Petra Kvitova: "My goal was always to have one title in the season, so I'm already done"

Petra Kvitova joked about having already achieved her goal for the 2023 season with her victory over Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open final.

Petra Kvitova and Elena Rybakina battled it out in a closely contested encounter in the Miami Open final. Kvitova had the opportunity to serve for the first set at 5-4, however, Rybakina was relentless on return and quickly broke back to force a tiebreak.

The lengthy tiebreak saw Kvitova save five set points before finally winning it 16-14.

The 33-year-old then took an early lead in the second set and raced away to victory, winning 7-6(14), 6-2 to lift her ninth WTA 1000 trophy.

With her win in the first set tiebreak, the former World No. 2 snapped Elena Rybakina's unbeaten record (7-0) in tiebreaks this season.

During her post-match interview, Kvitova commented on the difficulty in overcoming the challenge posed by the Kazakh during the tiebreak.

"The tiebreak, oh my god. Was probably the longest in my career, somehow I managed it," she said in conversation with Tennis Channel presenter Prakash Amritraj.

The 33-year-old added that the effects of the thrilling tiebreak were especially evident in the deterioration of the tennis balls that were in use at the time.

"It was really difficult and the tiebreak was something amazing. You could see the balls after the tiebreak, it was like big fluffy balls," she added.

When asked about her goals for the 2023 season, Kvitova joked that she had already achieved her goal of winning one title during the season.

"No, I don't have any goal. My goal was always to have one title in the season, so I'm already done," she stated.

Petra Kvitova makes her return to WTA top 10 with Miami Open victory

Petra Kvitova at the 2023 Miami Open

Petra Kvitova is set to make her return to the WTA top 10 for the first time since September 2021 following her triumph over Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open final.

During the interview, Prakash Amritraj asked Kvitova how it felt to be back in the top 10. In reply, the former World No. 2 joked that she was unaware of her return to the top 10 and hadn't been expecting it at all.

"Wow, I didn't even know this. I couldn't even expect this at all. To be back in the top 10, well, what can I say. I'm very happy. I didn't expect this at all," Kvitova said.

With her Miami Open triumph, Petra Kvitova became the oldest champion of the event since Serena Williams in 2015.