QATAR TOTAL OPEN

March 4, 2021

Petra Kvitova

Press Conference

P. KVITOVA/A. Kontaveit

6-3, 3-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A lot of service breaks. What do you learn about yourself from a match like this, and what are your positive takeaways?

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure it was a kind of roller coaster, I would say. Well, it's tough to play Anett at any time. Doesn't really matter how it's look like, but I know we had couple of games were very tight.

I'm really glad that after losing the second set, which I didn't play the best probably, I started very well in the third and, you know, was important, the first break in the first game of the third set.

I learned probably that the return was pretty good from my side, I would say. I was going for it, first point, first shot, and that's I think it's made a little bit the big difference because it was the key of it.

In the rally, it was 50/50 and anybody could do it, but when I put the pressure from the return, it was really very nice. It was tough to hold the serve, for sure. The conditions were different and tough, I would say. I'm glad that I won my last service game, for sure (smiling).

Q. You take on the winner of Pegula and Pliskova. Do you have a preference who you play? Will you have a chance to watch any of their match?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I just been in the gym on the bicycle, so I just watch probably one game. But that's it from my side, I think.

I have to do my stuff, to recover well for tomorrow. I don't have any preferences who I gonna play. I mean, anybody will be very difficult. Playing in a semifinal, of course it's difficult matches, so I don't really care.

I'm really happy from my side that I gonna be in the semifinal. That's probably important for me.

Q. You sort of mentioned it in your answer there, but in a 26-game match today, there were 16 breaks of serve. I'm just curious for you, in a match like that, and I can see with your expression on your face, what do you do to stay focused to try and keep your rhythm even when, you know, I'm sure it must be frustrating to continue to have your serve broken?

PETRA KVITOVA: It is, for sure. Yeah, I have been pretty surprised with the statistic, as you mentioned.

Well, it's a bit tough, because of course my serve, it should be my weapon of the game, and if that is not working, it's really tough.

Sometimes I'm pretty struggling, but not today, which I'm very pleased. That's probably really good one today that even I didn't serve the best. I can't really say I didn't serve the best. It was just the games when she returned pretty well and then from the rallies she just made it better.

So of course the serves could be better, of course. But still, I mean, that was kind of strain of the mentality, which I showed today, that even on the return I was still trying to put the pressure even I didn't serve well. So that's really good thing which I have to learn from today.

Q. It was working for you. And you look over the past year, I think you're now 24-6 in your last 30 matches. In the past year I think you have only played now seven total events. I'm curious for you, is it difficult? Because watching from afar, if you don't mind me saying, you're playing some really good tennis right now. Is it difficult to keep your rhythm with the lack of match play, or at this point in your career do you feel pretty comfortable going into each and every match?

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, of course, I mean, everybody like we have just less tournaments, especially last year, so everybody is just playing less.

Probably the others are practicing more than me. That's probably yes (smiling).

Yeah, I do have lack of matches, but on the other hand, I have shown myself last year that even I don't really play so many tournaments, I can play well on the big ones.

I know the Australian Open didn't really finish as I wanted, but on the other hand, I think that's good one that from the beginning of the tournament I'm playing good tennis, as you mentioned. Thank you very much for it, anyway.

Yeah, I think this is really good one for me. I'm not the youngest one on the tour anymore, so I love this experience for the future that as I coming here playing, you know, first round against Nasia for me was tough one. Today against Anett as well. Anett played more matches than me in the beginning of this year, so definitely she had more experience with the matches and I was still able to win it. So that's good one.