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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2017

Karen Khachanov

Paris, France

K. KHACHANOV/J. Isner

7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. Where does that rank in your best moments in your career?
KAREN KHACHANOV: I think it's in general the best result for now, for me, in a Grand Slam. So it's of course one of the biggest victories for me.

Q. Are you based, did I see, in Monte-Carlo most of the time or...
KAREN KHACHANOV: No.

Q. Whereabouts do you base yourself and train?
KAREN KHACHANOV: You mean training?

Q. Yeah.
KAREN KHACHANOV: No, training, my team is in Barcelona.

Q. How long have you been there?
KAREN KHACHANOV: Already three years. I have been working with the same team, yeah, in Barcelona.

Q. How do you view the prospect now of playing the world No. 1?
KAREN KHACHANOV: I think it's going to be a good match and good experience for me. I'm in the fourth round, and I will try to prepare and to do my best.

Q. Will you have a word with your compatriot Andrey Kuznetsov about his encounter with Murray in the first round and what worked for him there? You have the same coach, don't you?
KAREN KHACHANOV: No, we are in the same academy but we have different coaches.

No, I didn't speak with him yet. I didn't have time. I think my coach, he was watching his match, also. He can tell me some tips, give me some tips and explain how was the match, yeah, with Andy with Andrey.

Q. We heard from various interviews you have done you're a keen chess player. Do you think you can think your way to victory? What do you need to work him out as a player? Is that your best chance?
KAREN KHACHANOV: What do you want to compare in chess?

Q. Because obviously it shows a strong mental approach. Wondering if you bring that to your tennis, as well, and whether you sort of play with some strategy or...
KAREN KHACHANOV: No, just when I was young, like from 10 to 12, I was having chess classes. So I like to play chess in my free time. It's one of my hobbies, yes. I think it helps maybe. Maybe. I never thought about it (smiling).

Q. This will be the first time you play a world No. 1 or one of the top 4 guys sort of? Is that something you have looked forward to?
KAREN KHACHANOV: Yes, of course. I think that is what we are looking for, to play on the big arenas like here, center court, and to play against world No. 1. Really looking forward for it.

Q. Andy said that you have practiced together a little bit. So how many times have you practiced together and what did you make of his game from that experience?
KAREN KHACHANOV: I think we practice like three or four times. First time it was like two years ago, and, yeah, we had like some practice games. I don't remember actually what we were doing.

Q. You're in the same age group as Sascha Zverev. How much of an inspiration for you to see what he has achieved in the last couple of months?
KAREN KHACHANOV: I'm happy for him (smiling). I already congratulated him with past results. I think it motivates us to work even harder, like me. I'm seeing in the other young guys. We are looking to each other and support each other. It helps for us, gives us extra motivation and encourage us.

Q. You seemed to stay quite calm when you were playing Isner today. Is he somebody who doesn't get too stressed on the big courts against big players, do you think?
KAREN KHACHANOV: I had to be focused all the time like in the matches against Isner. If you lose one serve, maybe you are one set down. I had to be focused all the time, and to take my serves and then on return to try to return, to make returns in play and to risk sometimes. That's why I was calm, because I had to do this. Otherwise I didn't have the chances, if I would lose my serve.

Q. When you were growing up, who were your idols, your favorite players?
KAREN KHACHANOV: When I was young, one of my favorite players was Marat Safin and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Q. Are you as crazy as Marat Safin?
KAREN KHACHANOV: Do you think (smiling)?

Q. I'm asking you.
KAREN KHACHANOV: I don't think so, but I don't think that he was crazy. Just he was charismatic player, and it was his style. That's it.

Q. John was saying, talking about you and saying you're a good player, and he also got confused at one time and says Karen, it seemed a little strange, that's the name of his mother as well. Has that happened to you? In English-speaking countries Karen is a pretty common girl's name.
KAREN KHACHANOV: Yes, but you have to say "Karen," normally the accent on the second part of the name. That's it (smiling).

Q. How did you get into tennis? Are you from like a tennis or a sports kind of family?
KAREN KHACHANOV: Yes, my father was ex-volleyball player but he finished quite early and he went to university. My mom when she was young also she was doing a lot of sports like athletics, I think. She was running, playing tennis a little bit, just for herself.

And then when I was three years old I was in kindergarten and my parents, they saw one advertisement. There was, like, a tennis club next to our house. So they decided to try because they like this sport, and since that, I started to play tennis.

Q. Real Madrid fan?
KAREN KHACHANOV: Yes, they won yesterday.

Q. Did you watch it?
KAREN KHACHANOV: Of course.

Q. Did that give you sort of motivation for your match today? Did it have any effect?
KAREN KHACHANOV: No.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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