CONFÉRENCE DE PRESSE : Karolina Pliskova (d. Kontaveit) (EN)

K. PLISKOVA/A. Kontaveit
6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First quarterfinals coming back from Wimbledon. What does it say about where your game is at right now?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, for sure better than it was maybe yesterday. So I guess it’s going to get better every day with what I play. And I always was, I am, improving with matches, which I have.

So I played some doubles here. I still have doubles today. So I guess that everything helped. And I was practicing quite a lot, but still matches is different.

So, I mean, yesterday was not perfect, but it was not bad for first match on hard court. Today much better. So let’s see what’s tomorrow.

Q. Do you feel as though the confidence that you have built throughout specifically this season, match to match, just the consistency of the results, do you feel that helps you a lot after these breaks that, you know, kind of knowing maybe that your game hasn’t really failed you this year?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, but, you know, I’ve been saying this before. I think I always start from zero, so I’m not really looking back. And maybe that’s bad sometimes because — not that I would not be confident, but I just don’t look what I have won this season or this year, and I just start from zero.

And I guess it’s different surface, different tournament, you face different players, So it’s something different. So it’s not that I would be, like, feeling that I’m going to go far this week because I just played good the first part of the season.

But of course it’s something, you know, what’s helping me to go through. And for sure the three-setters, which I played this year, so this I have in my mind. And, you know, I feel confident about maybe playing the third set because I played so many this year.

But every tournament starts from zero, every match starts from zero. So there is everything possible, and it’s not really that I would be thinking about the past.

Q. When you say that you didn’t play your best yesterday for your first match, what are you looking to adjust when you first come to a hard court?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think it’s the movement, which is always the biggest change when you change the surfaces. It’s the same for clay. Same for grass. You just need to get a little bit used to it.

I guess the hard court is the easiest because we just spend more time than on the other surfaces. And for me it’s more natural, but still, like, my body today was feeling quite sore. But I didn’t play that long match yesterday, but it’s just something different, so you need to get used to it a little bit too.

And, yeah, I was happy to be back on hard because I played good matches. I just feel confident always with my movement better, but I still need some time too.

Q. You’ve got either Bertens or Andreescu next. I’m wondering if you could offer a few thoughts on each of those players?

KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Bertens, we played couple times. Last year Montreal, so this I don’t want to remember. (Smiling.)

And I want to remember Eastbourne. It was quite easy and good for me. But, you know, grass, I guess it’s not her favorite. But for sure she’s fighter. She’s defending well. She has some good spins. I think here it can be dangerous because the ball jumps and it flies. And she can serve well.

But I have also some shots. I have serve. I have my forehand. So I feel like the fast game here, it can be working. So let’s see.

And, of course, Andreescu, we never played, not even practice, not even anything. So I just saw her a little bit on TV. So it would be interesting, of course challenging, to play her here in Canada.

So let’s see who is going to win.