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CHINA OPEN

October 6, 2015

Di Wu

BEIJING, CHINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese.

Q. You played well today. During the second set, actually you were up a break. Did you think that you may win? What did you feel at that time?
DI WU: At that time I was not nervous. Actually, I did not distribute my energy very well. Then I moved a lot actually. I was tired. I just tried to stay there.
Of course, I wanted to win the second set, but the energy was my shortcoming.

Q. Previously during the Davis Cup, you played very well during the five‑setters. But you felt fatigue playing Nadal. Why?
DI WU: At Davis Cup, my opponent was not as top level as Rafa. Today I felt great pressure for each point and shot.
I had to do my best to win the point.

Q. Today you played Rafa. Although Rafa was not 100%, it's a good chance to measure your level of play. After this match, how can you assess your improvement during this year?
DI WU: First of all, I'm very grateful for this opportunity to play with Rafa because it is a unique opportunity. I should have done better. When I was close to winning the second set, I kind of hesitated. I lacked confidence.
Today he didn't play very well. But as for me, I played 100%, so I'm quite satisfied with the results today.

Q. Last week in Shenzhen you lost very quickly. Do you feel confident after today's match?
DI WU: Last week I did not play very well. After 15 minutes, I only won one game. As for me, I felt a lot of pressure. Today Rafa is of course stronger than the opponent of last week. Last night, I didn't sleep very well. I thought, What if my level of play is as bad as last week? It was a nightmare. So today during the match, I tried to be calm on the court, tried to do my best.

Q. What kind of lessons have you learned from today's match?
DI WU: First of all, when I saw the draw, I felt excited about it. But then I felt a little bit worried about this match. I don't know what is the difference between me and Rafa. We have practiced together before.
During today's match, I think the gap is huge between the two of us. I need to improve a lot. One match cannot show that I'm close to Rafa.
Today I lost. It does not mean that I'm close to Rafa. After today's match, I should rebuild my confidence and try to do my best in the upcoming matches.

Q. During this match, some of your shots were very good. As for the top‑level players, they play very consistently. Can you maybe improve your consistency in the near future?
DI WU: As for the lower‑ranked players, maybe one day you can play some very good shots, but it's very hard for them to keep consistency. As for the top‑100 players, their consistency will be better than ours.
As for each match, they are very focused. As for men's tennis, I mean, the Chinese players, we still have a long way to go to catch up with them. As for me, I couldn't keep 100% focused for each match. I should improve in this aspect. I should work on it with my coach with my mentality. I should be more well‑prepared to have the professional spirit and experience. Maybe I can do a good job for one or two days, but as for the consistency, it is harder to achieve.

Q. Including you and some other Chinese players, you have taken a lot of opportunities, such as main draws at the Grand Slams, the China Open. Compared with the top‑level players, such as Rafa, or the top‑50 players, you have the opportunity to play with them. The problem is that we still have lower‑ranked players. I think we must have the strategies to improve our rankings. What is the solution or the approach?
DI WU: It's a tough question to answer. Actually, we have a lot of opportunities to play with the top players, but we do not take those opportunities. Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, they're big events. If we could take those opportunities, it would be great.
As for us, we are out of the top 200. Actually we need luck to win those big events when we play against those top‑100 players. If you haven't won for a long time, you may question yourself, Why can't I win one or two matches at those big events?
After the whole year, we should accumulate a lot of experience. We should train well throughout the year, then we will have the ability to compete with them during those big events.
Right now we don't have the capability to play with those top‑100 or top‑50 players. There are a lot of aspects that we need to improve further.
As for men's players, Zheng Ze, Bai Yan and I, we are the key players. They've given us some suggestions, but it's limited. We have to take it day by day. Of course, we will never give up. We have the confidence in ourselves.

Q. Can you talk about your coaching situation. What kind of improvements or suggestions are given by your coach?
DI WU: This year I hired a very experienced coach. He trained a very good Japanese player. Helped him go from 200 to 50. I hope that he can help me to improve my ranking.
In February we began working together. Before that, I was quite independent. I need the time to better communicate with him. I trust this new coach. I think he can help me to improve a lot.

Q. You said previously you were independent, without a coach. Right now you have this good coach and a trainer, as well. Do you need something else in order to make a breakthrough?
DI WU: I just hired this trainer this week. Actually right now I think it's enough because I have a coach, I have a trainer. I hope that through the following challengers I can accumulate more and more experience to keep focused in each match to have better performances in the following matches.

Q. Just now you said that you have been a ball boy for Rafa.
DI WU: As for the ATP Finals, I served as the ball boy for Rafa. So right now I played Rafa. It's not a small deal.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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