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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPSJune 17, 2015Kevin AndersonLONDON, ENGLAND K. ANDERSON/S. Wawrinka THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. So 22 aces, Kevin. Pretty good? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I felt I was serving really well. Grass definitely helps a little bit, especially on some of the wide serves. I felt a very good serving performance by me today. Just kept patient throughout. Especially in that second set, I found I was having quite a few chances on his serve. He was able to hit through. Sometimes it's tricky to refocus on your serve, but I felt I did a really good job with that today. Q. You have a good record against him, don't you? You won the last three against him? KEVIN ANDERSON: Actually the last four, I think. Played him three times last year. Q. That's what I meant, yeah. KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I know the first few times, I think he beat me three times in a row, pretty close matches, and even last year was some pretty close matches. I feel just the way I played today, I feel like it suits the matchup quite well. I definitely tried to come in quite a bit especially off my serves, trying to take away his block return a little bit. But it's tricky. I just feel like I play good tennis against him. You know, I just need to ‑‑I can take a lot of confidence from that and take that same sort of belief against some of the other top guys. Q. What does it feel like to be the first guy to beat a new Grand Slam champion? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I mean, it's ‑‑I think I had that last year actually when he won Australia. I guess that's a funny coincidence. At this stage, I've just played these guys a lot of times, and I think it gives me confidence, you know, knowing the guy I beat today just won the French Open and watched him playing and beat the best players in the world doing it. Obviously it's a different match, a different day, and different set of circumstances that you are always dealing with, but I think I can take just a lot of self‑belief and confidence. A lot of the things I have been working on came to fruition today. Q. Obviously your focus is still very much on this tournament, but rolling forward to Wimbledon, you will be one of the guys that people are going to say you've got a fair chance of going actually really deep there. What do you think about your chances as you see them? KEVIN ANDERSON: I feel they are good. I feel I'm playing good tennis. As you said, my focus is solely on this tournament. It's a very big tournament. It's a big opportunity, as well. But, you know, you do have it in the back of your mind obviously Wimbledon coming up, and I have the week off next week, just preparing and getting ready, but I think each day that goes by, it's just the goal is to, you know, keep progressing, keep working on and improving little things. I have that philosophy the whole time, not just in these weeks. But it is just a short period, only four weeks, so it's important to keep that mindset and keep that positive attitude going. Q.  The draw has really opened up now. Do you think you have a chance of winning it? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I feel that way coming in. Each match is tough. You have heard everybody saying that a million times. But it feels great to get through today's match. It's a very big win for me. Coming back on Friday will be a new day, different things you have to deal with. Regardless of who I play, I'm going to have to bring my game again. That's what you just have to do as many times as possible. Q. What makes it so hard against Wawrinka? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, he's beaten all those top guys. I feel the times I have played him I've definitely served very well. I have been aggressive from the back. But we have had close matches. In Paris when I beat him last year, he served for the match and I managed to get that one out. You know, I think when he has time setting up from the baseline, he's very dangerous. That's definitely something I try to do, take time away from him a little bit. It's worked out well the last few times I have played him. I think some of the other guys, watching him in the finals against Djokovic, just had a bit more time, the surface is a bit slower, and when he's swinging from the baseline he's very tough to beat. Q. (Question about the last four matches with Stan.) KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I mean, each match is always different. I've played him ‑‑ this was the first time on grass, played him on hard outdoor a couple times, hard indoor. It's tough to assess just his game. My game is changing and I always try and develop and evolve, so, I mean, it's tough to compare sort of the matchup today as the one we had in Indian Wells almost a year and a half ago. Q. Stan said after the French he effectively said don't lump me in the top 4, I'm not near them. I guess you could understand why he might say that, but do you think there is still that gap? KEVIN ANDERSON: I was just thinking about that the other day, actually. I think historically, yes, but in the last year and a half, you would have to say that. The last six times, he's won two of them and Novak has two and, you know, nobody else has that. So you can make a pretty strong case that I think he's really proved himself to be one of the top four guys in the world. Q. Just as an aside, talking about players changing nationality, what's the situation with your citizenship now? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, theprocess is underway. Hopefully I will be approved and have U.S. citizenship in the summer, but definitely keep... Q. This year? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, keep my African citizenship and hopefully have the dual citizenship. It's just a matter of logistics, really. I'm not switching and playing for the U.S. I'm still going to play for South Africa. Just more having that option, as well. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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