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QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 28, 2020

Petra Kvitova

Doha, Qatar

P. KVITOVA/A. Barty

6-4, 2-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You began beating a former champion here, Carla Suarez Navarro and then you beat a former runner-up, Ostapenko, then you beat Jabeur, now you beat Barty, now you're a match away from a second title yourself. You seem to be loving Qatar.
PETRA KVITOVA: Definitely, I think it's showing in my great matches so far here, since I won the tournament two years ago and I'm still feeling great here, so that's good that I didn't forget.

No, being in a final of such a big tournament, it's great, so I'm really happy how I handle it today. It was a really tough one and I lost to Ash a few times in the past, so finally I get the revenge.

Q. Great contest. Young players snapping at your heels, there's so much pressure, three-set contest, two matches, and then you had a tough contest yesterday. How much of experience plays a crucial role in the win? Do you, when the players are almost the same level, how much of experience comes into play?
PETRA KVITOVA: It depends. I think that somebody when you have so many experiences you are just thinking a little bit more, so it's tough if it's good or no sometimes.

So, of course in the past years you achieved a lot, but then when it's a certain point of the match you know probably what you should do, but if it -- for example, me, if I think too much, then it's not good. So I would still prefer to play a little bit more freely and just going for my shots. That's my game.

And, yeah, I can't really do the game as Ash is playing, so you know waiting for the opponents balls it's just tough for me so I just have to really be free and go for it.

Q. What was the key to getting finally the win over Ash after the first, the last four didn't go your way?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I pushed myself a lot to go more deeper to the court, not to flying back on the Qatar sign. So I tried that she couldn't have put me away from the baseline that much. So I took time from her and she couldn't do that much with her forehand.

So that was kind of the key, to try near by the baseline and just play from there and still pushing to the court.

Q. Did you feel like that adjustment was tactically very different than how you had played her in your last few matches or was it just a matter of, this is what you were trying to do in the last few matches as well but the execution didn't come off?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I actually, I think I did, I tried it, but I just couldn't make it. I don't know, it's tough, you win the match and then you forget some things and you are just thinking about something else maybe, how everything is going.

And of course I did have chances in the last meetings with her as well, but today I was just maybe more braver and that's how it is.

Q. You said several times you think too much and which is not a good sign for you. So could you talk a little bit more about detail about that, when you think too much, you think about how to hit forehand or like this kind of picnic things or what your opponent will do or like this kind of things?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, it's more about the tactics in a way. I'm sometimes thinking what the opponent is doing and I should just be focusing on myself on my game, because that's the key of my game, to be just playing my game and then it's, everything is easier then.

Q. You have an excellent record in the finals. Why do you think that it happened during your career and what did it change in your perspective after, I don't know, a long tournament, with a lot of good matches, but you're still able to get your best game in the final?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think that I'm still playing better and better when I'm deeper in the tournament, so that's one of the good things which I have. But I'm struggling sometimes in the beginning of the tournament, so that's how it is.

But I don't know, I always bring something else in the finals and I just love playing final, that's why I'm playing tennis, for those trophies, and it's, you know, playing final is something like that you are very close to have the title, but it's still very far.

And I don't know, it's something bigger than I think, I think it's just very close there and I just put everything what I have left.

Q. Tomorrow facing Sabalenka, power on power. So what is your tactic when you're kind of facing a right-handed version of maybe yourself?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, it will be totally different. I think, you know, in this tournament it's weird, but I played more kind of tricky opponents, like with the slice and drop shots and high balls. And so maybe Jelena was kind of different, but it was so windy so it wasn't really about the tennis anyway.

So this will be totally different opponent for me tomorrow, so I'm looking forward for that for sure. Enough of the slices from Ash today. So I'm glad I do have a little bit different opponent.

But it will be a lot of serve and return. It's the first two shots which is going to decide the match, for sure. And we played a few times already, she beat me, I beat her. And yeah, we'll see, it's similar game, so who knows who is going to be lucky.

Q. From that third set, even though I know in the first set it seemed like you were much more aggressive and really, really going for the ball. Third set it was kind of tighter, Ash was kind of weaving those Ash Barty rallies that can be exhausting, and there was that one point late in the third set where you finished it off with a forehand wide and threw your hands up in the air. But how proud are you in terms of just fitness-wise being able to kind of get through -- I know it wasn't a long match, but I know that that final set was probably pretty physical.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, it was kind of physical. I think Ash started to play more slices in the beginning of the second set. So it took me awhile to get to used to and be back in my game with my aggressive game, which I tried to play in the first set.

Yeah, of course the match was pretty exhausting anyway, but I know that I can play those rallies, as you mentioned, every point, but if I have to, I'm really glad that I am able to do it.

So really it was an amazing point and probably that's why I raise my hands up. I was very proud of me how it went. Unfortunately, I had a double fault afterwards, but, yeah, I'm still thinking positive about it. And definitely it was the first point of that game which definitely helped me with my confidence as well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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