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ZHENGZHOU OPEN

September 9, 2019

Karolina Pliskova

Zhengzhou, China

THE MODERATOR: English questions first, please.

Q. Can you just talk a bit about what you've been up to since leaving the United States and when you got here and your impressions of this site and everything so far?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I came here yesterday morning, so now it's a day when I'm here. Of course the trip is not easy from my country, but it was not bad, so hopefully I can get -- I have a couple more days, I think I start on Wednesday the first round, so for sure, some days of practice, I did hit yesterday. So I think the venue is very nice, also the hotel. So far everything is great and I had Sunday off in Prague after I came back, I came back Monday or Tuesday from Europe, so that's not much time, obviously, to do something. But I hit two times I think and I did some gym just to stay a little bit fit and to get ready for this Asian swing.

Q. Talk a bit about the Asian swing, it's been a successful time for you in the past. What is it that you like about it and works so well for you?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, actually I think so-so. Like a couple weeks I was always playing well -- of course Tokyo, I won a couple tournaments here in Asia, but the last tournaments I never really did that well. So let's see this year, every time, every year by this time I have a lot of matches, so it's also that maybe I'm tired physically, mentally, of course, a lot of traveling, especially after being one month in America. So it's not easy to play this tournament, because it's quite early, but on the other hand it's the last part of the season, so I think it's good to push and to try the best.

Q. Talk about the changing conditions. Obviously it's quite different here from New York and how you adjust to that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think actually it can be similar, but this year in New York it was not really that humid and that hot, so that's a little bit different. So here, especially yesterday, was quite hot, so it was a little bit of a shock because Prague was quite cold already, so I have some time to get used to it. Maybe there's also a chance to play an evening match, which I think would be better for me right now, also with the jet lag. But let's see what's going to be. I don't have many problems with the heat, so hopefully I can handle it well.

Q. The Asian swing is quite long from now to the end of October. Is it a challenge for you to stay in shape for such a long period?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yes, actually it's going to be a challenge because, as I said, I was one month in America, so then just a couple days home, and now one month, if I stay until the end, that's going to be one month to the last tournament. And, of course, after, if I can get to Shenzhen, then it's back to China. So I think it's difficult, but it's the last part of the season, so I think I can do it. Also the next week I don't play this time, so there's going to be some days I can take some days off. I don't know where I will go yet, but this is open, so let's see. But now I'm here, so I don't think about the next week, about the next tournament, I just want to play this week and then I will see what I do.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese.

Q. What's your impressions about the city?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well it's tough to say because I came only yesterday, so I didn't see much. But I saw, of course, around the hotel is quite nice, the venue of the hotel is nice. The venue of the tennis here, it's nice, the courts are nice. So for sure if I have some time maybe tomorrow, not today because today we have, it's busy by practicing and we have players practice in the evening, but maybe tomorrow I try to go somewhere in the city just to see a little bit more of Zhengzhou, if I say it right.

(Laughter.)

Q. As you have just mentioned you want to tour around the city, so have you got any specific locations to visit?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, not yet. I don't know anything about the city as it is my first time and I didn't have the chance to Google anything yet or just to see any places. But I'm sure maybe later in the day or just tomorrow just go see some stuff and for sure some people they will recommend me some places where to go.

Q. Have you watched the finals for the US Open and are you surprised that Andreescu won the final and what's your opinions on this rising up generation of players?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I didn't watch anything, I think I was either on the plane or sleeping. But I'm not surprised, actually. I think maybe I thought Serena will finally win it, but maybe she is just not playing that well in the finals, I don't know, I didn't see, so I cannot say. But on the other hand I'm not surprised that Andreescu won, because I think so far she didn't play many tournaments, but everything that she played she almost won. And I played her in Toronto, so I think she's playing quite well. And of course she's super confident, so that helps and she was playing well, so for sure she has a lot of support from her country. So she was a little bit like a black horse of the tournament, so I'm not really surprised. I know she's young, there's a lot of younger players right now which also made the semi-finals, so there is a little bit that is changing, but nothing, I don't know, nothing that would really surprise me.

Q. At this tournament Kerber is also registered, so you may play against her.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Against who?

Q. Kerber. So any strategies for her?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, so far nothing not thinking about her at all -- I saw her yesterday in the airport -- but not thinking about her at all because I have a first round, first rounds I think for everybody it's going to be, the first rounds, they are quite tough. So of course I did play Hercog and she had some good results in the past right now. So not really thinking about her and -- well, I think she also has to go through her first and second rounds, so I think it's very far away.

Q. The Grand Slam season has finished and your best result was in Australia and so can you put some comments on this Grand Slam season?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think it was for sure not the best, but not the worst. Of course obviously that was the best, I was close to getting to the final, so I think that I was able to play my best tennis in Australia.

Clay is never my favorite surface so it's tough for me really to do well. I think it's just going to be always difficult.

And Wimbledon is not my favorite, so...

And then the US Open of course is my favorite, but I just lost a very close match. So I think I could go for sure far, because I was not playing that bad and it was quite a good match with her, but somehow, sometimes you just lose close matches. I think the first part of the season I was winning more of these matches and now a little bit less -- maybe also a little bit tired or just a little bit unlucky at some points.

But of course there is a lot of things to improve from Grand Slams and there is next year and hopefully I can do better next year.

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