ROLAND GARROS

May 24, 2022

Karolina Pliskova

Press Conference

K. PLISKOVA/T. Andrianjafitrimo

2-6, 6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How pleased are you to get a win here? It hasn't been the easiest year for you. But getting off to a good start after losing the first set, how does that feel?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: The first set was the feeling not the best set what I played this year, but even though, like, I didn't really start well, I think I finished quite okay, let's say. And then I think the other two sets were pretty much solid, both of them.

I was more like confident with my game from the baseline and just more pressure on her. She didn't really, like, do much. She was just there and, like, putting many balls back. But I think because I started the way I started, I just gave her the belief she can actually, like, beat me. But I just like felt the match when it was going I was playing better and better and feeling more confident out there and then I think the last set was the best set.

Q. A question off the court, if that's okay, about Wimbledon. Obviously you're the woman with the most points to lose.

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yes. (Laughing.)

Q. But I would ask your reaction to that, your initial reaction to the news.

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I mean, it's quite bad, especially for me because of course there is Barty but I don't think she's really going to miss the points. But, yeah, it is what it is.

I think it's super tough and unfair and bad decision, that's what I think. But I suppose there's not much you can do about it. I still want to go and compete there, that's for sure, because I'm not playing because of the points, not even because of the money. I just, of course, I want to win and I want to succeed and I want to maybe get the trophy because I was quite close last year.

But that doesn't change the thinking that I think it's completely wrong the decision, not even the one from Wimbledon, I think more the one from WTA. But as a player we had some calls, there have been like so many discussions about this. I think that it's like super tough to change the decision because this becomes it's about politics.

So I think players are too, not too small, but like the voice is not that big, I think, in this kind of situation to change something.

Q. You mentioned that you think it's sort of a wrong decision. Could you tell me a bit about the discussions you had and whether you feel you had enough opportunity to put your say across?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Look, I'm not really much involved in these players' calls, I'm not on the board. I know like some players are really like active. I'm not at all, but I said my opinion. I think they should keep at least 50 percent from the last year or all the points. Because, I mean, it was the same like when it was COVID, if there was no tournaments you kept the points for like one year or two years almost some players.

So I think this is just, they didn't really help to anybody. Like, I mean, they punished Wimbledon maybe. But I think most of the players, if you love the game you're still going to go and play. So I think they mainly punished the players, which I didn't quite get why this decision.

But yeah, I just said I thought it's maybe not the smartest decision, but maybe they thought the other way. As I said, this is like political. I suppose there was like many discussions and many calls and of course a huge pressure from all the sides, you know.

And this is not an easy situation. Of course, what is happening is not good for anybody, but I just don't see this help. You know, like they took away the points, I just don't see that it would help to somebody, you know? But that's just my personal opinion.

Q. And what do you think the consensus is among the players? Do you think a lot of people are unhappy with it, and especially for the low-ranked ones who are perhaps going for the money more than for particular points?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, of course the question is also going to be with the money because if they're going to cut the money as well, I mean, it's a question if like some of the top players going to play.

But I don't know. I don't really speak to many players, I don't know the opinion. I think many players, they also wanted to keep maybe the points from last year. But of course it's different if you, like, losing 1,000 points like me and if you lost in the first round, you don't really care. I would also not care that much if I lost in the first round last year and you're not losing anything, you're just going to have zero. You know, it's completely different situation.

So that's why also it depends like every player had a different idea about it. That's why I think it's tough because, look, we had a group of WhatsApp of chat like top 10 players and not even these 10 girls we could not agree on the same thing. So I mean, you know, then it's difficult to make a decision if, like, not even the players are even. And on one side, I mean, like some girls were for no points, some were for 50 percent, to keep just 50 percent from last year, some were for like all the points. So it is what it is.

Q. Denis came in before and kind of spoke about how he felt kind of more pressure here at the French Open because there's not going to be points at Wimbledon. Do you feel like that, like you'll need to do better now when there's so many points or not because there's not going to be points in Wimbledon?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Not at all. First of all, at my age I am not chasing the points. And even if my ranking is 50, my only goal at the moment is to win Grand Slam and to win trophies. So until I'm in the main draw of the tournaments, I don't really care about points. But of course you want to do well, and of course you don't want to be 50 on the ranking.

But I'm not really thinking about the points. I just feel like the decision is completely wrong. But it's not about like, look, I could still go out there and maybe lose in the first round and still losing all the points. But at least I would have a chance, you know, to do something about it.

But, like, no pressure about points here at the moment for me. I mean, there is a pressure, but not about like points and not about Wimbledon.

Q. You were just saying you think players are mostly still going to play. I know Naomi was saying yesterday that she might not play, she's very rankings motivated. Curious your thoughts on that and do you think most players will play?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, as I said before, I think if you love the game and if you love to play, you're going to play, no matter what. Of course I understand every player's situation if you're injured of course it's something different. If you don't have money to go it's something different.

But, I don't know, I mean, I think she's, she said she's not motivated to play without points, but I mean she's mainly not playing any tournaments so I don't think this is something to do with points.

So I think if you just want to be home, I mean of course this is a great moment to be home if there is no points, no money, it's a great month just to stay home. But it's not going to be my case. Plus I missed the beginning of the season, so no matter what's going to be at Wimbledon, I just want to play.

Q. On social media players are getting harassed, they are receiving lots and lot of messages after games whether they win or they lose.

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, also for me.

Q. So do you and how do you deal with it and what is your point of view about all this problem that is on the talk?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Of course I'm getting also a lot of messages, some of them I see, some of them not because there's so many that I just don't see all of them, but it's not something that I would really search for and just like read every message, definitely not. So I just maybe I notice couple messages.

But, look, what I think is we are like public persons, we are playing in front of people, most of the time we are sharing like on Instagram and all the social media, sharing what we want to share, and of course if you want to share something, of course there is a chance that people they can comment.

So you can always choose to not have Instagram and then you're not going to see any of these messages. So I think that you have to accept. Of course, most of the messages they are, you can't even take it seriously, you know, at least I don't.

Of course some of them they can like be maybe a bit more touching, but I think that's just, I mean the people are disappointed that you lost, maybe they bet on you or something, so of course like you need to accept that they're just going to write they're not going to say you're amazing like if you lost 6-2, 6-2.

But I think also it's a decision of us. Like if you want to share like, you know, pictures and like your life and then of course like people they just react on it. So I mean, it's quite normal. So I think we have to, I think some, okay, some messages are way beyond the border, but I think we have to somehow accept the criticism as well.

Q. But that's the problem, the ones that are beyond the limit, like death threats?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, okay, I mean everybody gets this. Everybody's different, but you just cannot take seriously, you know, that if you lose a match and somebody wants to kill you, I don't think anybody will kill somebody just for losing a match. So I think, at least me, I don't want to just, okay, maybe, maybe I hope not, sorry, but there is a chance that something will happen, but I don't think it never happened before and I don't think it will happen, so you just, or just don't read it or give your social media to somebody else and then you're not going to see all these messages.

But I think the problem of these times, that people they want to share like nice pictures and nice moments and happy moments and then of course when there are bad moments they just want to just like disappear.

So I think you either don't like share the happiness and then maybe you're not going to get these kind of messages or you can't just have only the good side, it's never going to work like this. So I think you need to accept it somehow.

Q. Like you said, that you have read and you read some of the messages, it doesn't like touch you psychologically or emotionally?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Depends. Of course like right after match, if you lose, I'm not going to go on Instagram and see all these messages, that's first thing. Of course you're enough like sad and disappointed that you lost, so why to see all of this.

So first like talk to your people and then maybe if you are going to open Instagram, just open it later, and I really, I don't go through all of these messages, okay, some of them maybe I see because it's impossible just to ignore everything. And who are these people? I don't even know these people, why should I take seriously somebody who doesn't even have the profile picture, you know?

So, I mean, I don't really, I mean maybe when I was younger, but now this is completely this is something what doesn't touch me at all.