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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORPJanuary 5, 2015James DuckworthBRISBANE, QUEENSLAND J. DUCKWORTH/G. Simon THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Feel that one coming? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Look, I had a really good pre‑season. Trained really hard up here. I was use to the conditions. I been playing well in practice. It was just a matter of transitioning into a match, and, yeah, I was able to do that today. Q. You played very aggressively. Is that something you're focusing on more now than before, or did it just work well today? JAMES DUCKWORTH: No, it's just something I've been gradually sort of working on. That's a style of play that's going to get me beating guys, top 100, top 20 sort of level. Yeah, it's just been a gradual process of getting better at executing that. I think I did it pretty well today. Q. Be great to see your ranking come down; career high at the moment. Is that motivational for you as you play, that every game might... JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, definitely. My goal is obviously to get inside that top 100. I'm 120‑ish now, and hopefully I can push forward over the summer and get in the main draw of those Grand Slams. Q. I know you've felt like a top 100 player for couple years now, but has it sort of weighed on your mind that you didn't beat a top 100 player last year? JAMES DUCKWORTH: I didn't actually know that. Was Dudi Sela not top 100 when I beat him? Q. 107. JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, I didn't know that. I know I've got that level. I've been practicing with these guys and I know the level I can play on the. It's just a matter of transitioning into a match court, which I was able to do today. Q. Guys like Kyrgios coming sort of so fast and sort of overtaking you, is that a spur to see how quickly you can get on a roll and really jump up high with a couple good results? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, it's great to see Nick doing well. There are a lot have us Aussies sort of coming up now. Yeah, he had that one great week at Wimbledon that pushed him right up the rankings. I think a few of us aren't far off either. Q. Who is your second‑round opponent? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Jarkko Nieminen, a qualifier. Qualifier is obviously going to be dangerous. He's won three matches here. Jarkko is a good player, so either way it's going to be tough. Q. You lost to Jarkko last year. Have you seen anything since then: See him play at all? JAMES DUCKWORTH: I saw him Asia. You know, he's been around for a while. He's a pretty solid player. Good backhand. You know, it'll be tough whoever I play. Q. How do you prepare for a match like that? Do you look at the most recent match that he played or talk to your coach and other players about him? Do you watch any video? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, we'll watch some footage. Obviously I'll go and get the footage of the first‑round match, Jarkko against whoever he plays. I'll go through that and speak to my coaches and, yeah, get a game plan ready. Q. Seemed to be a collective mentality among the Aussie guys at the movement. Is that something you agree with and have felt before, or is it something new? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, I mean, sort of the last four, five years there have been quite a few of us around sort of similar age group all sort of gradually just pushing each other along. There has been a really good sort of atmosphere here up in Brisbane training. A few of us have been training with each other day in and day out and really pushing each other, and I think our tennis is improving. Q. So the goals for the 12 months ahead for you? JAMES DUCKWORTH: I would like to entrench myself in that top 100, and then, you know, try and go deep in some of these ATP events. Q. Is Brisbane feeling like home for you now? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, basically. I'm not back in Sydney very much. You know, I spent all my training up here. It's a great city. I've enjoyed my time. Q. Did you share Ben with Sam? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah. Yes. Just recently started out. Helped me with a couple events end of last year, and then we officially started working together for the pre‑season. And for this year, yeah, we'll be working together. Q. What would it take for you to make a big breakthrough? JAMES DUCKWORTH: I think just more performances like that. Playing that aggressive style of play. Using a bit of variety and just getting better at executing that day in, day out. Q. 21, is that your highest scalp? JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yes. Yes, it is. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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