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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2015

Viktor Troicki

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

V. TROICKI/L. Mayer
6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
An interview with:
VIKTOR TROICKI

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You talked about how coming back feels like a second career. Do you feel after today you're making the most of this chance?
VIKTOR TROICKI: Trying to. I would use any chance that I get. I'm enjoying playing tennis and having fun on the court. I missed it a lot and that gives me a lot of joy on the court and a lot of motivation. Trying to use any chance, any match, any tournament. It's going well. (Smiling.)

Q. You obviously had some good wins since you came back. Was today, because it's in a slam, was that the best win you've had so far?
VIKTOR TROICKI: No, I wouldn't say. It was a good win. Definitely Leonardo played great. He improved a lot. But I think I had better wins than this. This one was important since it was a Grand Slam and I had a long run. Yeah, it was a good win, but not the best.

Q. Can you describe coming back last fall, playing qualifiers again, playing challengers, how tough that was? Was it humbling?
VIKTOR TROICKI: It was different. Very different. Playing small challengers, starting from the quallies, it was -- it gave me some memories back when I was starting actually. I knew I've done it once, so why not do it again? I had a lot of support from everyone close to me, and my coaches were with me. I wanted to give my best and to get back to the top as soon as I could. I think I did a good job with that, so I'm pleased with that.

Q. Did you ever question during the time away if you would come back or if you could return?
VIKTOR TROICKI: I never was thinking about quitting, but after I had some time off and I didn't play tennis, I started missing it. Yeah, I started practicing hard, harder than ever before probably. I had some doubts, of course. I didn't know how it was going to go and if I will come back. In the practice it looked good, playing against the good guys and everything. But in the matches, not having a match for a year, it was kind of -- didn't know how to feel. That first match in Gstaad gave me a lot of confidence. I'm thankful to the tournament of Gstaad where they gave me a wildcard to play in the main draw and beating Dominic Thiem first match after a year gave me a lot of confidence for my comeback. Also, I won my next match, so reached quarters in the first tournament, and that was -- I knew I could get back fast, and that gave me a lot of confidence.

Q. Who were you practicing with in the year you were out?
VIKTOR TROICKI: In the start, as I said, I didn't practice at all. But afterwards, Novak probably the most. I traveled to some places where he was playing the tournaments. Obviously I could not play during the tournament on site, but before the tournament I was using any chance that I could to play with anyone. Also in Monte-Carlo where I spend most of the time because I live there. There's a lot of players there, so I used any chance. Also back home in Belgrade when I was there, there is obviously a lot of young players. For me, since I couldn't attend any -- since I couldn't be at any site, at any event, it was hard to get good players. But any chance that I could get, you know, I used it. That gave me a good practice. So I used any chances.

Q. You've had some time to reflect on what happened. Do you still have any resentment about the way your case was handled?
VIKTOR TROICKI: You know what? Sometimes I see it in newspapers and some headlines it says that I refused to give a blood test. I never refused. That's what hurts me. I want everyone to know that I never refused anything. I just asked for permission and I was allowed by the doctor that day not to give a blood test. I gave urine and I have blood test the next day. It hurts me. I know that I'm innocent and I didn't do anything wrong. That hurts me obviously. And I'm being punished for following the wrong instructions. The instructions that I was given were wrong. That hurts me. I'm paying a penalty for someone else's bad instruction, but it was my fault that I didn't do it that day. At the end, I'm a player who needs to obey the rules. She was giving me instructions, wrong instructions, and she was not punished at all. So that's what hurts me. I'm over it. I mean, that's in the past. Trying to focus for the future. But it will always be a mark and I will always remember it as a bad memory.

Q. One more question about the past. When you said you didn't practice at all at first after the ban, why was that?
VIKTOR TROICKI: Because I had fun.

Q. Okay. It wasn't because you thought you might not come back?
VIKTOR TROICKI: No, no. It wasn't that. Well, I started doing some things that I couldn't do before while I was playing tournaments all the time. I just wanted to enjoy a bit. I skied a lot. I was month and a half spending on the mountain skiing. I was hanging out with my friends, family, traveling to some places. Novak was nice taking me to some places. Then I just had fun. I didn't want to play tennis in the start because it was just a lot of negative thoughts. I just want to relax and enjoy. I never thought of giving up. It even made me more angrier and gave me more motivation to get back even better than I was. To all my team, actually. That's why I was working even harder and better than ever. That work is paying off now.

Q. The skiing and traveling wasn't more fun than playing tennis?
VIKTOR TROICKI: Well, I needed some time off. Let's put it that way, after when it happened. But after some time not doing something that you love, that ever since you are a kid I dreamed about playing tennis and professionally, and my goal was to play big stadium, big tournament, playing against the top guys, being a top guy. When you are forbidden to do something that you love, you start missing it a lot. You want to get back and be there again and be even better and prove to the world that you can be there again. That's what was pushing me. Gave me a lot of motivation to get back.

Q. Are they trying to bring you in in the doping process so that nobody else has to talk this stuff?
VIKTOR TROICKI: They changed a lot of stuff because of my case I heard, but that doesn't change anything to me. I just hope players learn some things regarding my case. I don't think it will ever happen anything similar. It was just a lot of bad luck for me that day I think. A lot of bad things went wrong that day and I was the unlucky one who experienced the worst.

Q. How confident are you feeling at this tournament about your chances?
VIKTOR TROICKI: You know what? I'm going round by round, match by match. I cannot -- I'm confident, definitely, having a title before and coming into this event I'm playing good. I feel good. I'm just looking ahead one match ahead. Focusing for the next match. Playing Berdych I think, and he's one of the top players. I played him a lot of times. So he's definitely very strong. But, yeah, I will try to enjoy it. It's another match, another opponent, and I'm going to try to give it my best and try to win. I mean, it's going to be tough, definitely, because I'm playing a top-10 player. But I'll try to solve some, you know -- I'll try to play my best and try to win the match. That's all I can do.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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