like that. Yeah, we chat a little bit. I'm really glad. She's very smiley. She can talk before and after match pretty normally. That's what I'm really admiring, that she's putting the on-court fight and off-the-court friendship on the sides. That's really great.

She has a great coach, which I think he played with my coach. They know each other very well. Of course Kiki is a big fighter, especially on the clay as we saw. She is having great result. Even she won Cincinnati, so she's really playing great everywhere. We have to, right, everywhere (smiling)?

Yeah, it's nice. I mean, she is always very polite. I think she's playing fair play, as well, which is very nice.

Q. With Kiki now in the top 5, if we look at the top 5 - Naomi, Simona, you, Kiki, Angie - you all tend to be a little bit introverted, shy top 5 group of players. Do you think there's anything about being that way that makes you a good tennis player?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't know. I've always been told that I'm too nice to play tennis. I don't think it's really true. As you mentioned, now top 5, that's pretty nice ones. I'm not really saying anything against. I'm very proud of all of us, how we are playing this season. It's nice to see kind of nice people in that.

Yeah, I don't know why, but it's good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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