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QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 29, 2020

Petra Kvitova

Doha, Qatar

A. SABALENKA/P. Kvitova

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tough luck, Petra. What would you attribute this to? Where did it change? The way she began by zooming into a lead or was it, we don't know, you took a medical timeout, could you tell us more?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, first of all definitely Aryna played amazing match. For sure she didn't give me anything for free, I had to just chance once in the second set for break of her serve, but I just couldn't make it. But it was very tight game and probably that's really helped her to win the second set.

But definitely she played really great as she played all week, so definitely she deserve it, for sure.

I wasn't only playing probably what I wanted to, but she didn't give me anything to play my game. But, yeah, that's how it is and anyway I'm glad for the great week. I mean, I'm very proud how I handled those matches before and, you know, playing Carla, being set down in my first match, turning it around, played in the such bad conditions with the wind, so it's not really my favorite and I still kind of made it.

So I'm really happy how I played yesterday, for sure. It took me a lot of energy as well, so I felt it a little bit today, but it's how the tennis is and anyway being in the final, it's great.

Q. Great week, great matches. Just two questions: There's a lot of girls in the region, a lot of young kids have kind of watched you play over the past week, you've been winning match after match in tough situations. What would be your message to them if they would want to take up tennis. And the second question is, you won the Sportsmanship Award, the WTA Sportsmanship Award of the year so many times, what do you feel about your opponents, you always seem to end the match with an embrace of your opponents, what do you feel about competition and in light of those awards?
PETRA KVITOVA: Okay, well, if I say something to those girls, I mean, if I am young as they are I would love to keep playing tennis because I like it. And I always had a love for the game and passion for the game and that's probably bring me to the kind of level which I said, okay, it will be nice if I do it professionally and then of course the hard work and everything it's going with that.

But first thing I had was the really enjoying of the game itself and that's still keeping in me, which is very nice.

The second question, I already forgot, sorry. (Laughing.)

Q. You won the --
PETRA KVITOVA: Oh, yes, the Sportsmanship Award. Yeah, I don't know, it's just, it's an award which I can't really do anything with that, it's voted by my fellow colleagues, which it's great and it's big honor for me every year I get it.

And even I was out for a six months I got it in the end of the season, which was really amazing and I didn't expect it at all.

I don't know, I mean, I just like those girls anyway. I mean even I win, I lost, they are just there by the night smiling too, doesn't matter what the score was. And even chatting with you before the match, that's probably for me it's just one of the best things which we can have on this tour.

It's a lot of fighting on the court and so, but if you are still like human, then I'm going to talk with them and that's how it is for me.

Q. Just talking about how Sabalenka played today, what particularly did you find was the most frustrating thing? I mean she served very well, her percentage was quite good, obviously hitting big off the ground. But what was the particular difficulty trying to get her off her game?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, definitely the biggest difference was the serve, for sure. I couldn't put the first in, she put like 80 percent or something like that.

Yeah, that was probably the biggest, I couldn't get to the rally with my shots and my power as I had just few times I did it, which finally I get a chance a little bit, but it was a very small chance anyway.

I tried to go a little bit for the rallies and I wasn't lucky over there. But, yeah, it's been tough. It is my game as well, for sure, but today she was just better in that game.

Q. And then is there any concern over the leg? How bad is it, that sort of thing.
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, to be honest I don't know how bad it is, but definitely I'm not the kind of player who is going for the medical timeout, so, yeah, I felt it, but that's it.

Q. How do you recuperate after such a tough week? Like Ashleigh Barty said, she has a friend, she goes back home and then she draws a lot of energy from that. But what would you do? How will you get back into the season after this tough week or tough moments like this?
PETRA KVITOVA: I'm going home too. So I'm going to have some days off, for sure, and, yeah, I mean, I have to take care of my body a little bit.

Of course it was a tough week for me, I played a few three-setters, tough one yesterday as well. So it's, I'm not that young any more so I will need some more time probably but I'm looking forward for the spending time at home and seeing my friends and family again, it's always bring me so much energy. So it's great.

And it's only a few days before big tour in the USA, so I have a lot of, I have to have a lot of energy for that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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