“It was especially important to find good sensations because yesterday I felt bad. Today after three hours, I felt good at the end of this match which was very tiring. I have to say I probably played the worst tie break of the year, but I give him credit for staying strong, playing well from the baseline and making me play a shot additional. I can always look for things I could have done better, but overall it was a great win against an in-form player.”
“It was a very similar game to last year. It’s nothing. I thought about it, from the moment I broke in the third and served for the match. Last year he came back and overtook me at the end of the match. But I just managed to stay calm, find the right serves, the right shots. I had the impression that he increased the level of his shots, the speed of his shots towards the end of the match, he was coming, he was more aggressive at the net, which shortened the game by a point.
“He was still very young when we first played each other but you could see he had a bright future. He works very hard and he has a very similar style to me, he has fantastic hands, a very good serve and a lot of variety in his return games too. which makes the match very exciting for the fans. He is a very dynamic player, who feeds off the energy of the crowd.”
“It wasn’t disturbing. I mean, I expected it. I know he prepared Holger very well because Boris knows my game very well, but we haven’t seen each other much in the last five years, my game has evolved and I try to mix things up, not to be too predictable , but once again, it was a big fight and I know very well how Boris feels when a tough battle begins like this evening. You know, I like the way he supports the players and that’s what he’s done for me in the past. Whatever happens, we are still very close.”
“I didn’t feel at my best yesterday. Today was better. I felt my energy level was higher, so that’s a positive.”
“I thought he had played his move and once he saw that he had played he (Rune) asked for a challenge and then the chair empire told me he was allowed to do it, which I found ridiculous. It’s the referee’s decision, now it’s easier to talk about it when the match is over. I think the referee made a mistake to be honest.”
