Dominika Cibulkova Australian Open 2014 Interview Transcript following win over Maria Sharapova
D. Cibulkova d. M. Sharapova 3-6 6-4 6-1.
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Q. How does it feel? Good getting an upset like this over Maria?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: You know, obviously it feels great, and especially I played well and it was a tough match. You know, I still I don’t want to say I can’t believe that I won, but it’s like, you know, it’s just too short, and I’m just really happy about everything.
Q. Your best result here. How does that make you feel?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, it feels this is what I’m really, really happy for, you know, finally, finally I made it.
I showed that I had great preseason in December, and, you know, I could show it on the court, so it feels amazing.
Q. Could you tell that she was not 100% physically when you were playing?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I don’t know. I didn’t see during the rallies. She was running, and, I don’t know. Of course I knew that she took the medical timeout, but she was trying to change my rhythm a lot of times during the games.
Also during the serve she was playing with the toss and all these things to make me wait for the serve a lot.
I think she was trying to do a lot with the rhythm and to not let me go in my rhythm.
Q. In the on court interview after the match, you spoke about how you had beaten her before in a big game. How important was that self belief coming in?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, this is, I would say, the most important thing, you know. I went on the court, and I was more than 100% sure that I really can beat her. I can beat her on the big court, in the important match, you know, on the Grand Slam.
I did it before, and I knew she knows me. I also knew that she knows it’s going to be a tough match. I was prepared for it, and I was prepared to give 100%.
Q. Were you bothered by her messing around with her toss?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Let me say maybe a little bit. When the match was coming to the end, I was getting like a little bit angry about that, you know. I was keep talking myself, like, Why she doing that? I thought it was on the purpose.
But it was just maybe few seconds I let my thinking go away. But that what I was also working on during my preseason, you know, to let me stay focused and not to let me thoughts go away.
Q. Is that the sort of thing that may have distracted you in the past?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, I would say so. There were many things that could distract me in the past. You know, my mind could go away for maybe game or two, and then with these players sometimes it’s enough to lose a set and the match.
Yeah, this is the thing I’m really proud of myself that I was really working on, and it’s showing good.
Q. When you say she was doing some things on purpose to affect you, would you call that gamesmanship?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: What does it mean?
Q. You know, like kind of underhanded tactics to win the match.
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I don’t know. You know, there are many ways that you can beat a player, you know. She knew that I am playing well. I was playing well through the whole tournament, you know. She knew it for sure.
But, you know, maybe I’m wrong, you know. Maybe she was just really feeling nervous on the serve and not doing the toss thing on the purpose. But, yeah, I think it was something about tactic.
Q. Was there any wind out there to speak of that may have affected her ball toss, do you think?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I don’t feel that it was that windy. I mean, it was windy a little bit from one side, but it was still quite okay.
Q. How big is the satisfaction then under these circumstances to have won this match against her?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yeah, that’s what I just wanted to say. It’s not that I just beat her like I beaten her at Roland Garros 6 0, 6 2. It was completely different match.
This one was we both played really well. It was a really tough match. I came out from one set down. This is what makes me really strong and proud of myself.
Q. When you had your break, your short break at the end of the second set and you came back on court, were you surprised that she was going off court? Did that surprise you?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: No, no, not really. When I knew that there was a trainer coming, I thought they going to go off court and they going to do the treatment there.
No, I wasn’t thinking about it.
Q. How important was the last game in the second set? You go up 5 0; she wins four games. Maybe if you don’t win that game right there it changes the whole match, no?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: That’s a good point. I think I was breaking through game, or I don’t know how to say. It was really, really important game to stay in the match, you know. It could be very different if it was 5 All then set for me.
So I think this game I was going for my shots, and I really played well.
Q. With Maria and also now Serena out, how big is the chance for you? How excited are you by that?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: I just I don’t want to think about it, you know. I came here to play my best tennis. The thing that changed maybe that I’m playing so well. You know, I’m trying to also enjoy tennis.
I love what I’m doing, and I don’t want to put too much pressure, because then it’s I don’t want to suffer on the court, you know. I love the game and I love to play tennis. I’m very good player, so I don’t want to have two opponents, the real one and me.
I’m just trying to play against the opponent.
Q. What does it say about you, now you’ve reached quarterfinals of every Grand Slam which shows some consistency, no?
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA: Yes. Actually I didn’t know. I just realize now. It’s great, you know. I think this was the only Grand Slam where I just had my fourth round and a couple of bad losses.
What I can say, you know? I’m just I want to go forward in tournaments.
Source: Australian Open
