“Today was really hectic, it all got to me,” says Noskova after singles final loss

It was a second final loss for Linda Noskova on the WTA tour following the 18-year-old Czech player’s 4-6 1-6 loss to Japan’s Nao Hibino in the singles final of the 2023 Livesport Prague Open. “I cried a bit – losing a final is always so tough,” she admitted.

You started the final by winning three games but struggled in the remainder of the match. What happened?
“I think it all just got to me. The weather was unpleasant – it was raining a lot, the wind was blowing and I didn’t know yesterday who I was going to face in the final. I started well but then I stopped. My opponent started playing tough balls and I kept going into them despite the wind. I had real trouble hitting the spots I wanted to.”

Hibino had to finish playing part of her postponed semi-final game before facing you in the final today. Do you think that could have helped her?
“Well, she definitely came into the game warmed up since she played only 15 minutes before the start of our game, so you could say she had more prep than I did, but I started better so the result was more to do with my game.”

Do you think the game was affected by the strong wind?
“I struggled with the wind throughout the entire match, my opponent clearly dealt with that better. I made a lot of mistakes and missed out on lots of chances, like in the first set when it was 3-2. If I would have won a few more balls it could have really changed the outcome of the match.”

Will you be bolting for the tournament in Montreal, or will you skip the Canadian Open?
“We already decided yesterday to skip it. It’s really hard to turn up and just switch on, you need time to settle in. It’s not worth making the journey when I know I don’t have enough time. My next tournament will be in Cincinnati.”

Do you have any specific goals for the Western & Southern Open and the US Open?
“Everyone arrives ready to do their absolute best – I’m no different. But apart from being confident, I also respect my opponents and the tournament; you can’t turn up acting like you’re the winner already. It can be hard to combine all these feelings.” 

And what about your goals for the rest of the season?
“I would like to stabilise my ranking and not keep fluctuating up and down. My aim is to be in the Top 50, but I’m not too focused on that, it’s not my main goal. The main thing I want is to perfect and improve my game – the results will then follow.”

Photo: Livesport Prague Open / Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)

Author: eSports

---