Tennis News

Djokovic Sings Sinner's Praises; Looks Ahead To Evans Clash

Novak Djokovic eased into the Round of 16 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2 win over fast-rising youngster Jannik Sinner.

It was the first career meeting between the two, though they are familiar with each other having shared a practice court both at their residence in Monaco and at the Piatti Tennis Center in Italy.

“I think what impresses me the most is his professionalism, his dedication to the everyday routines that he has to endure in order to play at such high level,” Djokovic said. “I think this is why the consistency of his results is there. With him it’s different.”

Sinner came into his fourth career Masters 1000 appearance in sizzling form after reaching the final at the Miami Open presented by Itau, making him a real threat to Djokovic’s start to the clay season. But after an early loss of serve, Djokovic was in control for most of the match.

“I have to be satisfied considering I think I had a tough draw for the first round, playing Sinner, who is in form, who is striking the ball very well. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I walked into the court with the right intensity, right focus,” Djokovic said. “First maybe three, four games I was still feeling maybe not as comfortable hitting the ball. Then I started to work my way in the match.”

Even with no fans permitted on the grounds, Djokovic celebrated the win with his customary open-armed hugs and kisses.  

“At the same time I try to take the positive side of it,” he said of playing to empty stands. “We have this calm and kind of serenity on the stands and on the court. It just allows you to maybe focus on yourself a bit more, not have maybe as many distractions around that can happen. I try to focus on those positives and be optimistic and build my form.”

The 33-year-old takes on Daniel Evans next for a place in the Masters 1000 quarter-finals — it will be the second match in a row where the World No 1 is facing an entirely new opponent. He’ll be doing his homework. 

“Very smart player,” Djokovic said. “You would think that with his game maybe the clay would suit him the least, but he’s proving people wrong. He moves great. Very, very dynamic, explosive player. Great forehand, good serve. He comes to the net. He uses his slice very well.

“Obviously every time you face someone for the first time, probably I’m going to have to use a little bit more analysis of his game prior to tomorrow’s match, talk to few people and my coach as well, try to prepare myself as best as I can.”

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Djokovic Beats Sinner On ATP Tour Return In Monte-Carlo

World No. 1 and two-time former champion Novak Djokovic claimed a 6-4, 6-2 victory against #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner on Wednesday in a battle of generations at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. It was a meeting between the leaders of the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and the ATP Race To Milan.

In his first appearance since his ninth Australian Open title run in February, Djokovic fired 20 winners to move past the Miami runner-up in one hour and 34 minutes. Djokovic kept Sinner off balance with frequent drop shots and extracted errors with great defensive skill from the baseline.

“It feels great [to be back and] also playing in Monaco, where I reside,” said Djokovic in his post-match interview. “I have used this club as a training base for almost 15 years, so it feels like playing at home.

“It was a very good encounter. I thought it was a great first match [and] a big challenge for me. Jannik is in form. He played the final [in] Miami and has been playing well. I just hung in there today and managed to find the right shots and the right game at the right time.”

Djokovic has won all 10 matches he has played this year. This marks the sixth time that the Serbian has won his opening 10 encounters in an ATP Tour season.

Djokovic’s Best ATP Tour Season Starts

Djokovic is chasing his third title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club this year. The 36-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist defeated Rafael Nadal en route to the title in 2013 and 2015.

“[Jannik] has got a lot of talent and he has proven that he is the future of our sport. Actually, he is already the present of our sport [having] played a final [in an] ATP Masters 1000 [event] already. He is making big strides in professional tennis,” said Djokovic.

Graphic courtesy Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media

Sinner used his aggressive baseline game to rush Djokovic in the early stages of the match and claim an early break, but his lead was short lived. The top seed soon found his range on his return and forced Sinner out of backhand-to-backhand rallies with a series of drop shots. Despite dropping serve once more at 5-3, Djokovic broke for the third time to take the 54-minute opener.

The two-time champion found consistent success behind his serve in the second set and wore his opponent down in extended rallies. Djokovic earned two further service breaks and moved through to the third round when Sinner committed a double fault on match point.

After his win against the Miami runner-up, Djokovic will face Murray River Open champion Daniel Evans in the third round. The British No. 1 broke Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz on four occasions to clinch a 6-4, 6-1 win on Court des Princes. Evans entered the tournament seeking his first tour-level win on clay since the 2017 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

Casper Ruud earned his second Top 10 victory on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman. The Norwegian converted three of his four break points to overcome last year’s Rome runner-up in 65 minutes.

The 22-year-old will meet Marbella champion Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round. The Spaniard improved to 6-0 on clay this season with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Karen Khachanov. Ruud and Carreno Busta are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

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Monte Carlo Masters: Dan Evans to meet Novak Djokovic in third round

Dan Evans will play Novak Djokovic for the first time in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

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The Last Time… With Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who combines good movement and powerful groundstrokes, recorded the first Top 10 win of his career this week over Matteo Berrettini at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

ATPTour.com caught up with the 21-year-old Spaniard, who revealed the last time he…

Missed a flight?
I’ve never missed a flight! I’ve never had a close call and always try to get to airport with plenty of time to spare.

Lost something important?
Two years ago, I left my favourite shoes at home. I had to call one of my friends, and I told him to fly to Australia to bring the shoes. I didn’t want to go out in Melbourne and buy new shoes.

Paid money to hire a tennis court or bought tennis balls?
It has to have been last week, when I practised at home. It was one big box of balls, around 70 euros.

Was recognised and it helped you?
It was probably in Davis Cup, when Spain played in Marbella against Great Britain [in February 2018]. I got into a nice restaurant after I posed for a lot of photos (laughing).

Strung my own tennis racquet?
It must have been four years ago! I normally didn’t string my own racquets as a junior, because I think it’s so boring. It took me 30 minutes. I had to take my time and I didn’t like it.

Last cooked for friends or family?
I love to cook, so I cooked for friends before I came here. I like doing meat on the barbeque, with friends and the sun shining.

Met a childhood idol?
It has to have been Martin Fiz, the world champion runner [1995 Gothenburg], who continues to help me with my physical preparation. My coach, Jorge Aguirre, asked him on Instagram last year to help out and it’s great for Martin to be a part of my team.

Asked for a selfie?
Roberto Bautista Agut, my idol and someone I really respect.

Went to a music concert?
I went with my psychologist to watch Spanish pop singer Beret at the Starlite Festival in Marbella in July last year. It was really good.

Paid to attend a sporting event?
It was three years ago, when my coach and I watched Real Sociedad. I only like watching football!

Visited a city for the first time?
I really love the city of Brisbane, as they have a fake beach in the centre.

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Sinner: 'I Try To Learn, Even If It's Tough To Accept'

Jannik Sinner may not have claimed the win against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but he didn’t walk away empty handed. There were many lessons learned in his 6-4, 6-2 defeat to the Serb.

“Obviously what I see is that he is defending better than me when he’s coming in the run,” said the 19-year-old World No. 22. “We have to learn there. We have to serve a little bit better. Everything. I think the biggest part where I have to learn, but I knew already, is to understand the right situations in every match, to don’t go too much, don’t go too slow, all the rest.”

Monte-Carlo resident Sinner was competing in just his fourth ATP Masters 1000 tournament. On the heels of his final run at the Miami Open presented by Itau, he’s knocking on the door of the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Moving forwards, he already has his eyes on a rematch against Djokovic.

“The focus is always about improving. That’s what I’m doing. That’s what I’m trying to do. Try to learn from this match today as well, even if sometimes it’s tough to accept,” he said. “But there is only one way to improve. I have the good team. I have the right people behind me who know what you have to do. I hope I play once more against Novak.”

The #NextGenATP star got off to a promising start against Djokovic, claiming the first break of serve, but soon surrendered control of the match.

“Today, I think I started quite well,” said Sinner. “Then at 2-1 [on] serve, I didn’t play [the game] well. Then he started to move me a little bit more. After I tried to play a little bit deeper, trying to move him.

“But I think the rest [of the match] was not a bad match from my side. At some point, especially in the second set, the level was very high.”

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Nadal Sweeps Past Delbonis, Fires Warning In Monte-Carlo

Rafael Nadal got off to a perfect start on Wednesday in Monte-Carlo, where he seeks a record-extending 12th trophy. The Spanish superstar looked in strong form in a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis over 81 minutes at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

In his first match since 17 February, when he fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-finals, Nadal struck 16 winners to beat Delbonis. The 34-year-old Nadal is now 72-5 at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he won an Open-Era record eight successive titles from 2005 to 2012 and a further three straight crowns from 2016 to 2018.

“It was solid match,” said Nadal. “Of course, a very positive result. He’s a good player on clay… Nothing unbelievable, but nothing wrong. Just a solid match, a positive start. I think I did what I had to do today.”

Nadal will next play Monte-Carlo resident and No. 14 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, who saved six of seven break points in a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory over Jeremy Chardy of France in one hour and 42 minutes earlier on Wednesday afternoon. Nadal leads Dimitrov 13-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, including wins in their three matches at this clay-court tournament (2013, 2018-19).

“We’ve had some great matches,” said Nadal. “In Melbourne, of course… We played another great match in Beijing, another one in Shanghai. He’s a good friend, a good guy, and a great player. It’s going to be a tough test in my second round. It’s going to be his third. I need to be ready for it. I hope to be ready for it. I am just excited to play a tough match very early in the tournament.”

Graphic courtesy Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media

Third seed Nadal, who is normally used to competing in front of a capacity 10,200 fans on Court Rainier III each year, started with a bang, breaking Delbonis in his first service game after a backhand error. The World No. 87 continued to come under pressure, forced deep behind the baseline in bruising baseline rallies. Consecutive double faults from Delbonis handed Nadal a 4-0 advantage. Nadal completed the 30-minute first set with a forehand.

There was no let-up from Nadal in the early stages of the second set. The Spaniard won 10 of 12 points en route to a 3-0 lead, but his dominance was halted in the next game. Delbonis broke serve on his fourth break point, when a Nadal backhand hit the net and bounced wide, and went on to recover to 2-3. As groundstroke errors continued to mount for Delbonis, Nadal broke for a fifth time at 4-2. He is now 5-0 lifetime against Delbonis in their ATP Head2Head series.

Delbonis, 30, had been seeking to record the biggest win of his career since overcoming then No. 2-ranked Andy Murray at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He is now 3-16 lifetime against Top 10 opponents.

Did You Know?
Nadal is 446-40 lifetime on clay-courts since turning professional in 2001. Only Argentina’s Guillermo Vilas (681) and Spain’s Manuel Orantes (569) have won more matches on red dirt in the Open Era (since 1968).

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Rublev Races Into Monte-Carlo Third Round

Andrey Rublev needed just 68 minutes to claim his first win of the European clay swing on Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The sixth seed ripped 11 forehand winners in his 6-3, 6-2 win against Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso on Court Rainier III. Rublev is through to the third round in the Principality for the first time.

“I am happy with my game for the first match of the clay season,” said Rublev in his post-match interview. “I was a little bit tight because obviously I didn’t practise a lot on clay and I didn’t play matches before.

“Caruso was playing [from] qualifying, so he [had got] used to the clay already and on clay he is really dangerous. I am really happy that I could win in straight sets.”

Rublev’s win against Caruso extends his tour-leading wins total this year to 21 matches (21-4). Last year’s Roland Garros quarter-finalist is aiming to capture his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title this week.

MOST MATCH WINS IN 2021 ATP TOUR SEASON

The World No. 8 established control of the match from the first ball. Rublev used his forehand throughout the match to dictate play from the baseline and push Caruso into defensive positions. The eight-time ATP Tour titlist closed the match with a cross-court forehand winner.

Graphic courtesy Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media

Rublev will meet ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut or Tommy Paul for a place in the quarter-finals. The 23-year-old owns a 2-3 ATP Head2Head record against Bautista Agut, but he won the pair’s only previous encounter on clay in last year’s Hamburg European Open quarter-finals. Rublev is unbeaten in two matches against Paul.

Did You Know?
Two years ago, ranked No. 90 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Rublev held a 6-4, 4-1 lead against eventual champion Fabio Fognini before falling in three sets.

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Pouille: 'I Doubted I Would Ever Play Normally Again'

Lucas Pouille has reached great heights in tennis — winning five ATP Tour titles, reaching the 2019 Australian Open semi-finals and climbing to No. 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings among them. But now, an ordinary match win is an achievement for the Frenchman as he climbs back towards his best form.

The 27-year-old, who missed a year and a half due to a right elbow injury that required surgery, earned his first Top 100 victory since Tokyo in 2019 on Tuesday when he defeated World No. 48 Guido Pella 6-3, 6-4 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“It’s a good victory for me, for my state of mind and for my game and for my confidence,” Pouille said. “It’s only positive.”

In September 2019, Poille began struggling with his right elbow. That October, he stopped competing. Following tests, the Frenchman received injections and took all of his doctors’ advice, but there were always complications.

“After a while there was a doubt that I would ever be able to play again normally,” Pouille admitted.

The 6’1” righty played one ATP Challenger Tour event last March the week before play was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, he underwent surgery and did not compete the rest of the season.

“Of course, the doctor was very confident. For them it was just a small surgery. But on an elbow, for a tennis player, we know it’s always a bit difficult,” Pouille said. “It took a lot of time.”

This is Pouille’s seventh tournament of the year at all levels, and he is now 4-6 on the season. But he is practising patience and continuing to work hard, hoping the results will come.

“Of course, I see things differently. That long period off allowed me to think about what I had been doing all these years, what I wanted to do,” Pouille said. “After my loss in Marbella, I could have been down… it was another loss after a very tight match. I could have been discouraged. But I remained very positive. We remained positive in the team. We kept on working. We came here in a good state of mind.”

Perhaps the most important thing is that Pouille is healthy. He can fully focus on his tennis.

“Everything is fine with my elbow. I have no pain. I’m not afraid. I can serve normally. During more than a year, I was not able to serve 100 per cent, so that was a long time,” Pouille said. “This is the most difficult shot I have to adjust now. I have to find the rhythm, the whole movement, to be able to serve at my best level. This takes time, a lot of repetition. But now everything is fine. I have no pain at all. This is positive.”

The World No. 86 is simply happy to be competing. While all players missed more than five months because of the pandemic last year, it was an even longer stretch for Pouille because of his injury.

“I spent a year and a half without touching a racquet on the Tour. I missed a lot playing tennis. I’m happy now the Tour is going on,” Pouille said. “We are able to play. I enjoy it. I’m happy the tournament is on and I can do my job and I can wake up every morning to do what I like to do and what I worked hard for.”

Pouille will play Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin for a spot in the third round against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who upset eighth seed Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday. The Frenchman is not thinking too far ahead, though.

“I’m just wanting to win match after match, trying to implement what I’ve been working on during practice and build up my confidence. This kind of match helps,” Pouille said of his win against Pella. “Now I have to do the same tomorrow and keep going.”

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Wednesday Preview: Nadal, Djokovic Making Moves In Monte-Carlo

No one has won more ATP Masters 1000 titles at a single event then Rafael Nadal at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and the third seed will hit the court to begin his quest for a record-extending 12th trophy on Wednesday.

The former World No. 1 will take on Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis in the third match on Court Rainier III, a stadium that has seen Nadal take a bite out of 11 trophies and rack up a 71-5 record in the Principality. He will bring a 4-0 ATP Head2Head lead into his second-round clash with Delbonis.

Nadal will be competing for the first time since his run to the Australian Open quarter-finals (l. Tsitsipas).

“I [took] a while after Australia. [It’s] going to be my second tournament [of the year],” Nadal said in a pre-tournament press conference. “[We] arrive at an important part of the season for me. I think I did the right work to be ready.

“It’s true that I didn’t play much,” he added. “At the same time, [it] is true that I had good success in the past without playing [many] matches. My mindset is the same as always.”

Two-time former champion and Monte-Carlo resident Novak Djokovic will take on #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner for the first time in tour-level competition in one of the most anticipated second-round battles of the day.

The World No. 1 is contesting his first event since claiming a record-extending ninth Australian Open title. He’ll have to hit the ground running against the red-hot 19-year-old, who arrived in Monte-Carlo after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami.

“He’s [a] very, very nice person. He’s working really hard. He’s devoted. He’s got all the goods that he needs in order to become a champion,” Djokovic said of Sinner in a pre-event press conference. “He’s in a right way and he’s surrounded [by] very good people… [His coach] Riccardo [Piatti] was my coach the first years of my professional career. He’s in good hands.

“We [have] never faced each other in an official match, so it would be definitely great to play him on clay, and let’s see what happens,” he added.

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev and sixth seed Andrey Rublev will also be making their start at the year’s first clay-court Masters 1000 event, and they’re both set to face Italian opposition in the second round. Acapulco champion Zverev will take on Lorenzo Sonego, while Rublev begins his Monte-Carlo campaign against qualifier Salvatore Caruso.

Elsewhere, seventh seed Diego Schwartzman and defending champion Fabio Fognini will be holding court at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. They are contesting back-to-back singles matches on Court des Princes, with 15th seed Fognini taking on Jordan Thompson and the Argentine facing off against Casper Ruud. Later in the day, Schwartzman and Fognini will reunite for doubles as they face sixth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot in the second round.

Watch Live | View TV Schedule

SCHEDULE – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021
COURT RAINIER III start 11:00 am
[6] A. Rublev (RUS) vs [Q] S. Caruso (ITA)
[1] N. Djokovic (SRB) vs J. Sinner (ITA)
[Q] F. Delbonis (ARG) vs [3] R. Nadal (ESP)
L. Sonego (ITA) vs [5] A. Zverev (GER)

COURT DES PRINCES start 11:00 am
[15] F. Fognini (ITA) vs J. Thompson (AUS)
[7] D. Schwartzman (ARG) vs C. Ruud (NOR)
D. Evans (GBR) vs [13] H. Hurkacz (POL)
After Suitable Rest – F. Fognini (ITA) / D. Schwartzman (ARG) vs [6] W. Koolhof (NED) / L. Kubot (POL)

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
[14] G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs J. Chardy (FRA)
[11] D. Goffin (BEL) vs [Q] M. Cecchinato (ITA)
T. Paul (USA) vs [9] R. Bautista Agut (ESP)
After Suitable Rest – K. Khachanov (RUS) / A. Rublev (RUS) vs [4] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG)

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
J. Millman (AUS) vs [16] C. Garin (CHI)
[Q] A. Popyrin (AUS) vs [WC] L. Pouille (FRA)
K. Khachanov (RUS) vs [12] P. Carreno Busta (ESP)
[7] P. Herbert (FRA) / N. Mahut (FRA) vs H. Kontinen (FIN) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

COURT 11 start 1:00 pm
Second Round – F. Krajinovic (SRB) vs [LL] J. Londero (ARG)

Not Before 2:00 pm
Second Round – [8] K. Krawietz (GER) / H. Tecau (ROU) or [WC] P. Tsitsipas (GRE) / S. Tsitsipas (GRE) vs C. Garin (CHI) / G. Pella (ARG)
First Round – [Alt] A. Behar (URU) / G. Escobar (ECU) vs G. Dimitrov (BUL) / D. Goffin (BEL)
Second Round – R. Klaasen (RSA) / B. McLachlan (JPN) vs [5] R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR)

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Win Or Learn: Sinner Looking Forward To 'Good Test' Against Djokovic

Novak Djokovic spoke highly of #NextGenATP sensation Jannik Sinner during his pre-tournament press conference, saying the Italian has “got all the goods that he needs in order to become a champion”. On Tuesday, the Italian will get the chance to prove it against the World No. 1.

Sinner has passed many tests with flying colours during his young career. But his second-round clash against Djokovic at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will be one of his toughest tasks yet. The tournament debutant will try to stun the 36-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, and he’s excited for the opportunity.

“I will definitely have a game plan,” Sinner said. “I know who is on the other side. Obviously it’s a tough match I think from my side, because I don’t know him that well. [I have] seen him a lot on TV, watching matches. But when you play against [him] in a match, it’s different. I’m looking forward to that match.

“It’s a good test for my side to see where I am, especially where I can improve. I know where I can improve, but this kind of match can give me a lot. I just try to go there with the right mentality like in every match.”

Although this is their first ATP Head2Head clash, Sinner is not unfamiliar with Djokovic. They have trained together several times. The Italian’s coach, Riccardo Piatti, worked with the Serbian early in his career, and the teen even remembers the first time he practised with Djokovic.

“I remember we were here in Monaco, Monte-Carlo. I practised with him… I was definitely younger. We were playing in two [on ones] because I was a small kid,” Sinner said. “We only hit for one and a half hours, classic practice.”

Perhaps it’s fitting that they will now meet on the ATP Tour at the same venue: the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Djokovic has watched Sinner blossom in front of his eyes, and now he will try to hold him off with the rising star at a career-high No. 22 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“In that period of two, three years, when he was a junior coming up, we trained a lot actually in Piatti’s academy, here in Monaco, both [on] hard courts, clay courts,” Djokovic said. “I have seen his development, so to say, his trajectory, his road to where he is at the moment. It’s really impressive.”

Djokovic has not competed since winning his ninth Australian Open title in February. Sinner, fresh off making his first Masters 1000 final in Miami, doesn’t believe that gives him an edge, though.

“I think he has more experience than me, obviously. I don’t think that’s an advantage or not,” Sinner said. “I played today one match, which can give me a little bit [of] the feeling back on clay. I’m looking forward to a great battle, trying to play my tennis… then we will see what happens.”

The top-seeded Djokovic, who is pursuing a third title at this tournament, is certainly not taking the challenge lightly. The 33-year-old has watched Sinner quickly ascend, and the Italian can continue that climb with one of his biggest victories yet.

“Obviously there are a lot of the achievements that I’m sure he wants to achieve in his career as he’s pointing out. He’s very ambitious,” Djokovic said. “Playing [in the] final of Miami was obviously the highlight of his career so far. But I think he has been very consistent player, actually. He’s always playing [in] at least [the] quarters or semis of the 250s or 500s. He has been very impressive.

“It seems like he’s not satisfied with what he has achieved so far. He wants to do more, which is great to see there’s the hunger in him. We never faced each other in official match, so it would be definitely great to play him on clay, and let’s see what happens.”

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