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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 25, 2013Petra KvitovaISTANBUL, TURKEY P. KVITOVA/A. Kerber THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Obviously a tough match, but it seemed like you are pretty comfortable in three sets as we know all year. Did you feel the whole time like the third set is coming, it will be fine? PETRA KVITOVA: I wasn't that positive, how you said, but I was leading in the first set, but then I lost unfortunately in a tiebreak. The beginning of the second set was really tough. She had a lot of chances. I just tried to play my game, play some winners, and go for the net but still fighting, and I was still believing that I can play third set what I did a lot this year. So I was all ready mentally for the third. Q.  You had 27 winners from your forehand, so I guess that was one of the keys to the victory, no? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for sure. I was trying to ‑‑I know Angie is moving very well. She catch a lot of balls. I know that I need to play more forehands down the line and going for the net, for the winners, for the final shot of the volley. So that was the key. Q. So net, I think you were what, 27 of 30 or something like that? Talk a little bit more about just your confidence level moving forward to the net. PETRA KVITOVA: The opponent, when she's moving quite far from the basing line, it's quite tough to have winners from the normal, shots from the basing line, so that's why I try to go more often for the volleys and just prepare some shots and then go for the net. Q. What do you chalk up to, you know, your strong run of form after the US Open? You know, I think you've lost one, two matches since the US Open, so is it fitness, is it confidence? Seems like you're hitting all your shots very well right now. PETRA KVITOVA: We start practice with new fitness coach after the US Open. We had like 14 days of hard work, so I think that it shows on the court. But actually I don't think that it's coming that soon in Asia already. I thought maybe it's going to be like for the next season was our goal. But, yeah, I felt very confident on the court when I played in Tokyo, which was better, and I played two matches in one day, so I thought that it's going to be tough but I did quite well. Maybe from those matches I was believing in myself more and tried to play more aggressive than I played before. Q. Talking about the fitness work that you did, does that translate into better footwork for you or speed or strength or the ability to get through these back‑to‑back three‑set matches or things like that? What are you seeing as the benefit of the work you do? PETRA KVITOVA: I think it's more about the speed, to be fast on the court and catch a little bit more balls, and I don't think that it's going to be like to play longer matches. I think that it's going to, if I'm improving the speed, it's going to be ready longer in the match, but the main thing was to be a little bit faster on the court. Q. So in the two weeks are you doing a lot of short sprints? Is that what he's doing new with you rather than running long distances for speed? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I didn't run long distance. It was just for 20 minutes every morning, and, yeah, it was more sprints. That was the main thing to do, to do more sprints in the two weeks. Q. Those are not too fun after a while, I would think, the sprints? Did he have you on the ground trying to breathe? PETRA KVITOVA: It was quite fun, because it was always after the tennis session. So it wasn't really long. I don't think that you can do the sprints for an hour, so that's gonna be really quick ones. Yeah, so I don't think that was really boring (smiling). Q. You played Li Na a couple weeks ago in Beijing, and you'll face her again. Talk about her qualities as a player. PETRA KVITOVA: She played really well here. I watched some matches when I was waiting for my match, and, yeah, she's on fire. I think she's in great form. I played her in Beijing, was pretty close match, every game. I was just lucky, and that's gonna be ‑‑I think it's gonna be big fight, nice match for the people and for us, too. I'm always looking forward to play her. I know it's going to be great tennis. I like her as a person, so I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Q.  Now you're in the semis. What can you take from what you did in 2011? Obviously you have the memory of winning here. PETRA KVITOVA: To be honest, I'm not thinking about the 2011. I think it's maybe a little bit better for my confidence that I know I can play on this surface and to play good in the semifinal, but it's a different year and different tournament for me right now, and it's a different opponent, too. Just really trying to be ready for tomorrow. Q. Talking about the tough match that you had with Li Na in Beijing, your serve was too good, that match, for her to handle. Do you think it's gonna be the key point for you tomorrow still? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think that in every match my serve is very important, and it's going to be same against Li Na. She's returning really well. She's going for every return aggressively deep, and that's I think that I will really need to have with my serve, but it's not going to be about only about my serve, so we will see tomorrow. Q. I think you said at the beginning of the week that you thought the court was beginning to play faster with each day, so is it now substantially faster or just a little faster than your first match? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I feel a little bit surface is faster. I mean, I know I play first match against Aga, but she's not playing really fast. But I feel that it's going to be a little bit faster. I can't say how much, but it is a little bit. Q. But you feel that your balls are going through the court more now? PETRA KVITOVA: I think I just more feeling when the opponent playing to me that it's a little bit like fast, and it's going to bounce a little bit lower. Q. Seems like a lot of the players get along really well and respect Li Na a lot among the ones that are here. Seems like everyone has nothing but good things to say about her. What's your relationship with her over these two years? Do you have any stories about her or anything? PETRA KVITOVA: I think that we are good friends, and we are chatting a lot normally. I like her. She's similar, has a similar humor as me, so that's nice to find somebody on the tour like her. Q. What do you two talk about? PETRA KVITOVA: I will not say. Sorry. (Smiling). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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