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AEGON INTERNATIONALJune 18, 2012Petra KvitovaEASTBOURNE, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Must be a nice feeling to be back on the grass again. PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I really like to play on the grass. My game really translates well on the grass. Yeah, I'm using my left serve and my aggressive tennis. Yeah, it's very good to be back. Q. What are your strongest memories from Wimbledon last year? What stands out? PETRA KVITOVA: I mean, for sure it's the winning point and the trophy in my hands for sure, yeah. Q. How has your life changed since the events of last July? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I mean, a lot, because it never be like before the Wimbledon, and it was a really big bomb in the Czech Republic. I had a lot of media stuff and sponsor things. Yeah, as a player, there are more expectation more on me. Everybody is watching, and I feel more pressure than before, but, yeah, I think that it's good, for sure. Q. What's the best thing about being Wimbledon champion over the last year? What have you been able to do? What doors have opened for you? PETRA KVITOVA: I think that, you know, if you win a first Grand Slam, it's very special for you. For me, same. So, I mean, it was very important to know that you can win like seven matches in a row in biggest tournament and have a trophy at home. Q. Must have been very special afterwards when you were able to walk around the grounds with another former Czech champion. PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure. I feel goosebumps again when I go through to the gate, and it will be very nice to step on the Centre Court again like from year ago. Q. Is there extra pressure now, people expecting you to perform there? Last year you were kind of under the radar. PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I think that the pressure is there, for sure. I mean, you know, without pressure it's boring to play tennis for me. So I'm really glad to be back and try my best, as always, because when I go onto the court, I will not thinking about the pressure, I hope. Q. So you're Wimbledon champion but there are always things you're working on. What are you working on? What would you most like to improve in your game? PETRA KVITOVA: I have to say that everything. I have a lot of space to improve. I mean, with my serve and with my fitness and with tactics, too. So it's lots of things I can improve. It's good for us with the coach. Q. Because it gives him something to do? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure. Q. Do you feel it's more difficult to defend a title than to win it? PETRA KVITOVA: I think that defending title, it's worse. It's more tougher, I think. Q. Why? PETRA KVITOVA: Because I think that, you know, in the first time it's not expectation on you when you're gonna just play. I mean, the first Grand Slam is tough to win, for sure, but it's not like the people expecting what you can win. I mean, every tournament we are playing, maybe we are defending some points, but the Grand Slam is more tougher. Q. You said you've still got lots to learn from the mental side of game. Might seem strange from a Grand Slam champion that they have these insecurities in their mind still. Is that fair? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I mean, I'm still working on my mental side, too. I have also a lot of space to improve in my mental. I mean, every tournament and every season it's tough for us. We have to learn something else, something more about the mentally what we are thinking about, the tennis, and on the court and off the court. Q. Are you enjoying Eastbourne? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure. I really glad to be back after one year, and I played so well last year, so I hope that I can play same way as last year. Yeah, today it's much nicer than days before without wind. So, yeah, I like it very much. Q. What about your game do you think really suits, you know, sort of goes well on grass? What particularly? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I mean, how I said already, it's my lefty serve. I think it's big advantage. I really like to play aggressive tennis. So, I mean, this is very good to play like flat shots and play aggressive and go for the volleys. Q. What do you think the main challenge for your title will come from? The normal, usual suspects, the Williams sisters? PETRA KVITOVA: Well, I'm not thinking about the other players. I mean, it's a lot of us who can play very well on the grass. I mean, it's very open. I mean, the Williams and Maria, Vika played so well. So, I mean, it will be very tough to have a same result as last year. Q. When you talk about pressure and the pressure that you feel, is that pressure you put on yourself that you feel, or do you feel it like from the outside because of press conferences or, you know, newspaper articles and things like that? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think that the pressure, it's come like from the people around me, you know, from the really close people, as in my coaches or in my family. But I think the people, the fans, there is expectation a lot from me. And actually I really try to have a space from the pressure. I have a tournament here, and then it's Wimbledon. So I have still time to prepare more. I think that, you know, I added some pressure before in the US Open when I play after Wimbledon, and so I hope that I know how I doing with this. Q. Have you been to any other areas of Eastbourne? PETRA KVITOVA: Actually, we have a restaurant here nearby the hotel, but it's everything what I saw. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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