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FEDCUP FINALS: CZECH REPUBLIC v RUSSIA

November 4, 2011

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

THE MODERATOR: Please take your seats and we begin our press conference with the Czech team. We take questions from the Russian press and from the Czech press.

Q. I have got a few questions, one for the captain and one for Petra Kvitova, basically both the same. Were you surprised that Zvonareva is not playing? Were you surprised?
CAPTAIN PALA: I couldn't hear you.

Q. Obviously you heard that she's had some shoulder injury, but were you surprised that...
CAPTAIN PALA: Well, I'm not surprised if she had some problems and she couldn't play 100%, so I'm not surprised that she was taken out from the team, because Russian team is very strong and they have so many players. Obviously it's normal that they want to have all players at 100% on the team.

Q. I want to change my question to Petra. Do you think now it will be a bit easier to beat Russia without Zvonareva?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't think so. I think that they are still strong, very strong, and I think that it's still open and it's going to be like 50/50.

Q. (Through translation.) You have a very nice tennis uniform and you have very nice earrings representing the coat of arms of the Czech Republic. Who had that idea of putting on these earrings?
PETRA KVITOVA: We all.

Q. (Through translation.) We want to hear Kveta and the captain speak some Russian. Who else is speaking some Russian other Petr Pala and...
CAPTAIN PALA: I forgot I had five years of school.
THE TRANSLATOR: You speak some Russian and Kveta? Who else is speaking Russian?
CAPTAIN PALA: I can speak some Russian and she can read.
PETRA KVITOVA: (Speaking Russian.) (Laughter.)

Q. (Through translation.) Could you make a commentary on the outcome of the draw ceremony? How good it is for your team to have Petra Kvitova, the leader of the team, to play the first rubber?
CAPTAIN PALA: Well, the draw was nice, but who's playing first I wouldn't put some that it's better for us or worse for the Russians. It's the way it is, and we were not speculating about who was going to start and who was going to play second.
We have to take it the way it is, and that's it.

Q. (Through translation.) Did you expect that Pavlyuchenkova would not be nominated as a singles player? And do you think she still might be playing a singles match?
CAPTAIN PALA: Well, again, they have a good team, they have so many good players, and it's their way how they want to play.
And again, I don't want to speculate. So they could put any of the players. I can expect her to play on the second day. That's not surprised. We were not thinking about it much. We just were waiting for the draw and who's going to play.

Q. (Through translation.) Petra, do you look at the head-to-heads prior to a match? Like, for example, Maria Kirilenko is leading you head to head. She won but it was a while ago. Are you looking at the head-to-heads before a match?
PETRA KVITOVA: Well, when we play each other it's really quite a long time, and she and me, we improved in everything in the game, so I think that it would be new game. And.
Is the Fed Cup, so is different compared the tournament. So I think it's, will be our first match. If anything, she has some advantage that she won.

Q. (Through translation.) Petra, you must be tired because you've had a great season but a very long one. So what is your other motivation other than sheer patriotism, which pushes you to play for the Fed Cup team? How could you assess your form, your shape, like in percentage? Are you on top of your game now, or are you a bit tired?
PETRA KVITOVA: I mean, I had -- I mean, big motivation. Not only me but all our team. And we want to win this beautiful cup for us. This is big motivation, and I will play for 100% for sure. And actually, I'm not tired for the tie.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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