INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 16, 2021

Karolina Pliskova

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/Ka. Pliskova

6-0, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A tough one today. Can you just, I guess, talk about just the match and what you saw from your side from Iga, and how much of this do you feel like was a bad day for you and how much of it was a pretty remarkable day for her, level-wise?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Thank you. I think combination of things. I think she really played great. You know, she didn't give me anything, not even like -- I mean, not that I would play really great at some moments (smiling), not really today, but I think sometimes I just tried to make it a bit difficult just to put the ball in. I just was feeling horrible out there today. That's one of those days.

But I think she really made it extremely difficult for me to do any point and just to play any, you know, like anything from my game. She was playing super fast. I thought she was just going for it.

I think she had amazing day and I had horrible day. That's one of those, like, the combination which I guess that can happen.

But, yeah, I mean, I'm not going to through all the week away from because of just like those 50 minutes or how long we were there, and also, you can see she's really extremely confident on clay, because, I mean, she has a lot of success last year, a lot of success this year, this week especially.

So I think she was just feeling amazing. But other than that, I was feeling horrible. I think there is not much we can speak about this match. It was just one of those days.

Q. I mean, her game style has a way of -- she's posted some very impressive score lines against a lot of the top players. I think Belinda was saying in Adelaide that it's just very hard to read where she's going to hit the ball, at least for her the difficulty was seeing the patterns that she would play. What was the most difficult thing that you saw today?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, definitely a bit of this, but no matter how fast I play, I think I had couple, just couple, couple of good shots, and I think she can just redirect so well and she can play even faster, and especially on clay. Because she has so much spin, I think it's super tough to do something from it.

I think especially today she had amazing placement of the ball. It was everything. Everything was super, like, deep and just like close to the lines. You know, she was serving quite big. I mean, she has a good serve overall. I think she didn't have really any -- I think overall she didn't really miss anything today. Even though I was not playing great, but still, some balls I made. I thought just she was just, yeah, having maybe a moment of her life (smiling).

Q. I know that 46 minutes is not going to derail your assessment of this tournament, but for you, how important was how you played this week? I mean, does it impact at all your feeling coming out of the tournament, the final today?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I mean, it's super tough to be like positive right now, but I guess I cannot just like forget, because of those 46 minutes, everything what I did this week.

So I'm just gonna try to forget on that. You know, I had some good moments here, especially good matches beating good players here, so I have to move on. Of course couple days off because also has been a lot of tennis for me these last ten days. And just playing like five days in a row, I know, like, everybody had a lot of matches here, especially the rain delays, but just playing like every day I was feeling a bit tired, so for sure a couple of days off, and then I guess I go to Paris (smiling).

Q. I'm wondering if you felt going into the match, did you kind of feel off? Or was it kind of during the match when you were looking for solutions that you realized you didn't have them today?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: You know, I was feeling actually okay, maybe a bit slow this morning, maybe a bit more tired than I was feeling the last couple days, but I think -- you know, I mean, it's tough to say, because I think if the match would be like 1-All, 2-All, 3-All from the beginning, I think it would go a bit different direction than it actually went.

She started so well. She was super-aggressive and I was a bit slow in the beginning. It was tough. I think after, it gave her so confidence because she was on a roll, so she just was not missing. And because I was not feeling great, it just went this way.

But as I said, I mean, I had some good matches, like tough matches, long matches. So of course the body is not, you know, at the best shape, it's not like in the first round. But the same is with her, I guess, only the difference is that she's couple years younger (smiling). But, yeah.

Q. At Roland Garros last year she lost like 28 games in the whole tournament. I was wondering is the way she can make opponents feel, is that unique at all to like her style of play, or are there other top players who can do the same?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: You know, it's tough to say because it's my first meeting with her, and really tough to say after today because I was not playing the best at all, like not even close to my best. Not even, you know, like -- yeah, maybe let's say 5% from what I can play.

But she was also super good so she made it super difficult to me. Really tough to say after today. I think I have to have one more meeting with her just to know a bit more about her game.

But, I mean, you can see her results on clay, so they are great. It's not just like, you know, luck. She was struggling a bit this week, but I guess she went through some moments and she was just feeling really solid today.

In Paris I know she lost just like couple games, not even a set. So I think, yeah, also the confidence she has on clay which is why she's playing so great now.

Q. I was wondering how many days will you take off, with the extra week as well before Roland Garros?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Tough to say. I think I will go by the feeling after every day and every day (smiling).