ROLAND GARROS

October 5, 2020

Petra Kvitova

Press Conference

P. KVITOVA/Zhang S.

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A lot of emotion when you won. Not the first time you've been to the quarterfinals. Talk about why this feels so much more emotional than when you did it in 2012?

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I got a bit emotional last two points of my match. I really started to think still about the match because in tennis we really never know when it's end. But my memories, happy memories, when I made my comeback here 2017, when I step on the Philippe Chatrier, I couldn't really imagine me to be in the quarterfinal of this slam. Everything just came back to me.

When I'm talking, I'm getting emotional again.

It's been long ride definitely. Everything came to my mind when I had my whole family, people who I loved to helped me through the tough, tough time. I don't know, just everything came back to my mind. I just saw them. I was just playing on the Philippe Chatrier.

Yeah, I mean, it was such nice to win the match and to be in the quarterfinal.

Q. You go back to the US Open, a very tough loss for you against Shelby. Does that have anything to do with what's happening here? Are you determined to not let those chances slip? How did that loss affect anything happening here?

PETRA KVITOVA: Actually, it didn't affect me at all. I'm really happy that after few days I just get over that loss. It was not really easy to loss from the four match points.

It was the same one as today. I'm really glad I was able to made it a little bit farther. That match was really tough. Even I play great, I mean, I didn't just make it. It happen to me after such a long time that I didn't win the match from the match point. Especially in a Grand Slam, right? It was really painful.

I try just to motivate myself to be back on the clay and to practice more. I was thinking just about the clay, not really about the match any more. That's I think that was the kind of key of preparation.

I'm glad that it's don't coming back, those memories from that match.

Q. Your only semifinal here was eight years ago. Obviously you're talking in retrospect. When you reached that semifinal then, did you envisage that you would have a lot of success at Roland Garros? Could you picture yourself back there winning the French Open? Do you remember how you were thinking about your clay performances back then?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think I wasn't really the player who always ever succeed on the clay. Even I kind of won (indiscernible) a few times and everything. At that time was such a great for me to be in the semifinals. I lost to Maria and she won the tournament afterwards.

I've been playing really good. I think it's been a miracle for me to make the semifinal here in Roland Garros. After eight years to be in the quarterfinal again, it's great. I'm really happy for that, that I'm still able to play on all surfaces.

One year I do remember I won the tournament on all surfaces. I showed myself that I can really play on every surface it's could be. So I'm glad for that.

Q. I want to ask you sort of an off-tennis question regarding social media and you players during Grand Slams. We're asking fans at Roland Garros whether or not players should be more on social media or less on social media during Grand Slams? What is your opinion on that?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I'm not really person who is more on the social media. So for me less is better (laughter).

I know it's important on the other side, kind of to show fans what we are doing, what we are not doing. Especially in the tournament, I mean, I don't have those thoughts to think what I going to take the pictures or make the video, what I going to post there. I mean, I don't have anything to post. I'm just playing tennis. Then in the room I'm watching the TVs, but nobody cares.

I already make the Eiffel Tower picture. I think I'm done for this tournament (smiling). I'm just, I don't know, trying. I'm really glad that we have the pictures from the matches. That's really important so I can post something.

No, but anyway, really I'm not really thinking too much about the social media, yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts going into the match against Laura Siegemund?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, my thoughts? I don't know yet. I mean, I didn't think too much about it. I never played her. We didn't even practice together. I know that she has a lot of variety in her game. Definitely she has to play well, otherwise she's not in the quarterfinal, beating Badosa today, for example.

It's really great for her, great achievement. Definitely she will be fighting in the quarterfinal match. I mean, that's what we are all doing. It will be not easy definitely.

I'm really looking forward. I mean, for me, I'm happy to be in the quarterfinal. I'm really looking forward for the match. I know that she can play well on the clay. She won the Stuttgart tournament one year. Definitely she's a danger opponent.

Q. You're the last former champion in the draw because a lot of the seeds have fallen out. The way you're playing right now, not dropping a set, is this the year that you can get number three Grand Slam?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, it's too far ahead. I don't know. Actually I don't want to think about it. It's really few matches to go.

This is really tough for me to think about that far. I'm sorry, but I can't really answer this question. I'm just here to play my next match. I will see what will happen afterwards.