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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2019

Barbora Strycova

Wimbledon, London, England

B. STRYCOVA/J. Konta

7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Why here and why now do you think?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: What a question (smiling).

I don't know. Maybe as older I get, I enjoy it more, and that's why I play good tennis. I can't answer. I don't know why. I'm just enjoying myself.

Q. You've been talking about retiring. You're playing the best tennis of your life.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I was saying I might. I didn't say I will (smiling).

Q. Talk us through how you feel now that you have had a bit of time for it to sink in?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Not really. I finished my singles and in an hour I step on Court 12 to play doubles. I didn't really have time to kind of enjoy it and to realize that I'm in the semifinal of my favorite tournament.

But I think it's good because it's a huge achievement for me. When I'm thinking about it and talking about it right now, I am very proud about myself and about what I achieved, but I'm still in the draw. The excitement comes after I am done here.

Q. You are the oldest first-time semifinalist at a Grand Slam in the Open Era. Did you think this was something you would not get to do in your career?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, it was always my dream, always to play good at this tournament was my dream. It's happening at this age right now, it's incredible.

I set this goal at the beginning of this year, that Wimbledon will be the target that I want to really play well. It's happening right now, which is something really amazing.

It shows you if I believe it, it's happening (smiling).

Q. With Serena Williams' power and her rÃ©sumÃ© of accomplishments, a lot of players would have fear. What do you think her effect is and will be on you?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I don't have fear. I just will go there Thursday and I will try to play my game. Of course, I don't have such a power like Serena, but I have another weapons. I will try to use them as much as I can. I will enjoy. I have really at this point nothing to lose.

I will just go there and fight every point I can.

Q. What is the biggest mental challenge in facing Serena Williams?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: What do you mean? How do you mean it?

Q. When you play a player who has these accomplishments, what is the biggest mental challenge?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I don't really think about it that what she achieved. She's such a great champion. She is really amazing athlete.

When you go out there, you just focus on yourself and you focus how to beat that opponent, the way you want to beat her. So I am not really scared to play her. I just really will try my best and I will fight as much as I can.

Q. You have an important doubles match tomorrow, but this question is about facing Serena. Talk about the challenges of making returns.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: If she serves well, you have really no chance to kind of return the serve. I will just try to put as much as I can in because when we get to the rally, it's good way for me. When she has a good day of serving, then I have really no chance to put some returns in. I have to just be focusing on my serve, not really on the return.

Q. Can I take you back to today. What was going through your mind when you were 4-1 down in the first set? What was going through your mind when you were 5-1 up and serving for it in the second set?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I haven't been playing on Centre Court two times in my life. To be honest, when I step on the court, you hear everything, like a pin drop. I was nervous. I was kind of like, Wow, I'm here, I'm playing quarters against an English girl. I was feeling the nerves.

But when I was 4-1 down, I was kind of like -- I wasn't playing bad, but I didn't really play the way I wanted. But then I hold the serve, which was really important for me. Then I start moving better. So it helped me to break her.

Then I kind of, like, build the confident. It helped me to win the first set, obviously. Then when I had 5-1 up, to be honest I was really calm in my head. I was just in the zone, I can say. I wasn't really nervous, which is strange.

But I think it's good (smiling).

Q. You said you love to serve and volley on grass.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Yes.

Q. It's not often you see someone as small as you doing that. How have you managed to be successful doing it at times?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I was doing this since I am very young. I love to play volleys. I was playing at home against the wall, against the house, so I was kind of like playing with it. Especially on grass it's working very well. When I'm confidence, I like to play a lot of balls from the net. It's my territory there. So I like to play there.

Q. You used to come here when you were younger. What are your memories?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Well, I was two years old when my grandpa took me to the museum. I saw the trophy. I was like, I'm going to play here. Right now here I'm 33, which is incredible. It's a great story.

My grandparents were living here for four years. I was coming here very often. London is my favorite city, so it's nice.

Q. You won junior Grand Slam title, but still a longer time to get these results in the pros. How have you been patient, when you've seen players you beat back in juniors, like Sharapova won here 15 years ago.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I beat her in Australian Open. Two years later she won it here (laughter).

Q. How have you kept patient knowing your time will be in the future?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I'm not really patient, like patient person. But I'm a fighter. I like to fight for something what I really want. In that way I waited for that. It was a good 27 years' wait.

I just don't want to talk about it that I'm just in the semifinal. I am still in the draw. I can still go. I believe in myself. So we see what's going to happen on the Thursday.

That was too confidence right now.

Q. Were you surprised the way Jo's level dropped off in the second set or was that a lot to do with your tactics?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: I wasn't focusing on Jo. I was focusing on myself, what I had to do. She was doing more mistakes than the first set because I pushed her to do it. I was mixing the game very well. I was going serve and volley. I was playing a lot of slice. She didn't really know what to expect. That's why I think she was doing more mistake than the first set. That's what I wanted.

Q. When you think about yourself as a contender in this tournament, you have belief in yourself, what do you think are the traits that define you as a competitor?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: That's a good question. I don't know how to answer it. Tell me easier.

Q. What about your fire and your ability to believe in yourself...
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Yeah.

Q. How does that make you a contender?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: What is 'contender'?

Q. Like you can win here.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: It's so far away to think about winning here. For me this tournament shows me that I can win over myself, over my emotions, over my character because I am a very emotional player, very emotional person. In the past I couldn't really control it. But now in these two weeks I could accomplish something that I worked so many years with my mental coaches.

It showed me today. It showed me two days ago when I was 4-6, 2-5 down. This is a big win for me.

Did I answer it right?

Q. Yes.
BARBORA STRYCOVA: Okay (smiling).

Q. You've accomplished a lot in your career: Fed Cup title, gold medal, doubles. Those high-pressure experiences, what do you take into the semifinal against Serena?
BARBORA STRYCOVA: That it can happen anything. Even if you are Love-6, Love-5 down, you still there and you still can win it. I had a lot of pressure moments when we were playing Fed Cup. Kind of like I look at it in a way that is just a tennis, just a tennis ball, we are playing a game. That helps me to look at it that it's nothing really so important.

It is a huge thing, but there is many, many more important things in life than this match.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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