AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 8, 2021

Angelique Kerber

Press Conference

B. PERA/A. Kerber

6-0, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk us through the match today from your perspective.

ANGELIQUE KERBER: I think, yeah, I mean, it was not my day actually. I mean, I was starting really late to play my tennis. She played really well, especially in the first set. I think I never saw her playing like that.

But, yeah, I start to feel the ball and also feeling the rhythm starting in the second set. I make few, like, yeah, mistakes especially at the end of the second set to maybe come back.

Yeah, but I was not feeling from the start good, so I think that was then the reason why I lost the match because it was a late start.

Q. Do you think the hard lockdown and lack of preparation impacted your play at all? Did it affect your rhythm?

ANGELIQUE KERBER: Definitely, yes. I mean, of course I was really trying to staying positive and doing the best out of the two-week situation. But, of course, you feel it, especially if you play a real match where it counts and you play the first matches in a Grand Slam, also against an opponent who doesn't stay in the hard lockdown.

I was feeling this at the beginning, that of course my balls are always a little bit out and I was not feeling the rhythm that I was before the two weeks, to be honest. That's for sure, I mean. But what can I do? I tried the best out of it. Of course, you feel it if you are not hitting ball two weeks and you are not in the rhythm.

Q. You seemed to start to come into the match when you had the breakpoints at 5-All. It's an if, but if you got one of them, maybe you could turn it around?

ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, maybe. Maybe yes. You don't know. But she played well. She served good in these breakpoints that I hit. Of course, now I maybe could go more for it. But in this situation, she really served first serve and hit then the second ball really well.

But, yeah, I had also my chances at the beginning of the second set to make it for 2-1, and I didn't. I think that was the few mistakes in the second set that I make.

But, yeah, that's tennis.

Q. After the long trip down here, the long time in isolation, losing today, do you feel like it's all worth it to come down for this match?

ANGELIQUE KERBER: First of all, I mean, Australia is doing a really good job. Now when you are free, you go outside, everything is open. Of course, it feels like a normal life, let's say.

But when I'm looking back, of course I was not planned the two weeks hard quarantine. I don't know, maybe if I knew that before to stay really two weeks in the hard quarantine without hitting a ball, maybe I would think twice about that.

But I was trying to take the motivation also for this tournament because it's one of my favorite tournaments. Of course, I knew that we play with a little bit of fans, which is always such a different than playing with no fans. It makes tennis playing much more fun to play out there. So that was my motivation.

But, of course, if I knew the real situation before my trip, I would think maybe twice to come here.