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CHINA OPEN

October 9, 2011

Andrea Petkovic

BEIJING, CHINA

A. RADWANSKA/A. Petkovic
7-5, 0-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How bad was your injury on the knee? How did you make it to come back in the second set?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: It was nothing serious. I injured my knee in Cincinnati this year, and I had surgery three years ago on the right knew, so it's a weak point.
I took some days off after the US Open to get it back in shape again and I thought it was fine. Actually it is fine. I didn't feel anything. It's just blocked some times, and it blocked the 4-3. So I was really scared, and it was kind of a scary moment for me.
But everything was fine. After three or four minutes I realized that everything was fine. I was just really scared in this moment that something might have happened. But it was fine.

Q. So that was really kind of an epic match going on two and a half hours. Is that unusual for you with the long, long rallies and that sort of play?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: For me or between the two of us? Well, between me and Agnieszka, we always have long matches. Even when it goes two sets we always play very long rallies and always play good matches. So I expected a really tough match.
Yeah, I think all in all, in two or three days when the disappointment settles a little bit I think I'll be able to look at it as a really great match and great entertainment for the people. So I think it was good from this point.
I think, yeah, it was a really good match. She beat me now five times. I really have to turn around this head to head I hope soon.

Q. You keep attacking her second serve and you succeed. Is that you always did that before your competition?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, my return is one of my best strokes definitely. I just have the right timing and I have a good reaction. I just feel very confident on that stroke. Unfortunately, I take a lot of risk in the return, and that can put a lot pressure on the opponent.
But it can also sometimes, you know, cause unforced errors, which at 4-3 when I was I think 15-30 I had an easy second serve that I missed. So that's the down side.
But on the other hand, I know that when I start pushing and try to put it in I start to miss even more. So it's a thin line on my returns between being aggressive and effective and still staying with a few unforced errors as possible.
I think all in all I didn't miss a lot, but I missed two important returns on a second serve. So has to improve next time or I will hit my head. (Smiling.)

Q. Can you also talk about the match? Seemed that it takes more time in your service games than hers. Can you analyze what this happens?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: What do you mean exactly?

Q. In your service games it takes more times than hers.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Okay. I didn't know that. Well, you know, I think all in all, the match with Agnieszka, we always have great matches because it's really interesting to see. I'm the one who's trying to attack her and she's the one who's one of the best defense players at tour.
And on the other hand, she's not that defensive as somebody might thing. As soon as you give her a short ball she's there and attacking and going for it and coming into the net. She is one of best return players. She returns very early, she takes the ball early, and she plays very deep into the court.
So normally when I serve, I have the next shot -- most of the time I have a short shot so I can attack it and dominate the rallies. With Agnieszka I don't have that so much, so it's always very tough and interesting.
Actually I love playing her. I just want to beat her one day. (Smiling.)

Q. (Through translation.) During the break between games, we see that your coach came to you. Did he say anything about your performance, give any instructions?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, well my coach, he was just really positive and he kept motivating me and telling me, You're playing great; just keep doing what you're doing. He told me especially to move around the backhand on the second serve. He said that she felt a lot of pressure on her second serve when I was moving around because she couldn't guess where I was going with my forehand.
Yeah, just trying to run around the backhand and keep her guessing. Because with the forehand I have both angles and more angles to play, but Agnieszka takes the ball really, really early and she plays so deep that it's not so easy to run around the backhand.
But he was really positive. He helped me a lot. I think after I was down 4-1 in the second set [sic], he came out and really helped me, and I almost turned around the set. So, yeah, he's always positive. I'm very lucky to have a great team around me.

Q. It was certainly an entertaining match and the crowd really got their money's worth. Can you just describe what the conditions were like, the atmosphere, and also the humidity and peculiar weather. Did that affect your performance at all?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Oh, I really enjoyed the match today. Before, I was a little unlucky with the scheduling. I always played -- I was always night match and I always had incredible long matches before me. So.
I didn't go out on court I think before 10:00 in the last matches which actually was an advantage for me today because I was used to playing the night matches.
But what was bad about it, there was almost nobody there anymore every time I played because it was just so late. I wouldn't stay that late either. So for me today -- yesterday was already nice, but today was such a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed it.
Especially in the first set we had incredible rallies, and I think we both died a little bit after the first set because we were running so much, both of us.
It was really, really, really nice feeling to play out there and the people getting into the match and getting involved. It was really nice. Just wasn't a happy ending, unfortunately.

Q. Talk about your future plans in the coming weeks.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: About my future?

Q. Yes, to play tournaments.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I'm going to -- I play Linz now and Luxembourg, and hopefully the Championships. I don't know. Yeah, that's my schedule. If I don't get into the Championships by the end of the year, I will probably go to Bali. Because I won in Strasbourg, so I still have the option to go it Bali.
Then I take two weeks off and I don't do anything and lie in my bed and hope I die. (Smiling.)

Q. (Through translation.) In your palm there are some words. Are they encouraging words?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, they are gone now. It's just some mental stuff that I put down. Just, Stay tough; stay calm, and play the next point. Which doesn't really help sometimes.
But when I remember and when I look at my left palm and I see the words I always calm down, because I know that's the only way to become a champion one day, if you keep your mental stuff together.
I'm still struggling with that a little bit. I am improving a lot, but I have to be much, much better in this part of my game. That's a way of trying to improve.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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