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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 10, 2020

Karolina Pliskova

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

K. PLISKOVA/A. Riske

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the tiebreak, how you really don't go up and how you get back?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I think I actually started this time much better than the tiebreak with Ajla. I was 4-1 up but then I lost six points or five points in a row, which is I think too much, especially with my serve. I think I didn't serve well in the tiebreak, except maybe the serve on, whatever it was, 6-all. But I think she also played some good tennis. But I think that the biggest mistake I think in that set was just to give her that chance to come back from 5-2 and even though she was not playing the best tennis in the beginning. But I think I just gave her some chances to go back in that set. And then she was playing good tennis, so there was nothing really to do about it. She played some good shots in tiebreak and then I was, of course, a little bit lucky because anything could happen. It was 4-6 down, but I went for it for the second serve on 6-4 and then I had my serve, so it was kind of open. I served well on the first set point and I went for it and then she gave me a present.

Q. Is there anything that you are really happy about your performance today?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Really happy? I don't know. I think the way I fought because I don't think I played amazing. I think I played solid, for sure, it was not the worst match in my life but for sure not the best one. But I just somehow was relaxed. I was enjoying. Of course, it was tight the first and second set too, I hit some breaks and lost my serve a couple times, so it was not great today, but I think she did actually great job by the return. She went a little bit further so she was not missing many serves or returns, but I think it was a solid match, normal match.

Q. Did you find that the conditions were any different from playing kind of a day session match to night?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think actually it was similar except the lights and it's darker than it was in the day. But I think -- I went to actually hit couple times in the night here in the, during the practice, so I was a little bit used to it. But no, I still think it's quite warm and hot, maybe even more than during the day. It gets more humid a little bit in the evening, and it's still pretty fast. Although it's evening, I think it's similar for me.

Q. And then just for her, when she's -- she seems quite confident on the return in your service games. What do you, what does she do particularly well on your service games that allows her to kind of, yeah, all these tiebreakers that you guys get yourselves into and all that sort of stuff, she seems pretty confident when she's returning?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, but I think this time was little bit different. I think she made some changes. Of course, she lost couple times against me, always close, but I think she just wanted to change something, so that's why she step away a little bit from the baseline and she just made me play as many returns as possible. So actually I didn't have that many points on the first serve as I maybe normally have or as I have in the past against her. But I think she's a great player. She won two good matches here, so for sure she was confident, she had nothing to lose, so it's not a surprise she played well.

Q. You've won this tournament two of the last three years and you're in the semis here, so I'm guessing you enjoy it, but you --
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah.

Q. I'll assume, yes. There's talk from Tennis Australia and WTA of maybe starting a WTA Cup which could replace this tournament as it is right now. I'm curious if you would like to have this tournament stay the way it is or have something different come by?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, as I've been quite successful on this tournament, I would keep it as it is and no team competitions for me, really. So I would not -- of course it's for sure interesting more for players, for some players, for fans maybe because you see more matches, you see doubles, and you see the countries against each other. I think it can be fun, but I'm not interested about it.

Q. Looking ahead playing Naomi, tied 2-2, you guys have split your four meetings. What do you make of that matchup? It's one that everyone seems pretty excited about.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, me too, actually. But on the other hand, it's just normal match. It's the semi-finals so it doesn't matter who is really there. But I think it can be challenging because we didn't play for awhile. So we, last time we played it was in Melbourne last year and it was pretty close, all the matches are always one break in each set. So it's, there's not many chances because she can serve well, I can serve well, so it's going to be about couple points. I think she's playing, so far, pretty good this week, so it's going to be tough. Of course, she has a new team, too, so I think she looks more happy than she did maybe last year at some times. But of course she's going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to it too.

Q. Three of those four semi-finalists from Melbourne last year are in the semi-finals here, you, Naomi and Petra. Just kind of curious, do you look forward to it or do you want this level of competition so early in the season and also only a week away from Melbourne? Is it a good thing for you? Is it kind of, like, Oh, I would prefer kind of just to roll through and get some quote/unquote easier matches?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, of course, I think the best what can be it's just to play with the best players, especially in the early in the year to have this kind of matches, and at least you know sometimes where your level is and how you're playing in that moment. And I think already by having these three matches, which I'm going to have, I think it's great start of the season again. And, yeah, I think no matter who I play, I think it's just about the matches in the beginning of the year. And, of course, it can be always the matches against the top players, they go, the tennis is always better. The level goes always up because you need to, they somehow push you to play better tennis, so automatically, I think I always play better. I think many players, they play better if they play the top players, so of course, I think it's the best way it can be.

Q. I see when you called her down for coaching, Olga first talks to Dani for a few seconds to get informed. I don't know if you saw that, but she talked to him for a bit and they come down with sort of a shared strategy, I guess. When you're talking to her, do you sense -- does she tell you what each of -- I wasn't on the court so I couldn't hear, but did she tell you what each person thinks or is it one sort of united idea?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, I think actually it's for sure they talk even between the points in the games, but I think she was not really ready this time that I'm going to call her. But so she might ask just a couple questions, but I'm sure she also knew what to say. But maybe if he wanted to say something to me. So of course, it always has to be combined so she's saying similar stuff what he thinks. But, and actually it was not much. It was just wanted me to be relaxed a little bit. Sometimes it can really help. And just a couple things on my serve, so it was not much what I would really be doing wrong, so it was just quick coaching and I think sometimes it can be helpful.

Q. Naomi's on a 14-match win streak dating back to last year because she pulled out of Shenzhen after one match. I'm curious if that at all motivates you to want to be the one to end that streak or anything like that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, it's a new year, so I would not count that actually. And but of course I think she was playing great the last, let's say, month or two last year, so for sure she's still maybe confident from that last year, I don't know. I'm not really counting last year anymore, but even here I think she played some good matches, three-setters, so that always helps to play some extra tennis and especially in the beginning of the year, so for sure it's not going to be easy.

Q. And Caroline Wozniacki has her last month on tour this month. I'm curious what you're going to remember most about Caroline.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think all our matches, I think we always played good match and always against her it was tough battle, she never give up, which I think everybody loves to watch her because her game was so interesting. She's a nice girl, she can behave well on the court, so I think it's just, with her it was only about tennis, there was no drama, so it's easy. Of course tough to play because she was a great tennis player, but easy so you don't have to worry about anything else, just play good tennis. I think she also pushed me to play some good tennis a lot of times and I'm sure we are going to miss her. I had some great practices with her, some good talks in the locker room, but I'm sure she knows what she's doing.

Q. You said her game is interesting. What do you think makes her game interesting to watch?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think overall the people like her a lot because of course she's been around for awhile. So she's been playing a lot actually since maybe she was 15, so I think a lot of people knew her and she was quite famous so, and the game was still interesting because she can run a lot, she can, the game is nice to watch I think she never really had a day where she would not really put one ball in the court. I think her level was still good, although she of course not always was winning, but I think she just always managed to keep some level, so it was guaranteed that the match is going to be good.

Q. Of the four semi-finalists here you Petra, Keys and Naomi, which one do you think plays the most defense in their game?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: More defense?

Q. Yeah.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, that's tough to say.

Q. We were debating it earlier.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It's tough to say, but me (laughing) yeah. Maybe.

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