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NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

June 21, 2019

Barbora Strycova

Birmingham, England

B. STRYCOVA/Kr. Pliskova

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is it about this tournament that brings the best out of you?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: There must be something really special here. I can't say. I just love to come here. I love the tournament. It's kind of really relaxed tournament for me, and I really enjoy England. I love to play here. Enjoying myself on court.

Q. What would you say was key in winning this match today?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I thought I started the match very well. I was playing the first set without any mistakes going on, so I broke her twice, which was the key.

The beginning of the second set, I start to feel a little bit kind of -- not tired, but I was heavy, because we didn't have so much rallies so I couldn't move so much. I was, like, I kept saying to myself, Keep moving, keep moving.

The key was when it was 3-All, Love-40 on my serve and I hold it there, it was really important for me.

Q. Were you surprised that it was Kristyna that got the win over Karolina the other day?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Not surprised. I think for both of them to play each other is very tough. I couldn't say who was gonna win, because to play your sister, we can't really -- I have a sibling, so to play my sibling, it would be tough. So not surprised (smiling).

Q. What are they like? You're around both at some stage.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Yes, I am around more Karolina. We spend a lot of time together in Fed Cup, so we won the deciding points twice. I have really nice memories with her.

Yeah, Karolina is very relaxed. Kristyna, I don't know much, so I can't really say.

Q. There has been a lot of chat in the press room about Andy Murray's...
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Oh, yeah, I like that.

Q. Would you like to comment?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Comment? Yeah, because my friend actually -- I'm not so much on Twitter, but my friend send it to me, Hey, Andy is looking for mixed partner. So I was, like, Okay, let's put it on Instagram just for fun.

But actually, I would love to play with him. We played some juniors together, so it would be really fun. I would go. I'm ready. (Smiling.)

Q. So it's not an official announcement or interest?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: It is an official announcement.

Q. Would you pursue it?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: He didn't reply yet. So I don't know. (Smiling.) Yeah, it's just like if he'd ask, I'm for it.

Q. Are you playing Eastbourne?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I do, yes.

Q. So you can just, like, stalk him at Eastbourne?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: He's playing Eastbourne?

Q. He's playing Eastbourne with Marcelo Melo.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Oh, nice. I'm going straight to him.

Q. In your second set there were some tough moments for you where you had to dig in a little bit. How pleased were you with how you dealt with those?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I had to dig in very hard. Like I say, it was 3-All, and I couldn't put first serve in. I was, like, Why not?

I was looking to my coach. He couldn't really say, so I called him after the first set. He said, You don't jump.

So I was focusing more going first serve and volley, because it always help me. Yeah, I was just focusing point by point, because like I said, she can just hit winners and then it's 3-6. So was just focusing to play first serve in.

Q. This year the lineup has been the best of this tournament I have seen, and you have been here more than once. Did you detect a bit of a difference this year because of the quality of the field?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I thought every year is good field, but like you said, this year is really hard. But I don't look at it this way. I never look at the draws. So my coach always tells me, Okay, you play against someone. We have good players here, which is great for the tournament, and for the crowd, especially.

Q. What do you think about Ashleigh Barty's win in Paris?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I think it was a matter of time when she does that. I am surprised, first of all, it was on clay. I thought maybe it would be on grass.

But I'm so happy for her, because she's such a talented player. She's such a young player. She has such a bright future. Yeah, good for her.

Q. When she took that break from tennis at such a young age...
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Great decision.

Q. Were you surprised at the time?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: No. But maybe a little bit surprised when she take at such a young age. But it was really, from my point of view, it was great decision to do that.

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