TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 31st of May 2014. A. Petkovic d. K. Mladenovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. An interview with Andrea Petkovic
Q. First time in the second week of a slam since 2011. How does it feel?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Ah, okay. Umm, yeah, I’m pretty happy I got through. It was a really tough match.
That’s all I can say (smiling).
Q. How did you feel physically? Because the doctor went. How do you feel?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I feel very bad, I have to say. I feel awful. But I just tried to hang in there, you know. It’s a Grand Slam.
I just tried to I just told myself, Listen, just shut up and play and try your best. Maybe you’re gonna be the winner. I don’t know, but just try your best. That’s all I could do.
Maybe it was a good thing, because I didn’t realize the public. I didn’t realize anything. I was just sort of, yeah, occupied with myself and my body.
Yeah, now, I think I need some time to just settle in, because it was a lot of stuff going on.
Q. What was bothering you?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I’m having a virus since yesterday, a stomach virus. So I have made great friends with the bathroom the past day and night and today.
So, yeah, I was just drained. My energy level, it was below zero, I think.
Q. Is that why your celebration was a little bit muted in the end? It wasn’t big. Was it because you weren’t feeling great? Are you good friends?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, also, because I respect all the players, but I really like Kiki, we have been friends for years.
You know, as I said, I just didn’t have any emotions. I was just drained energy wise, emotions wise. I just I was just surviving. I wasn’t playing. I was just surviving.
So I didn’t even realize I won. Really, it was so weird. So I’m really sorry. It was the weirdest match for me I have ever played.
Q. You said at one point you said to yourself, Oh, just shut up. Tennis players are out there for hours just with themselves. Must have an incredible inner dialogue just going on. Talk about your own inner dialogue. Sometimes does it get way out of hand where there are some funny moments with that?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, today the thing was that was always coming up, Why do I feel so bad? Why am I not moving better? Try it. Then I was trying and then after long rallies I felt bad again.
So that was the only thing that kept going through my mind, Why do I have to feel bad now? You’re playing on Philippe Chatrier, it’s such a nice atmosphere, the crowd is really into it. Just try and get into this match already. Just try to get some emotions going.
And I just couldn’t. That was the thing that actually annoyed me most, that I couldn’t get into the match emotionally. Because it was a beautiful atmosphere, and I was just sort of like a zombie there.
Then when I realized I didn’t have a lot of energy, I just told myself, Okay, as I said, just shut up, don’t think and try the best you can with all that you have today. Just run for each ball as good as you can. Hit the balls as good as you can and try to jump on your serve.
That’s all I could do. As I said, in the important moments I was able to raise my level by pure willpower, I guess. I was really lucky I got through in the end.
Q. Is it because you had so many injuries that you said, Okay, that’s not your problem today for me?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, you know, I have learned to listen to my body more, obviously. I knew, you know, it’s a virus, it’s going to be gone tomorrow, it’s two days, and it’s nothing that’s going to end my career.
But it could have ended my tournament today. So I was pissed at it, you know. Because I wanted to play well and I wanted to play better first time on Chatrier. And I just wasn’t able to physically. So I was just annoyed by all the circumstances.
And then, you know what helped also? I just told myself, I sort of pushed back that it could have gone for three hours more, because there is no tiebreak. I just sort of said, Listen, you just have to survive. Just 15 minutes more, just 15 minutes more, and then just 10 minutes more, 10 minutes more.
And, yeah, as I said, I just survived the match. That’s all.
