WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 24, 2020

Petra Kvitova

Press Conference

M. BOUZKOVA/P. Kvitova

2-6, 7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Everyone has been talking about how fast the courts are in New York this year. I'm guessing you like that a lot? Is that fair?

PETRA KVITOVA: It's fair. Yeah, I would say so, as well, that it's a little bit faster, which obviously suits my game. I really get used to it quite quickly.

You know, my first hit was on Ashe which was bouncing a little bit higher, I would say. But definitely in all the ways the courts are a little bit faster, I would say, yes.

Q. Obviously court speeds change a lot every year, seems like at tournaments, or they can change at tournaments. What's your feeling when you get to a court and you either feel it for yourself or you start hearing that it's fast? What is your happiness inside when you make this discovery?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I didn't hear that. I just played on it. Yeah, I find out by myself, which is pretty unusual, so that's good.

Overall, of course I'm more happy when the courts are a little bit faster and the balls are flying. Definitely that suits my game, and I'm always happy for it. It's better. Yeah, I mean, it's good time for it.

Q. Do you think your ten double faults and the service breaks against you was the difference between winning and losing this afternoon? Or was it something beyond just the statistics?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I mean, definitely I had the match in my hands in the second set. It really doesn't matter if I made some double faults. So, yeah, it was a little bit easy mistake over there. I lose that in the end of the second set, which normally should be on my side.

But it's how it is. It was my first match, you know, after such a long time, even I played some matches in Czech, but it's still a little bit different. The weather today was unbelievable. It's totally different, but yeah, New York really welcome me very nicely.

Q. Does losing early this week in this tournament change how you will prepare for the US Open that starts next week?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I didn't really have a time to think about it. I just came, I was practicing every day, and today I had a match. I think I probably have an easy day tomorrow. After a long match today I will be sore probably.

I have to take care of my body, and for sure I have to practice a little bit. Of course I need to rest a little bit, because I was really putting lot of work in the last three weeks. Yeah, I need some energy for the next match.

Q. Just talking through the match today, the first 90 minutes or so, it seemed like you hadn't missed a step and you were striking the ball very well and playing very well. From that perspective, were you pleased with kind of what you were able to bring to the court today in your first match of the restart? And then was it really just a matter of energy, heat, you know, fatigue, Marie playing better, I don't know, that flipped that match around?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think it will be very weird what I'm going to say now, but I didn't think I played bad. Definitely up to that time I think I played a good match. I really started well. I was everything on my side. I really played aggressive and so.

In the second set, she came a little bit, you know, she played a little bit better, and it was like, you know, so I did a little bit of mistake, which definitely it helped her.

Overall, I mean, yeah, in the end unfortunately I think it was the energy and the heat. I didn't really have a used to it, so that's sad and that's the bad thing of it. Anyway, it wasn't really that bad.

Q. Can you just talk about the decision to come to New York and kind of what your preparation has been like back home? I know you played some of the exhibitions and stuff in Prague, so you had a little bit of getting back on the court. At what point during the shutdown were you able to mentally and physically say, Okay, I'm going to train full for tournaments again?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I started to really practice full out three weeks ago. Before even I always did every day some fitness and something, and I was hitting like twice, three times in the week. It was really tough to just hit for nothing. Until I didn't know what would happen on the tour, I just took a little bit easier and then I was going full.

Yeah, I still play some matches in Czech Republic, but it wasn't really -- I wasn't really prepared, I would say, which I'm still not, as I see today (smiling). It's still getting better, so that's the good sign of it.

Yeah, I was practicing in Czech. I was practicing Monte-Carlo, as well. I put a lot of work to it, so hopefully it will pay off. Anyway, it's in the beginning of this different journey what we are not too used to. So, yeah, it's a big challenge for everybody.

Q. I just wanted to ask what was it like playing with Hawk-Eye live, whether you like it and what do you think of it?

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, of course I think it's important to have less people everywhere, on the court, as well. So I totally understand the move.

But on the other hand, I think that it's taking a little bit of the tension for the fans and for the players, too. Like everybody is waiting if it's in or out. So it's kind of the tension to get to if it's good or no.

That's probably what I going to miss for it. Who knows? Maybe it will come back. I don't know.

Q. Do you trust machines over people? Because it seems like with Hawk-Eye there is less arguing, less people saying the ball was in, not out. What do you think about that?

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think that on one hand it's good. The match will be a little bit quicker with it, because it will be no timing to take at Hawk-Eye. But of course from the sport and from the tennis, it's less people doing it.

So, yeah, I mean, it's only umpire over there, and she or he is taking care of everything. Yeah, I mean, in this situation it's totally understood so I'm okay.