MONTRÉAL, Canada - Less than a year after announcing her engagement to Michal Hrdlicka during the US Open Series, former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova was back in North America, ready to discuss their previously unannounced post-Wimbledon wedding.
"For you guys it was a surprise!" Pliskova clarified to the assembled media with a laugh, after knocking out fellow Czech Katarina Siniakova in straight sets on Monday at the Coupe Rogers.
"We had been planning it for, let's say two, three months, like pretty early. We had it in Monaco, so you had to plan few things, the dress and everything. For me, I just didn't want to talk about it. I had tournaments, different schedules. That's why for you guys it was a surprise."
Pliskova marched through the European clay and grass season with a happy secret in her back pocket, but felt no ill-effects from the upcoming ceremony at either Roland Garros or Wimbledon, where she reached the second week for the first time.
Read more: Wedding album: Pliskova gets hitched
"It was something I was looking forward to happen, but for sure it didn't have any influence on my Wimbledon tournament or on the tournaments before. It was very small wedding. There was not many people, not many things what we had to plan or what we have to do. It was more like I would call it a family lunch! I had just my really close friends. We just enjoyed. It was not stressful at all."
Pliskova posted a photo of herself and Hrdlicka on Instagram to announce the wedding, but admitted the revelation came sooner that she would like, re-emphasizing her desire for privacy whenever possible.
"Actually I wanted to share it by myself, but there were some Czech newspapers, they found out. It was not like really from my side that I would put it first on Instagram or somewhere.
"I think my personal life is important for me, also for my career. Now my husband - though, I don't call him husband, I call him Michal - he's been working for me in some ways in lot of things, so everything I think is working pretty well with us.
"It's been almost three years, so it's nothing new. It was just the wedding, it was the next step for us."
