AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 29, 2023

Barbora Krejcikova

Katerina Siniakova

Press Conference

KREJCIKOVA-SINIAKOVA/Aoyama-Shibahara

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on your seventh doubles title, Grand Slam, together. Your opponents in the press conference talked about your experience being something that troubled them. Is that something you feel is really important for both of you now, your experience on court?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I think it's definitely advantage to be experienced and to have so many finals behind us and also so many successful finals behind us.

So definitely, yeah, it's a big advantage for us.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In terms of experience, where do you feel the experience? What is the difference between when you played your first major final compared to now?

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: I would say the nerves. I mean, you are, anyway doesn't matter which match it is, you are nervous. But final of the Grand Slam, it feels different anyway.

If you were thinking about our first Grand Slam final, yeah, I was totally nervous. I would say this.

But anyway, even if we had so many finals, I mean, you just try to think about it, that it's another match. You just feel confident.

I mean, I was nervous. It doesn't matter if it's fifth or seventh, I don't know. It's different. It just feel different, yeah.

Q. Barbora, last night you were watching the women's singles match. Maybe you were not cheering for a specific player. What brought you there? Did you get any good inspiration from that match?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I definitely wanted to watch it. It's a women's Grand Slam final. I felt it's going to be a really special match. And it was.

I think both girls, they played amazing tennis. It was really up and down. There were so many situations where things could turn around for one or another side.

I mean, I really enjoyed it. I love to watch tennis. I mean, I had nothing better to do on Saturday night. I'm still here. I'm still in the competition.

I like going and watching matches. Just, yeah, maybe get inspired as well. So, yeah, I mean, it was a great match. I mean, huge congratulations to Aryna for becoming a slam champion.

I mean, yeah, we had a little conversation together. A couple years ago we played finals in doubles on the Rod Laver. We lost that one. I mean, after that, she said she's not going to play because she wants to focus to win a singles major.

I'm really happy for her that she made it because I know how hard it is. I know how much hard work you have to put into. I know her and her team. They do it.

I'm really happy for her. I mean, also for Elena. Yeah, like, I'm sorry, but she try her best. She played great, great match. She's already a slam champion.

Yeah, it was a really, really nice match, and I really enjoyed it.

Q. What does it mean to win number seven, to not have lost a slam match since US Open 2021, and to be on this streak you have going?

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: It's wow (smiling). I mean, it means a lot. I'm real excited to have this trophy again. To look, like, back, what we achieved last few months, it's amazing. I'm really proud and we playing great. The team spirit is working because it's tough.

I'm really, really happy. Just happy.

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I have to say it's a lot of, like, hard work behind it. Yeah, so many practices. I remember many matches that we got really close. Couple times we were to the semifinals at other slams, and we weren't just able to get through.

I think with the experience and with everything, as the teams are changing, some teams are not playing anymore or they're retiring, just generation is changing, as well.

I'm really happy as part of this tennis generation we are trying to be the best ones. We are quite successful. I'm really happy with that and I'm honored.

Q. Barbora, in the speech, you gave your opponents very good words, compliment. Why did you feel you said they are very happy and humble? Where did you feel that way?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Because they are. Because they are. I see them during the year. I mean, I see them here every single day. They're just so polite all the time. I feel all the Japanese people, I mean, they're polite like this, they're very thankful and grateful for everything. They just have a different mentality than I think, I don't know, maybe than us (smiling).

Girls, every time I see them, they are happy, they smile, they say "hello," they say "please," "thank you." Just very well-behaved.

I mean, it's a great time to be around them because, as I said, like I see Shuko, the speech she gave today. She was so emotional. She was just so happy, even that she lost, she was there and she got her opportunity.

I mean, in a certain way I feel sorry for her, that she wasn't able to get the title. But, yeah, I mean, I believe -- well, no. I don't want to say it (laughter). She's going to get it at some point, because I don't want that. I want us to win.

Definitely, I mean, she has a huge potential and she's a really good doubles player.

Q. For both of you to have the success you've had consistently at the slams, how important do you feel it is to elevate the doubles game the way you have, historically it has helped doubles to have consistent champions? Do you feel it helps that side of the sport to have a dominant team?

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: It would be nice, but I think it's not just in our hands. I mean, we trying to show our best. We doing what we love. We are just so happy that we having the titles.

But, I mean, someone needs to also help us to kind of, like, show the doubles is also interesting, that lot of players playing it, and it's just different. Even if it's hard to say because I feel that I'm really good doubles player, I'm world No. 1, but I don't feel any 'wow' when I'm here. I don't have courts for practices. I need to go to somewhere else because it's just doubles.

I think I do the same work what the singles players does. I mean, I have a team. I practice every day. I work hard. So I'm really honored that I have the trophy, even when I'm like walking around I don't feel so much pressure that everyone looking me.

It would be really nice that someone would, I don't know, show more doubles, more the team, the teams who are playing more often, just promote them.

Q. Are you gunning for the non-calendar Grand Slam? Paris? Is that a specific goal for the year?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: I think for me, no. I think we have to focus on the next one. We both are going to go playing singles right now to try to improve in singles. At some point we going to play another tournament together. We going to focus just tournament by tournament.

I mean, then, yeah, we will see what the future's going to bring us.