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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIP

June 20, 2017

Feliciano Lopez

London, England

F. LOPEZ/S. Wawrinka

7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Great win today. I'm wondering, watching your success over the past really two years, working with Marc in doubles, how that success is translating into your singles game and giving you confidence.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Well, I have always believed that playing doubles is important in order to learn a few things that you can, you know, do in singles. I was trying during my career to play doubles as much as I could, but it was only in the last, I would say, three years that I started to play singles and doubles every week.

Obviously it's tough, I mean, is very demanding to play singles and doubles every week. That's why I was not playing so much during my career. But at one point I was feeling healthy and strong and I decided to do it. And obviously because Marc is my best friend on the tour, I was just giving him also a chance, because playing with him was for me also something very special. So it was an extra motivation for me to do it.

From the very beginning it was working. So it give me a lot of hope for the future. And it's already one year and a half playing together, and for the moment, we're gonna keep playing.

Q. You were coming today after a final last week. Do you think the desire of revenge or putting yourself again into a victory played some role today?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Not really. It's a completely different match. Stan is a great player, and also Lucas is a great player. But the match that we played today, it's completely different match than the one I played on Sunday.

It was very sad the way I lost, because the match was very close, I have a couple of break points in the second set that if I would have converted probably could have a chance to win in straight sets. Didn't happen. He was very aggressive at that moment. He deserved to win. This is tennis, no?

I knew that it's gonna be another chance here this week at Queen's. It's a tournament that I love. And obviously was not the best draw to play Stan, but I was confident after winning a lot of matches in Stuttgart that I can do well today.

So I feel very, you know, pleased that obviously the most important thing is to win, but I think the way I played, it's very similar of the way I was playing last week.

Q. Do you think having played more matches on grass than Stan played a role today?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Of course. Grass is about playing and playing, and first two matches on grass are very difficult. The fact that I played already five matches last week, that was very helpful, for sure.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the fact that you're 35, turning 36 in September, Stan's 32, and of course the top 5 at the moment is over 30. How do you explain being able to play as long as you are playing and the others are playing?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Well, I can talk about myself. I think after I turn 30, I knew that I have to do something different if I want to extend my career, because I was already playing maybe 12 or 13 years. I started playing when I was very young. When me and my generation we started playing, we were very young. I started playing professional, maybe I was 18 or 17 my first tournaments on the tour. I remember I played in Barcelona when I was 15 or 16. They gave me a wildcard.

So we started pretty young. When I was 30 years old, I thought, okay, I played already a long career, but if I want to still be success, I need to take care of myself.

So I started to eat a little bit better, to take care of my body. I have a physio already for eight or nine years traveling with me every week. So I can explain about me, no? I have been, I would say, a little bit more professional in the last five or six years, because I knew the older I get, I have to take more care of myself.

The other guys, also, I see other guys in the tour that they are very professional. I see Andy, which is probably the most professional guy, taking care of every small detail in his life. Also Novak. Rafa usually. Roger, also. Being injured for almost a year and coming back so strong. That's the reason, no? I think he was also very professional, putting a lot of work in recovering his body.

I think right now tennis and sports in general became very professional, and all the athletes, they take care of themselves a lot. Maybe more than before.

Q. With extending your career, as well, you just discussed the physical side, but what about mentality? Did something change for you at 30 when you made those decisions?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I think with the years and experience means a lot in the game, and to me, in my case, I think I read the game better than when I was younger. I know myself better. I know what I have to do on the court, because I play so many matches in my career. So I was trying to learn from all of them.

So I think in order to read the game, you read the game better. You know where the ball is going to go a little bit earlier. In my case, I know myself better and I know the way I have to play.

It is true that in the last five or six years, I have been playing more aggressively probably. That's because I decided to do it, and I knew that this is something I really have to do. When I was younger, I was not doing the right things on the court sometimes. I was playing a lot more from the baseline, you know. In the last years I was convinced that this is the way I have to play.

But it's pretty obvious that with the years you know the game much better and you know yourself better. If you're still healthy, you can become a better player as you get older.

Q. Do you find you train differently as an older player?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Not differently. I probably spend less hours than I was spending when I was younger. When I was 20 or so I was training a lot. I was doing a lot of fitness also in the gym.

Now it's more about taking care of myself. Of course I have to train because without training it's impossible to succeed, but I'm not putting a lot of hours on the court, but what I do is very focused. When I go on the court, I try to be focused. The time I spend in the court, I try to be really focused. And then I take care of myself. I do a lot of gym, recovery, and all that stuff.

Q. You got to the final here three years ago. Is that something that motivates you to maybe win the tournament? What expectation have you got for this tournament?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Well, when you play a tournament like Queen's, your expectations are high, very high, obviously, but when you see the draw and you realize that it's gonna be very tough -- I just beat one of the best players in the game today. Tomorrow or after tomorrow I will have another very tough match. So obviously the fact that I played here in the past quite well gives me a lot of hope and expectations, but to be honest, I'm in the second round right now, so it's still a long way to get to the finals.

Q. Given this early stage in the tournament and having a big win today and you can celebrate it, but how do you keep yourself hungry and up for that next match?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: This is what we do every week. It's only one more tennis match. And tomorrow I will have another chance to do better and to win.

So this is something tough in tennis. Sometimes you have a great win or you win the tournament and you don't have time for yourself to celebrate with your friends, family. For example, last week I played the finals, and then I was flying immediately. At 7:00 in the afternoon I was landing here with my mind already in London, no?

So you have to forget about what happened during this whole week that I have been playing great, and I was very, you know, very close to win another tournament on grass, and then the day after you have to play here or maybe two days after that.

So that's something that is very tough for us, for the players, no, to put away everything that happened in that week and to refocus again for another very important week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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