ANETT KONTAVEIT: “I HOPE TO GO UP 7-6 IN OUR H2H WITH MARIA AFTER TOMORROW’S FINAL”

You’ve had a slow start and she was up 3-0.What happened next, what helped you to come back and win the match?

I think you are right, I had a bit of a slow start, but she started very strong, very aggressive from the first point. So it took me some time to get used to the tempo. And I just got myself into the match and I was trying to fight for every point and try not to think what the score was like, even if I was down or up 3-0. I just tried to get my game going and make it a little bit positive, put a little bit more power into the ball, so it that would be was harder for her to dictate the game so much.

We’re just had Jelena here, she said, that she was rushing things up a little bit after 3-0 and she also said, that the surface was very slow for her and it gave you time to retrieve the ball and respond unlike it was in Eastbourne…

I think today I played a much better match than in Eastbourne. There, I think, I was not ready for the fight as much as I was today. She didn’t like the court? I like the court, I was really ready to the fight I think I had a positive energy and I think that was the difference.

So you don’t think the court surface was a factor?

Of course, it was a different match on a different court, but she got to the semifinals here, so she must have used to it (the surface) here, at least a little bit.

Did you follow the history of Estonian tennis, you’ve had some great players. We are talking about Toomas Leius, for example, who was in his time a Soviet player, but we all know, that he is from Estonia and he is a real legend. And maybe you also heard about his coach Edward Kree? Estonia is a small country, everybody knows everyone…

Yes, of course, I know about Toomas, he is a real legend in Estonia, he sometimes even now comes to watch how I practice, when he is coaching a little bit. He helped me also, he definitely was a great player. And speaking of his coach Kree – his daughter has a tennis club where I grew up as a player and my mom is coaching in this club. I think Estonia is a very small country, I think everybody knows everyone, it’s true.

You played 12 times against Maria Sakkari, the H2H is 6-6. What do you expect from this match?

Well, I am hoping to go up 7-6. We played so many times, she is such a good friend, actually, on the tour. And we always have tough battles. We really played each other a lot; it happens a lot. It is really nice that it happens in the final, I think we are both really motivated, we want to win this trophy. So I hope it is going to be a really good match.