WTA FINALS

November 12, 2021

Karolina Pliskova

Press Conference

A. KONTAVEIT/K. Pliskova

6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Karolina, can you just give us your thoughts on how you felt the match went today.

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, difficult of course. I think couple chances the first set, but really like both combination of her playing well on my chances and me not really playing the best points on it. Somehow unlucky the last game of the first set.

I thought she just didn't really miss and she was playing incredible tonight, so there wasn't much I could do.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After the first set, ending the way it did for you, was it just about Anett in the second set in terms of her raising her level or was there something you could have done or executed better that would have made a difference?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I feel like on days like this, when clearly she's playing well, not only I guess today, I think she's playing well the last couple months or weeks. If you're just staying close to her, the moment she makes the first set, which was pretty close. I felt like I had more chances than she did the first set. Couple breakpoints early. Then the last game was just, like, somehow so unlucky. I didn't really miss anything. Of course, the let. So just unlucky ending by the first set.

I just thought she went for it, like full power. She hit I don't know how many winners the second set. Super deep balls she played. There was not much I could do. I wasn't really, like, that disappointed after the first set. I was ready to somehow stay in there. Yeah, didn't really go my way at all.

Q. According to your opinion, is Anett Kontaveit the first favorite of the title in Guadalajara? What will be your plan against Barbora in your next match?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I don't know if she's favorite. Of course, now she's probably on to the semifinals. Of course, she has a big chance because there is only two more matches to go. I think she's really playing well now at the moment. So for sure she's going to have a chance depending on who she will face. I don't know the head-to-heads there with the other players.

With Barbora, I only have like one plan: I just want to play my game, play aggressive, just leave it all out there. Probably it's going to be like either you just continue or leave the tournament, as usual (smiling). We are used to playing like this. It can be my last match here. I just want to give it everything.

Q. How does it affect you mentally when you face a player like Anett with such a great run, 11 wins in a row? Does it affect you somehow?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, it doesn't because I know, like, at some point you have to lose. Before the match I was not really thinking about it. Of course, I beat her a couple times, so I knew about her game.

Of course, you can see she's confident. I'm sure she's lucky at some times, but of course she's playing great tennis right now. Sometimes I think when you are on this kind of streak of winning matches, you don't really thinking what to do, how to do, what happens if you play like this. I think she's just really not thinking much, playing great tennis overall, for sure with a lot of confidence.

But to me, it was not about like if she's playing well or not. I was playing normal and she was just playing extremely well today, so that was the case.

Q. Which will be the strategies for the next match with Barbora?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: We played couple times, but I think it's many years ago. Of course, nothing compared to the level what she's playing right now. I always knew she was a good player. She had always great shots, great touch.

Of course, now we're playing, we're different. If you are No. 100, if you're No. 3 in the world, of course you have better self-belief. I'm sure she's more confident right now than she was before.

But I know her game. I know she's going to try to attack and play aggressive, maybe come to the net because of course she's great in doubles.

I just hope to hold my serve, to serve well. Hopefully the serve can help me get a lot of points. I'm sure I'm better at that stage. Then I feel like for sure there's going to be chances.

Q. With two matches under your belt, both night session and day session, there were a lot of questions about what would be the best way to play in these conditions. What do you think is the best way? What is a successful strategy?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: To be honest, I don't really know. Like I don't really have the choice to run and play high balls. Maybe some players, they have a choices, but I don't. I don't even want a choice. I just want to play my game and my plan. The plan is just to attack. I feel like even if you attack, of course maybe you miss a bit more, but I feel like it's trouble for the opponents because then they also miss more.

Of course, I also have to say super tough to play one day super late, another day quite early in the day. It's completely like two different matches. That's something what I think at this tournament should be maybe more like equal. Always is going to be for somebody like that. Always somebody's going to have maybe like similar matches, then the other one is going to play completely different matches.

I think the conditions are very different compared to day and night. I think I was struggling a bit. The bounces were much higher today than obviously when it's 15 degrees less in the evening. I don't think there's any ideal plan for these conditions.