MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

April 1, 2023

Petra Kvitova

Press Conference

P. KVITOVA/E. Rybakina

7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Petra. An amazing run, an amazing match today. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match, particularly that first set.

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure the tiebreak was deciding today I think all the match. I think it was the longest one I ever played in my life, and it was like, yeah, if I didn't serve, I couldn't be there. I mean, I got like three aces at the beginning and it was really tough. I had a break like in the first set, and she break me back. It's nothing really easy to hanging out with Elena as I did today.

So I'm really happy, I'm very exhausted. Sorry, guys. But happy most of the time, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations. What would you like to tell to young people that see you as a reference and want to be in your shoes one day?

PETRA KVITOVA: What I gonna tell them?

Q. What would you want to tell them?

PETRA KVITOVA: Whew, that they have to really think if they want to be there (laughter).

No, I mean, if they really love tennis, it's the best, for sure. It's a beautiful sport. I love it, as well. It's really difficult, but if they really love it and stay in there and fighting for every point, that's probably the most important.

Q. What was it about Miami? You have won so many titles but never here. What was it about here? Was it the heat here? Why didn't you ever win it here?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, definitely it's not the heat. I hate it. Who knows, right?

No, I think I played already very well in Indian Wells, and I just kept going here, trying to focus on every match. I had very good opponents during the tournament, which Elena is as well, for sure.

I think that the serve really helped me, a little bit faster courts here with the faster balls, which I think suits my game.

Q. I saw you coughing a little bit at the beginning. Was it something, did you feel, something serious?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I'm a little bit coughing, and I think I'm losing my voice, as well. I think it's from all the screaming I did during the tournament on the court.

Yeah, now I probably, after this press conference, I should stop talking (smiling).

Q. You mentioned yesterday about all the sort of ups and downs in your career. As you look back on it, what has pulled you through all of those ups and downs, especially I guess the downs? Ups are probably pretty easy. And what kept you coming back? I know you said you loved the game, but seems like a lot of people love the game but not everybody...

PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, definitely, you're right. Well, even after ups it's tough to get back to work, I would say. The downs make you really feel sad, and you just want to like kick it and just do better. So that's why probably you just go to the court and trying to be better player every time you're on the court.

Yeah, I love the game, as you mentioned, but I think is the motivation to do something better, and because I had a lot of ups, as well, that's always been the motivation to have them again.

I think this is the best feeling what you can have, winning a final as I did today. That's I love the most, the winning feeling of it.

Q. Yesterday you said, and when you were getting the prize, you said that you appreciated the Czech support, that you heard Czech yesterday. You know the prize is also made from Czech? It's a Czech company.

PETRA KVITOVA: Glosswood (phonetic), right?

Q. Yes. So it's a Czech night tonight in Miami.

PETRA KVITOVA: That's nice, yeah. Well, I saw the sponsor already on the billboards. It's nice that I can have one at home, for sure.

I saw the Czech flags again, hearing a lot of Czechs, as well. It's very nice that even in Miami we have a lot of Czechs (smiling).

Q. When you play the game itself, and you obviously are on that tennis court yourself playing against obviously your opponent, what is your mindset? Obviously you mentioned highs and lows through your career, but can you maybe go into detail a little bit about what your mindset when you're on there? Are you able to just obviously take things off your mind off the court?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think that like globally it's about the mental side of it, which I know that I have to play aggressive because if I don't, then I'm always the second player on the court, which we showed it as well today, especially in the tiebreak when Elena was just going a little bit more for it, I think, in those important moments.

I was just (indiscernible) behind, which after a few points I told myself that I have to little bit go more for it to take it, not to wait if she mess up now, but just go for it and try to push her a little bit more, which in the end, I did. In the beginning of the second set, as well.

You know, it's a lot of talking in the mind all the time. When you're serving, when you're returning, where she gonna serve, where I should cover it, what I gonna do.

I think when you don't play between the points, that's the most talking you'll have in your mind. When you play you can't really talk that much. And it's a lot of time off when the mind is just playing the game.

Q. You touched on that first-set tiebreak, but what was it like playing that tiebreak? You said it's the longest, probably the longest of this year so far, but can you put into words as it kept on going back and forth, the advantage, what that was like? How important is this result, do you think, going to be for the next few months, considering this is your biggest title in five years?

PETRA KVITOVA: Hmm. Okay. Yeah, so before our final I read yesterday that Elena didn't lose a tiebreak yet this season. So, you know, I had a break up. I was like, Okay, good. I gonna serve it out.

And boom, it was a tiebreak. I was like, Oh, very nice. What are you gonna do now? But I was telling myself that she has to lose at some point one tiebreak in the season.

So I was gonna try. Then I got three aces, three points on her serve. I was, like, It will be now probably easy, which wasn't right.

I was really like mad match, I would say, especially the tiebreak, I would say. It was like one mini break and then other one and we just kept going on the serves. I mean, I totally lost the control of who is serving, who is not, when we are changing the sides and so on.

I was just, as I mentioned, I was a little bit passive in the tiebreak in the end, I think, and that's why I have to tell myself to go a little bit forward for it to take it, as me, as Petra playing aggressive to take it and not to wait for the missing, which she didn't miss. Yeah, in the end, luckily, but it was really the hardest tiebreak I played probably.

The other question, I have no idea what this will do in the season. I'm just happy that I won it from nothing, I would say. Actually, I think I'm playing pretty good tennis starting the year, but, you know, didn't go really deep in the tournament. Finally I have it.

I think I just take it very positively that I can still compete with the best. You know, the clay is waiting and then it's grass. The tennis world is just very fast, and I can't really stand there and be watching this trophy all the time, but I have to move forward, of course, as everybody would. It means a lot for me that even in my age I can still win a big tournament. That's the biggest thing.

Q. I'm glad you mentioned the age then. I like to be a gentleman.

PETRA KVITOVA: Thank you.

Q. But when people do say in sport all the time that experience is an advantage, wondering, having that 10, 11 years on her, was that a factor at all today? Do you think you were at certain moments use your experience there? Does it give you a little bit of extra pride to beat someone who is like one of the young stars?

PETRA KVITOVA: I think the experience today played a good role in my mind, to be honest. I played so many finals. I know I can play well in the final no matter who I'm facing. So that's I think mentally was very important for me to know that from all experience.

Yeah, of course this means a lot. The young ones are coming up all the time. It's tough to really face them all the time (smiling). It's very tiring.

Elena is young, as well. So, yeah, it's still tough to compete, of course, with all of them. But it was nice to play Sorana yesterday. We know each other so many years, so it's great.

Q. You said that as you get older and more experienced you enjoy the happiness after the tournament better. You also said that you have that goal to win one tournament a year, so you're done.

PETRA KVITOVA: At least, at least (smiling).

Q. So what are you going to win next?

PETRA KVITOVA: Well, yeah, what I gonna win next, you said? Well, who knows, right? I already win one, so I'm very happy right now, of course, but yeah, the happiness is always after the tournament, after winning a title, of course, because when you are still in the tournament, you're still focusing on the next one, the next one.

Yeah, sometimes you are that exhausted that you are even can't enjoy the moment of winning and be happy. So hopefully it will be different story today, and who knows what will be next.