AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2024

Barbora Krejcikova

Press Conference

B. KREJCIKOVA/M. Hontama

2-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Barbora, a great result today. A tough match. Just talk us through your thoughts on how you played and how your opponent played as well.

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, first of all, thank you. Yeah, it was a really difficult match. I was set down, break down. Tough one. I felt I wasn't really playing my best tennis, and I also felt she was playing really well.

I mean, I'm really happy with the way how I was able to turn around the second set, with the way how I switched my game. Yeah, I mean, I think the second set was maybe the key, and then I feel in the third definitely the break at 4-3 was the key to get the win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You talked about getting one match in Adelaide. I'm just wondering how you approached the offseason? Is there anything you were working on particularly?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I'm working on everything. I mean, I had a good offseason. I did a lot of fitness stuff. Maybe a little bit less tennis.

Yeah, but I feel like physically I feel well. I think I just need to play, yeah, more matches. Yeah, I'm really happy that today I was able to fight through and that I'm going to get another one. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Just in terms of managing your frustration throughout the match, it seemed like there were moments where you were just frustrated, and I was wondering whether it was frustration with yourself, frustrated with how well she was playing, decision-making, and how did you manage that so that?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Yeah, the frustration was there. It was a bit myself. Not really with the opponent because she can play well and maybe things will not go my way, but I felt that I can do better and that I can play much better tennis, and I wasn't showing it.

Yeah, I just wasn't really feeling well, and I just tried to find something how to get back on track.

Q. Were you not happy with your decision-making or execution? What was the challenge there?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I think a little bit of everything because, I don't know, I felt that I wasn't really getting that many free points from the first serve. I think I was going a lot for the second serve.

Then during the rallies, I felt that actually in the first set she was just more aggressive than I was, which I wasn't really happy with. Overall, it was just tough to find some good rhythm and some good game for me. Yeah, it was frustrating.

Q. In your opponent's side, this is her debut on the main draw Grand Slams, and I think you know very little about your opponent. How do you describe Mai, what kind of player she is and what is her strengths and what is her weakness point?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I remember this from my experience when I was playing somebody that was really high. You don't really have any expectations, and you just go and just play your best tennis and just try to get it for yourself. So I was thinking that she was pretty much doing that today.

I think she didn't really have any break or something, that she was just going for it and tried to hit her spots. Yeah, it was going for her for, like, one and a half sets.

She's very good overall player. She hits the ball. She's very fast. Yeah, I didn't know her much. Yeah, I was surprised with the level that she played for a set and a half.

Q. Generally speaking, how do you feel at the start of the 2024 season? Is it kind of same-old as 2023, 2022? Does it feel different? What's your sense at the moment?

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, I feel good. I feel very hungry. I really want to be there. I really want to fight. I really want to get the wins, and I really want to get back on track and perform well and get some good matches.

I believe I'm on a good way, and the plan is to just keep going and just keep trying to get better every day.

Q. If you could just talk a little bit about your team setup at the moment in terms of who you are working with these days and just generally.

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA: Well, the team setup is the same as what it was last year. So nothing really changed, and I think we had a really good preseason. We all working really hard to make me play well.