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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 23, 2015Sam GrothMELBOURNE, VICTORIA B. TOMIC/S. Groth 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 An interview with: SAM GROTH THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Second set tiebreaker, did you feel that was your best chance to come back into the match? SAM GROTH: Yeah, for sure. I mean, obviously playing five the other day, if I went down two sets to love today it was always going to be a long way back. I didn't start the match -- you know, played a really bad game to get broken. Didn't get in enough and build enough pressure early. The second set, especially the tiebreak, it was up, and then down, and then up and up and up. Managed to hit a double-fault at 6-5. That was definitely my chance, I think. Q. Tiebreakers seem to be a bit of an issue in key matches this summer. SAM GROTH: Yeah, I've lost a couple, won a couple. Tiebreaks I've lost is to Gilles, who beat Bernie in Sydney and made semis; then to Bernie who is in the fourth round here; and to Milos Raonic who is 8 in the world. I'm not losing tiebreaks to bad guys either. Q. Something you can do better in them? SAM GROTH: Probably not double-fault at 6-5 would help, I reckon. If I get my first serve in, we all know I win a lot of the points. Yeah, it's something I've got to get better at and I'm probably going to play a lot of. Hopefully if I keep putting myself in those situations, I will come out on top more than I lose. Q. Did you feel pressure with the serve? SAM GROTH: No, I just missed one. I was actually feeling pretty good in that tiebreak. The 5-All point I hit a good chip, a good volley. I hadn't felt nervous at all during that tiebreaks at all, but I just hit a bad one. He also hit one at 7-6, so... You know, it's tense. Two Aussies playing for a spot in the fourth round. You know, probably a bit more tense than other times. No, I felt fine. Q. Are you pinching yourself? It's third round of a Grand Slam. SAM GROTH: Yeah, I think so. I think I'm playing much better tennis and it's a good step forward for me. Good summer: quarters in Brisbane; third round here. If you said that to me at the start of the year I'd probably take it, but this is where I want to be. Q. Career-high ranking as well. SAM GROTH: Yeah. Means I'll be main draw Miami, as well, which is big. After here I have main draw of Quito, Memphis, Delray Beach, Acapulco, hopefully Indian Wells, but definitely Miami. Main draw of a bunch more tour events. Good opportunity for me to keep moving forward. I don't have a lot to defend during that period. Q. That's the focus for you now, get rid of the challengers and play on the ATP as much as you? SAM GROTH: Yeah, of course. The conditions are better. We get looked after better. The points are better. The money is better. You play tennis to play the top level. I want to be playing at that level, and I feel like I belong at that level. Q. Will you change your schedule, not play as many events? SAM GROTH: I'm still in doubles here. I got doubles tomorrow. Quito is the first one. I'm in the main draw of a 250. I'd like to go. I played a bunch of matches. I made quite a few points. That's going to be a long swing for that period for me. Plus there's Davis Cup. I don't know what's going to happen with that. No one has been told anything. There's six tournaments in that period with Indian Wells and Miami in two weeks. You can always play an event the second week of those, plus Davis Cup. It's a grueling sort of swing. I came off court half an our ago, haven't thought about it. We'll figure that out. Q. How do you reckon Bernie is playing? Well? SAM GROTH: He's playing well. He's beating quality players. We all know how good Bernie is. I think he's one of the best ball strikers. He's so talented. He reads the game so well. I know everyone talks about him being an unbelievable mover, but he reads the game so well. He's going to give Berdych a bit of trouble. Q. What most impressed you about him tonight? SAM GROTH: He beat me (laughter). No, I mean, I don't know. I feel like I put myself in a rough situation, took a bit of pressure off him early. I don't feel like I put enough pressure on him. When I started to build pressure in the second set tiebreak, I let him off the hook again. I let him off the hook a couple times when I shouldn't have. He didn't have to do a hell of a lot in those big moments to beat me. I unfortunately beat myself at those times. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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