WTA FINALS

November 9, 2021

Barbora Krejcikova

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Barbora, how does it feel to be here in Guadalajara and also to have qualified in singles and doubles for the WTA Finals?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, it feels really good. It's very special to be here playing in both categories. I'm really grateful and really happy.

I mean, I'm really looking forward to play a lot of matches this week. I hope I'm going to finish the season strong.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It's been such a whirlwind of a year for you. Have you thought about it, tried to put it into any kind of perspective, or do you wait for the off-season? How do you try to sum up the transformation you've gone through?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I would say it's really difficult to actually sum up this. I mean, the season was really, really long, and also very, very successful.

Right here, right now, I'm here in Guadalajara and I'm preparing for the WTA Finals, which, yeah, I would love to do well here. I think I'm just going to think about the rest at the end of the season, like during my off-season, what I was able to achieve.

Q. How do you feel physically at this stage of the season? Does it help you played doubles this late in the season in terms of being able to stay as fresh as you possibly can for such a big event?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I mean, I'm trying to stay fresh as much as I can. I try to adjust everything starting from practice, from the fitness, from everything, just to be ready and just to play well this week.

I mean, I'm not really sure how I feel because everything is a new experience for me. I've never been in this situation. I just hope, yeah, that I'll be ready. I will try to do my best, as always. Hopefully then it's just going to work out for me.

Q. Can you express your thoughts about the draw, especially tomorrow's opponent Kontaveit, how you should play against her?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I mean, we have here the top eight players from the season, so all the girls that are here, they've been having a very good season. I mean, the draw is tough, the group is very difficult, but I was just expecting it because it's the last tournament and it's the very prestigious tournament.

I mean, I have in my group Karolina there, I have Garbine, then I have Anett. Very, very difficult group. I'm just really looking forward to play all these girls because they are just amazing and they have really, really good results, just on top of the game right now.

I think it's really nice to be able to play against them and see where my level is right now. Yeah, my first match is going to be against Anett. I think we never actually played together. I mean, yeah, she's in a really good form. I didn't really have a time to actually talk with my coach about it, so I think we just going to do it tonight.

Yeah, that's it.

Q. You played more than a hundred matches this year in singles and doubles. You had some physical issues last week in Prague. Is everything okay with your leg, with your physical? Do you consider play less tournaments next season or less doubles?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, as of now as I'm here, I feel healthy, I feel good. My body is working well. I hope it's going to stay like that.

Regarding the next year, I mean, I actually didn't play that many tournaments. I've just been playing a lot of matches because I was just doing really well. I didn't expect it at the beginning of the season.

Yeah, I mean, I see next year how is going to look like, how I'm going to play, how I'm going to start, and I think I'm going to go from there.

Regarding doubles, I mean, I still want to play doubles as well because it's a lot of fun for me and I just really like to be on the court, to experience different opponents and also different matches. So I plan to play doubles as well.

With my partner, I think we want to play mainly the big tournaments. So, yeah, we see how I'm going to do and how we going to do the next year. I think I'm going to go from there.

Q. Playing Fed Cup, a lot of other players in the field for Guadalajara pulled out of Fed Cup. Why did you decide to continue on with that? How do you think that impacts you for this tournament?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I think -- I mean, I always wanted to play, like, home, represent home. Every time I have a chance to represent Czech Republic, yeah, I'm just not going to pull out from that. So for me was really like a decision from my heart that I want to represent my country and that I want to play this tournament and also play back home in Czech Republic in Prague in our biggest arena. I've been actually going there many, many times before, especially when the other girls, the generation before, like, Petra and Lucie, all these girls have been playing the finals and winning the trophy. For me, it was already back then something special. It was really, really motivational.

I just really wanted to have this experience and I really wanted to represent my country. When I found out it's going to be Billie Jean King Cup there, after it's going to be Guadalajara here, I had, like, no questions. I'm going to do both tournaments.

I know it's going to be really, really difficult, but that's what I wanted to do. I mean, I think the decision for me was good and I think it was coming from my heart. Yeah, I feel good about it.

Q. I think back to Paris, you were so shocked that you were in the final, that you won. Five months later are you surprised that you're sitting here or do you think this is where you should be right now, this is who you are as a tennis player?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I would say back then when I was playing in Paris, I would say imagining myself being here in five months, I would be really shocked and really surprised.

As of now when I'm here, I think I was just really working hard and I think I had a really, really good season, so I think I just deserve to be here. I think I deserve to play the best players right now.

I mean, I hope that in the future like where I am right now, it's going to be where I should be, that it's going to be my position, that that's where I want to see myself in the future.

I'm just really planning to keep going and really work hard again, just try to stay here and try to keep winning the matches, keep playing the best players.

Q. How much are you paying attention to what the rules are going to be in Australia in terms of quarantine?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I mean, can you tell me what rules are there or what's happening? I mean, I heard lot of things. I'm not really 100% sure what's right and what's not.

Right here, right now, I'm here playing Finals. Last week I played Billie Jean King Cup so I was quite busy. I wasn't really following these things.

What is it really about?

Q. There's talk about requiring unvaccinated players to quarantine for two weeks, if it's going to be required to enter the tournament or not. Still not finalized, but a lot of discussion. If your answer is that you're not paying attention to it yet, that's a fair answer. I wanted to know if you were thinking about it.

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I can just say that I'm really looking forward to play next in Australia because I really like it there (laughter).