TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 2nd of June. A. Petkovic d. K. Bertens 1-6, 6-2, 7-5. An interview with Andrea Petkovic
Q. What a shout in the end. You were so happy?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, I was really relieved that I picked myself up after I was up 4 2 in the third and I started playing a little passively. I wasn’t going for my shots anymore. I was sort of hoping that she’s gonna miss. She’s too good for that.
After going down 5 4 in the third, I just sort of told myself, Okay, listen, you have to play aggressive. You have to go for your shots, and nobody’s going to give you the quarterfinals just because you’re nice (smiling), so go gain it.
I started playing more aggressively. It paid off in the end.
Q. So much of your tennis in the last two or three years has been trying to get back to where you were.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah.
Q. Does this feel like you’ve achieved that?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: No, not yet. I feel like I still have a long way to go, and I’m still not as consistent as I used to be. There are still a lot of things that I need to learn and still a lot of things that need to come back that are gone now.
After all my injuries, it’s been a very long time that I was out. You sort of forget, especially mentally, you sort of forget a lot of things.
Now it’s a process. It’s a process. I’m still not there where I want to be. It’s a long way to go. Nowhere near the end.
Q. You mentioned on the court philosophy and literature. Obviously you’re in a country famous for philosophers. Two questions: Which philosopher has made the biggest impression on you? And also the second one, which writer? Which author?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, I have two favorite authors. One is Goethe, which is our well, for me, the greatest genius with words. Unfortunately, if you cannot speak German, it’s not so easy to appreciate that.
And David Foster Wallace is the other one that I just started reading actually a couple of months ago and I’m totally amazed by him. I think he’s one of the greatest.
Philosopher wise, Friedrich Nietzsche is the one that impressed me most. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says and it’s very dark and sad, but he was a good writer, too.
I actually really liked the existentialists in French. I read a lot of Sartre and Camus. Yeah.
Q. I read some article which said when you are out of the tour you are thinking about retirement. So I was wondering how close you are quitting or giving up your career?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, actually, exactly one year ago here when I lost in quallies second round I was very close to quitting. It wasn’t because I had lost in second round against some player that was ranked 160. It wasn’t about that. It was just I didn’t like playing anymore. I hated it.
I was putting so much pressure on myself to getting back where I was, and it wasn’t fun anymore. I was just forcing. Everything was work and hard. You know, it wasn’t what it was, why I started playing tennis.
I started playing tennis because I love it, and it’s a big part of my life. It brought so much to me and my family. I think it brings so many people together, and it’s a nice, a beautiful thing, and it’s not something that is ugly and hard and difficult.
That’s what it was for me when I came back from my injuries, because I was struggling with my level of play. I was just not where I was before. I sort of wanted to be where I was before. I was used to myself being a top 10 player. That’s what I figured I was.
When I came back, I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all. My footwork was off, my strokes were bad. My serve was bad. I hated it. That’s why I wanted to stop.
After that, I won a tournament, luckily, so I didn’t, and I kept doing what I did.
And now I’m here and it’s a nice reward now.
Q. Thank you, very nice. This may seem a dumb question after that answer, but do you actually think you’re equipped to win a slam? Here we are in a very, very open Women’s Championship this year. Do you think you are able at this stage to contemplate actually winning a slam?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, you know, I think I would like to start talking about that once I reach the semis and finals of it, because quarters is nice, and I have reached four quarters now, but I haven’t gone further. I think to really smell the victory of a Grand Slam I need to be getting further before I can talk about winning a Grand Slam.
Obviously I’m here to win each match, and I’m not looking I’m not saying I’m going to lose before, because I shouldn’t be playing if I was thinking that way, but I’m just not occupying my mind with those kind of thoughts. I’m just trying to do what I do and try my best and see where it leads me.
Obviously once I reach the semis and finals for a couple of times, then I can start talk about winning Grand Slams.
Q. What’s been the most gratifying or satisfying aspect of this journey for you back the last two, three years?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I think the moment in Charleston when I won the tournament was very rewarding and just because I actually was a top 10 player before but I never won a premier title. So that was very rewarding.
Little things, little wins after, you know, just being persistent and sticking with what I wanted to do, because I doubted myself so many times. I was in so many holes and didn’t want to play anymore.
So I think just sticking with what I wanted to do despite the fact I didn’t feel like doing it anymore. I think now that’s the most rewarding thing and makes me very happy that finally I’m gaining the wins again.
I’m back at the big stages, I guess.
