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QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 26, 2020

Petra Kvitova

Doha, Qatar

P. KVITOVA/J. Ostapenko

6-2, 5-7, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Two matches, third set, both went to the third set. How do you keep yourself going? Very exhausting or do you play well when you're exhausted?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't know, it was very exhausting today because of the opponent, because of the conditions, I mean this is not good for tennis and for the people who are watching for sure. We don't really know where we are playing and the shots are like really tough to read.

The wind was very, very difficult today and it was irritating all around the court. So it was tough to serve as well, but luckily I made some good things in the beginning of the third set and found a way in the first one as well. So, yeah, it's been very difficult, for sure.

Q. But how do you adapt to the conditions? You seem to have adapted well over the last two days.
PETRA KVITOVA: I'm trying to stay there, to be patient, but sometimes it's a little difficult. The safest is to play to the middle, for sure. But of course if you are just playing to the middle it doesn't really making any points.

So it's been really difficult, especially when you're serving, it's really tough. From the second serve she really could hit it very hard and I just missed the next point. So I tried the same on her serve, and, yeah, it's been working pretty good afterwards.

Q. In those conditions is it helpful at all in the back of your mind to know that you can and you have the ability to play with more margin, with a little bit more spin maybe than Jelena can, you know, and how do you ride that line between being aggressive and also knowing that if you kind of work the point that maybe she might be the first to make a miss?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I mean during the match you are not really proud of you when you are doing these things, but many times it helped me if I just put some slice into it and with the wind it's everywhere. So, yeah, I think few times I just put one more extra ball, which she didn't expect that I going to put it in, so that's helped me for sure. And then, yeah, she missed some points, but when we play some great rallies like to the middle she couldn't miss I thought, so, yeah, it's been up-and-down and, yeah, it's been tricky today.

Q. Obviously after being sick and everything and into the quarterfinals here in Doha, so in terms of your game and everything, I know today with the conditions it's different because you weren't able to play the way you want to play, but how pleased are you with how you're playing this week in Doha?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, it's interesting with tennis that every day it's just different day. Yeah, I didn't really have so many practices coming here, so I'm really glad that I was able to win two matches in three sets. So I hope that my body will be okay tomorrow, for sure, but from the wind you don't really know when you are stretching so many times to so many ways, so I hope I will be fine. And hopefully it's probably, the wind, I don't know if it's still windy tomorrow, but I wish it will be no windy tomorrow.

Q. I want to hear about your opinion on WTA new coaching rule, which is that now coaches are allowed to give you players advice from the box. So, so far how do you feel about it? Do you like that kind of rule and does it affect your like strategies or game of plan?
PETRA KVITOVA: Definitely will not affect me. Yeah, sometimes the coaches scream to me something, but nothing really special which I shouldn't know, so. Well, I don't know if it's good or no for the woman's tennis, it depends, but I think it should be enough to have a one on-court coaching during one set. And I still think that tennis is very individual sport and we should just play by ourselves, but I do know the other side of it as well, so I don't really care (laughing).

Q. One more question. Maria Sharapova she just announced her retirement. So any thoughts on that?
PETRA KVITOVA: Okay, yeah, it's new for me right now, so, I mean, for my side, I know how tough it is to come back and play and she has been injured a lot and of course she wanted probably bigger success than she really played or the body allowed her to have.

But definitely she won five Grand Slams, she is a big champion, she has really been a business lady off the court as well. So she achieved a lot in her life so far and she still have so many things to do, even after tennis.

So for me it was pleasure to be with her on the tour, sharing the court with her. It was always great battles when we play together. She's a big hitter as well, so it's been always nice to share the court with her and I do always have respect to her so, yeah.

Q. Just on that, two, at least off the top of my head, because we're processing the news as we go too, but two big matches that you played against her, Obviously the Wimbledon final where you won and maybe the Australia Open semi-final which she won. But can you talk just about what it meant, not just winning Wimbledon for your first time and playing so well in that final, but also did it mean more because it was Maria and the respect and knowing how good she was on that surface and just what type, what it was like to stand across the court from her as knowing the competitor that she was.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, she been amazing competitor, she never give up. Even in she didn't play well she was still believing in her game and still being aggressive and believing in her shots, which I'm really admiring.

Yeah, in that final she will be always there, not good for her, but, yeah, that's tennis. But I don't really care who was in the final.

But I do care my loss in the Australian Open, but if I can choose which one I'm going to win it it's still going to be final. So, yeah. And, yeah, I don't know. That's it? Okay.

Q. You answered it. You're good.
PETRA KVITOVA: Okay. Thank you.

Q. But speaking for just tomorrow, either Karolina or Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals, can you talk through that and what it will be like to play each different, very different opponents?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, they are different, for sure, kind of players. With Karolina that we had so many battles already, she is a big hitter with a big serve, from Czech. So it's always kind of special to play each other.

We know pretty well each other on and off the court. She has a big game. She definitely had a great beginning of the year winning Brisbane. She won it here as well, so she likes the conditions and everything here.

So it will be nice challenge for sure, but in the quarters you can't really meet any easy player, so, yeah.

And Ons, definitely is she is really playing well, she's in very good form since the beginning of the year, playing great in Melbourne, so far here as well.

She is a tricky opponent, definitely. You don't really know what she's bringing to the game. And, yeah, we played I think just once in Wimbledon, but it's different surface, so it will be different match for sure here as well.

Q. Speaking on Karolina, when you face her, because you guys are both the No. 1 and No. 2 in Czech, do you ever go in thinking that like you're the lower-ranked player right now, are you the underdog tomorrow, despite the fact that you're kind of the Czech alpha or like how what, does it ever, does it ever matter what the rankings are when you two play each other or is it just kind of like a --
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I should say it doesn't matter, but I think that sometimes it matters, the ranking of it. And I think if I'm playing Karolina she will be favored, for sure, because of the ranking, right?

But it shouldn't matter that much, I think. Every match is just different and sometimes as we see in the tournaments the ranking really doesn't matter. So everybody can really beat everybody and this will be -- let's say it will be a nice one, if we play.

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