"I don't have much to say, I just have to fight through and be better" - Petra Kvitova after 1R loss to Sorana Cirstea at 2022 Australian Open
Romania's Sorana Cirstea defeated Petra Kvitova in the opening round of the 2022 Australian Open on Tuesday, eliminating the two-time Slam champion from Melbourne Park for the second straight year.
Kvitova, who has struggled to find any kind of form this season, turned in yet another error-strewn performance, leaking 41 unforced errors en route to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat.
At her post-match press conference, Kvitova said she was not too surprised by the loss as things had not been going her way in recent weeks. The 2019 finalist said she had a few health issues at the start of the new season and could not prepare well for the tournament.
Kvitova, however, believes she still has the game to compete at the highest level and hopes to turn things around in the coming weeks.
"Actually I don't think I have much to say," Kvitova said. "Yeah, it wasn't really going my way the whole month. That's how it is, I think. It's a sport, and I just have to fight through and be better at it."
"Yeah, I think the game still there," she continued. "It's just I think I didn't play a lot of matches at the beginning of this year. I did have some health issues the whole month, as well, so it was tough to practice during. But the season is long, so I hope that it will turn around."
When asked if she had gotten better at handling losses over the course of her career, the 32-year-old said that losing never gets "easy."
The two-time Wimbledon champion then went on to describe her first-round defeat to Cirstea as "very painful" given the circumstances.
"Well, it's never easy I would say," the Czech said of her loss. "I mean, of course this loss is very painful, in the first round after like a whole month. It wasn't ideal, a whole month."
"It doesn't matter what age you are probably," she continued. "Maybe when you are younger you are just oh, don't think too much about it I think. Yeah, maybe when you are a little bit more experienced you know everything is together and what it's bringing."
"I have to, first of all, calm down and see clearly" - Petra Kvitova on recovering from a poor start to the year
During the press conference, Kvitova said she needed to take some time off and think clearly before deciding on her next move. The Czech said she also needed to get more matches under her belt in order to better prepare for the next big tournament.
"Well, tough to say. I think I need the matches on the other side," she said. "It's really tough to see the future right now after this loss."
"I know I have to, first of all, calm down and see clearly more after some days," she added. "Definitely I have to have like a few days off to make my rest better, so that definitely will be one of the main goals, and then for sure some preparation before the next tournaments."