Andrea Petkovic says that she is very comfortable with the atmosphere at the Miami Open. She reached the semifinals of the tournament after beating Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-2.
“I am naturally a very uptight person. I'm just very stiff German,” she said. “So in my personal life I'm [the] total opposite. I love just in my job, I'm just very straightforward and disciplined. With the discipline comes a lot of tightness, as well. Miami kind of relaxes me. I don't know, maybe because it's kind of crazy and chaotic. These two opposites, they sort of mesh into a balance that's good for me.”
The city and tournament has helped her find her game again. The world No. 10 did not play well at the start of the season, losing in the first round of Brisbane, Sydney, and the Australian Open. But then the 27-year-old won two marathon matches in Fed Cup and took the title in Antwerp over Carla Suarez Navarro, who she plays next in Miami.
Petkovic also lost early in Dubai, Doha, and Indian Wells. However, she said that she is playing well once more in Miami.
“Just the city relaxes me,” she said. "I think that's very important for me. For example, I never played so well in Indian Wells maybe because everything [is] very clean. Then I get into my complete German mode, and that's not good for me, actually. It always has been a struggle for me finding the right balance, and it always will be throughout my whole life. The older I get, the more I manage to find a golden line. But Miami definitely relaxes me.”