Buoyed by Fed Cup win, Pliskova all set for Qatar Total Open

Karolina Pliskova enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2016, reaching the final of the US Open, where she lost to Angelique Kerber in three sets. She also picked up two WTA titles and moved up from No. 11 to No. 5 in the world rankings.
The lanky Czech has continued her fine form this year, as she romped to victory at the Brisbane International and looked a serious contender at the Australian Open. But the 24-year-old suffered a shock loss in the quarter-finals in Melbourne, as her nine-match winning streak in 2017 came to a halt against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
But Pliskova was back to her best for her country, as she led Czech Republic to the semi-finals of the Fed Cup last weekend. Now in Doha, for the Qatar Total Open, Pliskova is one of the favourites for the title.
Seeded second in Doha, Pliskova will open her campaign against either a qualifier or Caroline Garcia of France. The World No. 3, compared to other top seeds has a favourable draw here.
Her potential quarter-final opponent is reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who Pliskova beat easily at Fed Cup last week. Having linked with Petra Kvitova’s former coach David Kotyza last October, Pliskova is the most exciting player to watch out for this year and a glimpse of her potential will be on display this week in Doha.
 
Excerpts from an interview
Usually Fed Cup is quite an emotional few days. How did you wind down from that and how do you feel heading into the Qatar Total Open?
Well, it was little bit emotional. It was a tough weekend for all of us, especially for me and Barbora (Strycova). But we were really happy that we won the singles, and then we didn’t have to play the doubles.
Overall I think I had a good week there with the practices, with two wins in the weekend, which was important. I travelled to Doha yesterday so I had a day off. Today I was back on court practising and I felt quite good. So excited to be here in Doha and I am ready for the tournament.
 
How do you describe your game? You have a big swing, big serve and huge potential, and made it to the US Open final last year.
I think my tennis has improved so much in the last year. I had some good matches last year. Obviously, 2016 has been my best year so far, as I reached the final of a Grand Slam at US Open.
Unfortunately, I lost to Angie (Kerber), but still it was a really good tournament for me. Since then, I think, I have improved a little bit and am trying to get even better.
I have a new coach (David Kotyza), so there are a few new things happening around my game. My movements are actually the worst part of my game, but it’s still improving. Everything is going well so far.
 
You will play either Caroline Garcia or Madison Brengle in the next round. What do you think about them?
I will watch a little bit of their match. I have played both of them before. I played Caroline last year in the Fed Cup and she was playing very well there. Obviously, a WTA tournament is a different competition from Fed Cup. So definitely, against Caroline, it will be a different match.
And Madison, I know she beat my sister in the qualifiers here, so she has been playing well. She has won three rounds in the qualifiers here, so she’s kind of probably used to the conditions here. So against both of them it is going to be tough. But, like I said, I’m ready for the match.  
 
How is it to have your twin sister (Kristyna) on Tour?
It’s good to have someone on the Tour so close to you, like my sister. There is no one closer to me on the Tour, so I don’t need any other friends. We always talk about everything, not only about tennis, but about all the other stuff around tennis.
Yes, unfortunately she was in quallies here. She’s in quallies in Dubai. It’s still not that we see each other that often, but it’s better than before. Now we are in the same tournaments, but different hotels. So hopefully it can get a little bit better and see each other more often.
But I like this, it’s better than it was. Hopefully I can see her in Dubai. I didn’t see her here because I came late and she left quite early. But definitely she’s going to Indian Wells, Miami, so there’s going to be more chances to see her in the next few weeks.
 
Caroline Garcia chose to not play the Fed Cup this year but you played. What do you think about her choice?
It’s tough always to decide if to play or not. We played at home this time, which was much easier for me, so we didn’t have to travel anywhere far. But still I came here pretty late.
I don’t think it’s a bad idea that Caroline didn’t play. Sometimes it can help you, but sometimes, it’s difficult to put it in the schedule because there’re lot of tournaments. The Fed Cup week is not easy as you have lot of tough matches, and it can really take away some power from your game.
I think both decisions are fine. There is always something positive about it. But I think this week I’ve played good, I had two wins. But maybe it’s also good to prepare for the tournament like Caroline did.
 
Are you surprised by the weather here in Doha, with persistent rain interrupting matches?
It doesn’t look it’s going to be better during the week. Obviously the weather can change so fast. In Czech it is minus 10, so with me this weather is fine. Just the rain is not good for tennis, so hopefully it can get better and we can finish all the matches in time.