A. PETKOVIC/M. Kirilenko
6 2, 2 6, 6 4
ANDREA PETKOVIC
Q. Another day when your mental strength was tested. Talk about the end of that match.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, everything has been testing now what I learned in the past year. Everything's been I've been tested in the past four matches, I think. Today was the toughest of all.
I'm really happy, because I had two or three games where I really lost control of my mental structure, and, yeah, of my mental toughness. I lost control for two or three games. I'm really happy that I gained it back and that I was able to strike back and to lift up my game to another level and hit the ball again.
I think that was the crucial part in the end.
Q. Congratulations.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Thank you.
Q. Next match is gonna be another test for you. Talk a little bit about that.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Who do I play?
Q. Maria.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Okay. Yeah, I mean, any quarterfinal in a Grand Slams going to be a test. I played her two times this year already. She's a great champion and I have a lot of respect for her. I really admire her not only as a player, but as an athlete and how she handles herself. I think she does a great job, and I think she's representing women's tennis great.
So I feel honored to be in the quarterfinals at all, and even more playing such a champion. I think I'm going to be, yeah, tested again. I really think I have to play my best clay court tennis to beat her. I know I'm able to do that, so I'll try to recover and give it my best shot in two days.
Q. Do you feel wide eyed about being in the quarterfinals of slam now, or do you feel you really belong here and this feels normal to you and appropriate?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I don't feel that surprised, I have to honestly say. It's not like I expected it from me, but I don't feel surprised at all, because I've shown especially in this year and this season that I belong there and that I can beat all those players.
Also, of course, I had a different kind of pressure now than in Australia, because I was also supposed to beat those players this time. In Australia I was kind of like a rookie playing just playing and not thinking.
Now I've been also tested the other way around. I was supposed to beat these players and I did, and so I feel like I belong there, yeah.
Q. Have you been in contact at all with Steffi? And secondly, how would you describe your movement after the victory today?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, the movement after my victory was so bad. I had no strength to do it properly today, so I'm sorry for that. But I tried my best.
No, I haven't been in contact really with her. The last time I talked to her was during Fed Cup. She called our Fed Cup captain, Barbara, during the dinner before it started and wished us all good luck.
She told us that she's going to come to one of the next Fed Cup ties, so I really hope I can see her again there. And maybe I'm planning on before the U.S. tour going to Las Vegas again, so I should see her there.
Q. She should be in town I believe so for an endorsement.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Oh, yeah, that's cool.
Q. Would you like to see her?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I would. Then the contact is going to happen earlier than I thought. (Smiling.) If I don't die here in this light before.
__________________
6 2, 2 6, 6 4
ANDREA PETKOVIC
Q. Another day when your mental strength was tested. Talk about the end of that match.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, everything has been testing now what I learned in the past year. Everything's been I've been tested in the past four matches, I think. Today was the toughest of all.
I'm really happy, because I had two or three games where I really lost control of my mental structure, and, yeah, of my mental toughness. I lost control for two or three games. I'm really happy that I gained it back and that I was able to strike back and to lift up my game to another level and hit the ball again.
I think that was the crucial part in the end.
Q. Congratulations.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Thank you.
Q. Next match is gonna be another test for you. Talk a little bit about that.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Who do I play?
Q. Maria.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Okay. Yeah, I mean, any quarterfinal in a Grand Slams going to be a test. I played her two times this year already. She's a great champion and I have a lot of respect for her. I really admire her not only as a player, but as an athlete and how she handles herself. I think she does a great job, and I think she's representing women's tennis great.
So I feel honored to be in the quarterfinals at all, and even more playing such a champion. I think I'm going to be, yeah, tested again. I really think I have to play my best clay court tennis to beat her. I know I'm able to do that, so I'll try to recover and give it my best shot in two days.
Q. Do you feel wide eyed about being in the quarterfinals of slam now, or do you feel you really belong here and this feels normal to you and appropriate?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I don't feel that surprised, I have to honestly say. It's not like I expected it from me, but I don't feel surprised at all, because I've shown especially in this year and this season that I belong there and that I can beat all those players.
Also, of course, I had a different kind of pressure now than in Australia, because I was also supposed to beat those players this time. In Australia I was kind of like a rookie playing just playing and not thinking.
Now I've been also tested the other way around. I was supposed to beat these players and I did, and so I feel like I belong there, yeah.
Q. Have you been in contact at all with Steffi? And secondly, how would you describe your movement after the victory today?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, the movement after my victory was so bad. I had no strength to do it properly today, so I'm sorry for that. But I tried my best.
No, I haven't been in contact really with her. The last time I talked to her was during Fed Cup. She called our Fed Cup captain, Barbara, during the dinner before it started and wished us all good luck.
She told us that she's going to come to one of the next Fed Cup ties, so I really hope I can see her again there. And maybe I'm planning on before the U.S. tour going to Las Vegas again, so I should see her there.
Q. She should be in town I believe so for an endorsement.
ANDREA PETKOVIC: Oh, yeah, that's cool.
Q. Would you like to see her?
ANDREA PETKOVIC: I would. Then the contact is going to happen earlier than I thought. (Smiling.) If I don't die here in this light before.
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