US OPEN

September 7, 2022

Karolina Pliskova

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/Ka. Pliskova

6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Tough luck today. What do you think made the difference today? How do you reflect on your tournament as a whole?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, for sure the beginning of the match because I just gave her too much, and somehow I just could not somehow get in the match.

I was not playing at all the way I was playing the last couple of matches, especially the last one with Azarenka, which I think was nowhere close to that. Of course, it's what the player also like, you know, like gives you, and she didn't give me much. Plus she was playing super-aggressive, serving amazing today. I think I never play her in this kind of shape.

I guess there are days like this when you know she's playing amazing, I'm not playing the best, not serving the best at all today. Just somehow couldn't feel really the court. I was a bit lost out there.

But still I thought I at least gave myself a chance to fight in the second set. I thought it could actually go, although she was still a bit better, that it could go both ways, because tiebreak is always, like, a bit risky.

But all credit to her, and I think overall was good tournament for me overall. These tournaments in America I thought I played again like much better tennis than throughout the beginning of the year and the middle part. Hopefully I'm on the right way and I can continue to play like I was playing here.

Q. You had a very long prior match. Did you feel any lingering effects from that?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, of course you don't feel 100% fresh, but I had a day off. I did the best to recover. I don't think that was the case, how the match was going today.

Maybe I was a bit slower today, but I don't think that was because of my last match.

Q. Seemed like a big mental relief for you that you were able to get that win over Vika and get into a quarterfinal of a slam. Did that impact your intensity early on?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, I thought I had really all the matches were quite close, quite tough, also emotionally. Physically I think I'm quite good, so I would not really think that was the case.

Maybe a bit nervous today for some reason, also first time for me in this tournament to play on this court. I actually never played on the same court twice, so every match was different court. Somehow I just could not get that feeling of big court, quite noisy.

I mean, I've played there before, but the feeling was not great in the beginning. Plus she's playing the way she is, so there is not much and not many rallies where you can actually like catch and where you can get in that better feeling.

She was serving amazing. There was not really many chances how I could start to play better. Overall there was couple chances, not many, couple.

Yeah, I thought the tournament was quite good from my side.

Q. Second year in a row where you have gotten a player playing phenomenal tennis in the quarterfinals of this tournament. Is there anything next time you will try to change in your preparation or just bad luck?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, it's quarterfinals, so you expect to play players they are going to play the best tennis. She struggled for couple matches, and I think if she's playing like better or let's say, you know, top player, for sure she's playing maybe a bit better because she has nothing to lose.

That's the same with everybody. I don't think there is any connection from the last year's match to this match. I think the players were completely different.

But of course like still even Sakkari last year and Sabalenka this year, they have been playing incredible matches. If it's like this, there is not much I can do. I can play better, for sure, which I could definitely do today. On the other hand, I think she didn't really give me much and there was not many chances for me.

Q. Just looking ahead, how much do you want to play for the rest of the season? How much do you want to already start maybe focusing for preparing for next year?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I want to play. I want to play. I mean, I missed like basically first half of the year. I missed completely some tournaments, and then the ones I was playing I was somehow not really there.

I want to play whatever is there. There is also not many tournaments left. The schedule is a bit crazy. Let's see what I can do. For now the plan is to play Tokyo and then in Ostrava. Then of course I'm going to see how my body feels and how everything is. Physically I'm okay. Mentally as well.

So I want to play.