AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2023

Karolina Pliskova

Press Conference

K. PLISKOVA/Y. Putintseva

6-0, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Karolina, congratulations on reaching the third round. Can you give us your thoughts on the match, how you did?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I thought obviously there was a little bit complication in the second set. But I thought I started really well. Second half I was much better player. Of course, the conditions were not easy with the wind and everything.

Just happy that I managed to finish it in two sets.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel like you're playing here in Melbourne? What is working well for you?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, I mean, I had, I don't want to say, two easy matches, but let's say easier, two-setters. Today was a little bit more tricky than the first one. Basically one indoor, one outdoor, in a quite big wind. A bit of everything.

I think I've been serving well. Even overall I've been feeling quite well even from the baseline. Also the matches which I played in Adelaide, I thought the level was quite there.

Okay, not going to happen that you win every match, but just overall my feeling is quite good on the court.

Here, it can be fast. I think it can be good for me.

Q. Do you sense the conditions being any different this year in terms of how the ball is flying off the racquet, moving through the air?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I mean, I thought actually these two weeks in Adelaide, they were super fast. I was surprised. I thought maybe it was going to be a little bit slower.

I think maybe here it is a little bit slower than in Adelaide. But still I think it's quite fast. But I was not here last year, so I don't really know with what to compare. The year before was a weird year because was COVID. The last two years, I don't really have, like, any feeling about this court, so tough to say.

Usually I felt like it was quite fast the last couple years here. Then, of course, if you can have a warm day, then it's even, like, faster. The balls, they fly quite a lot. And even in this wind, I think it can fly, like, quite a lot through the air.

But honestly, I think it can be good for me. Of course, if I play well, it's quite fast.

Q. You have a really strong record against Yulia. What do you chalk that up to? Because your game styles are so different.

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I've played her couple times. Many times I think was close matches, like some three-setters. I think I like a little bit when I have time for my game, which she kind of gives me that time because she plays a bit different game. I have time to choose my shots, go for my shots, run around, play more forehands than I would normally play.

Of course, there's no pressure from the serve from her. I think the game somehow suits me.

Q. What was it like having to play through qualifying in Adelaide?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, it was a good experience (smiling). We Googled with Sascha when was the last time when I was in quallies. I think it was 2013 or '14. It's been many years.

The situation is what it is. The tournament was incredibly strong. I was actually, like, feeling okay. I was happy to just get some matches. So the goal was not to win the tournament, just to qualify. This was not the goal.

The goal was to win maybe couple matches, then to move to here, which happened. In the end, I think sometimes, I mean, okay, not that I want to be in quallies, but sometimes if you're not seeded in the main draw, you have this strong tournament that was there, you can have Sabalenka in the first round, she can be on fire, you just don't get any feeling, any matches.

Yeah, it worked. I won two good matches with top-50 players which normally would be like main draw, yeah. But it was a bit weird (smiling).