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ROGERS CUP

August 7, 2017

Vasek Pospisil

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

P. POLANSKY/V. Pospisil

7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. What do you think was maybe the turning point in that first set?
VASEK POSPISIL: The forehand, the easy forehand I missed at deuce serving 5-3. I just... I don't know what happened after that. Completely shifted the momentum, and I completely disappeared.

Q. How familiar are you with Peter and his game? Was that a factor at all in how this match went down?
VASEK POSPISIL: I mean, I'm familiar with his game. I mean, we hadn't practiced or played each other in many years. We haven't been on the Davis Cup team.

But I know him well from years ago. I see him around. But we haven't been practicing much.

I knew what to expect. Like I said, I played him years ago, practiced and stuff. But didn't really have much of a factor, to be honest. I think he knows my game. I know his game.

Q. After the turning point that you just mentioned, how much of it was mental after that?
VASEK POSPISIL: Pretty much all of it, I would say (smiling).

Yeah, I felt really okay in that first set. I didn't feel like he had anything to hurt me with. Even I wasn't playing my best, but I just felt fine. I wasn't serving well.

I don't know what happened, but it just kind of went quick. I mean, it's one of those matches to forget, to be honest. You have really good matches in your career that are the ones you remember and think about where things went well. The other ones, some of them, it's kind of a little bit inexplicable. I feel like for a 10-minute period there, I completely vanished into thin air.

Credit to him. He played solid. But definitely would have liked to have made him -- I don't know. I would have liked to have done a better job of being there, competing, yeah, playing my brand of tennis.

Unfortunately just wasn't my day for whatever reason. I can't say it wasn't my day because I started well. I started okay. Then just kind of shifted strangely.

I don't know how many times that's happened in my career, where it was like a bipolar, weird thing. Two completely different players for the first half of the match, then the second half. It was very strange.

Q. You're scheduled to play doubles tomorrow. Is it tough to make the switch right away?
VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, it will be very tough, for sure. Yeah, especially because of how the match went today. I hope I play better tomorrow for Daniel's sake. But, yeah, I'll just try to get some good sleep and try to bounce back.

I'm sure when I wake up tomorrow, I'll be -- I don't know if I'll be feeling better, but feeling different. Something will be different. Hopefully I'll be able to play all right tomorrow.

Q. Playing with Daniel, is that leading up to Davis Cup? Is that part of the strategy?
VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, well, I wouldn't say it's even that. I mean, we've played together quite a bit. It made sense. We spoke a little bit about it, playing in Canada, playing at home. We made semis last year in Toronto. He's a legend of the game, and in Canada.

You know, I don't want to pass up many opportunities to play with him. Also he's a good friend. We get along good on the court. It's nice to, you know, share success with someone that you get along well with.

I enjoy playing with him. I hope he enjoys playing with me. That was more the reason for that, not any kind of Davis Cup prep. Just, you know, kind of two friends that have done well together on the court before. That's pretty much it.

Q. When you get up in a match like this, Roger Federer is sitting in the next round waiting for you, does that at all creep into your mind?
VASEK POSPISIL: No, not this time. I mean, it can, for sure. Didn't come in my mind this time around. Yeah, to answer you.

I don't know how else to elaborate on that. Yeah, this time it was other distractions that kind of came in, I guess, kind of clouded my judgment. I don't know what it was.

Yeah, a tough one to swallow for sure. But Roger didn't win this one (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Do you have an explanation of what happened as you said in English, but can you do it in French, please?
VASEK POSPISIL: Honestly, I don't know yet what happened. There was one important point at 5-3, I missed an easy shot. This changed the momentum completely. During the next 10 minutes, things went very quickly.

It's strange because it's not the first time I've missed an easy ball, an important ball. But from then on, the match changed, and I don't know what happened. I didn't think a lot about it yet, but anyway it was not him. This time it was from my side.

I didn't play well. I didn't deal with that moment well. It happens sometimes in a career. This was a bit extreme. It happens, but tonight it was extreme, and it hasn't happened to me like that very often in my career. Too bad for me, but that's life. It's not the end of the world.

Tomorrow I'm going to play doubles. I'll have my breakfast...

Q. Are you really disappointed you didn't play well in front of your home crowd in Montreal?
VASEK POSPISIL: Yes, I'm very disappointed. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself. There was something a bit heavier than the usual pressure I put on myself before a tournament this week. Maybe that is an answer to the first question in French. Maybe that's what happened.

I didn't really think about it, but I didn't feel very relaxed while I was here the past weeks. I put too much pressure on myself. I wanted to play well in Montreal.

It's always very special to win matches here, with the crowd supporting me. It gives me a lot of pleasure. Maybe I was under pressure, and it might be an explanation for today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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