Three-time Fed Cup winner Karolina Pliskova yesterday said the 2018 season was a ‘tough’ grind but reaching Singapore for the season-ending championships and a top-10 finish put a smile to her face after a struggle at the start of the year.
The 26-year-old Czech tennis star has arrived in Doha following her loss to Romania’s Simona Halep in Fed Cup on Sunday, just in time for her first match at the Qatar Total Open that kicked off yesterday.
“Last season was tough. I had some ups and downs. I had changes in the team a little bit, so for sure (it) was not the best season but not the worst,” Pliskova, champion in Doha in 2017, said yesterday.
“I still finished (at the) top 10. I still made it to Singapore, which is always a good effort,” the tall Czech added.
“I think it’s always the goal in the beginning of the year, and it shows that the year was actually not that bad if you are in the top 8,” Pliskova said.
“I made it again to the semi-final there (in Singapore). So I think the second part of the season was better than the first one. I had some good matches and good victories too. I think I could do a little bit better but it wasn’t bad,” she added.
When asked about her goals in the new season, Pliskova sounded a bit guarded in her reply.
“No, not really,” Pliskova said when asked to share her goals for the 2019 season.
“I have my goals, but it’s no different compared to last year. Just want to play well. So far I’m doing what I want, and I just did everything what I did in practice, so that’s good.
“Still, it can happen that you lose to good players. I just lost two times so far and two times was Grand Slam winners, so if it continues like this, I’m happy,” Pliskova said about her losses against Halep on Sunday and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka. Pliskova lost to Osaka at the semis in Melbourne last month.
Pliskova said her match scheduling in the first six weeks of the new season has tested her thoroughly.
“It is not an easy start of the year by playing so many good players already. It’s only second month and I have played (against) I think four, five, six Grand Slam winners,” Pliskova said.
“But (I am) pleased that I have (had) a good start and I feel like I can build on these matches what I have played,” she said.
“Obviously beating the players which were lower ranked behind me, it’s always good. I have a lot of matches which I won in the first month, which is always good to start season like this.
“Now coming from Fed Cup, also two good matches: one I won, one I lost. But it’s always tough, but I think it was a good match so I’m not that negative about that.
“Yeah, now these two tournaments, Doha, Dubai, so hopefully I can play well here, too,” Pliskova said.
Pliskova said flying out to Doha was done in a hurried manner with little rest after her match on Sunday.
“I left late yesterday (Sunday) so I tried to make it to Vienna to make it here as fast as I can. I came this morning. I just tried to sleep a little bit and I went to hit a little bit. Not much,” Pliskova said with a smile.
“But I feel little tired today, but that’s normal because the weekend was not only physically but mentally tough too. That’s always with Fed Cup. But I think I play on Wednesday so there is one more day tomorrow (for rest). So I think I will be ready,” she added.
Pliskova, winner in Doha in 2017, said she is not looking far ahead to a possible clash against the 2014 Qatar Total Open champion Halep.
“Well, to play Simona I have to win four more matches so this is very far. So I’m not thinking about this at all. Obviously I won a title here, so there is some different feeling always in the tournament where you win the title, so you believe that you can do it again,” Pliskova said.
“I like these conditions here so I don’t see any reason why I should not play good tennis here. Obviously I had a lot of tennis in the past days, but I think if I survive the first couple days here, I’ll be fine,” she added.
Plsikova is looking forward to appearing in the doubles with sister Kristyna.
“Yeah, we’re playing doubles with Kristyna here. I am thankful for the wildcard and the opportunity to play, because we don’t get that many chances to play doubles together,” Pliskova said.
“We always enjoy and if there is a chance, we just try to play. Obviously the schedule sometimes is not the same and some tournaments I don’t play doubles that much anymore, but it’s gonna be fun, for sure.”
