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QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

January 5, 2018

Doha, Qatar

MARACH - PAVIC/Murray - Soares

6-2, 7-6

Q. How does it feel to start the season with a title?
MATE PAVIC: It feels great. It was a great week. We played good. I hope we're going to play even better the next week. It gives us a little confidence for Melbourne, for Australia.

We're flying to Oakland actually tonight, getting ready for the next week. Hopefully we can keep playing this good and do well also in Australia.

Q. Starting the first week with the title is great, as you mentioned. What about your targets for this season and just something about the Grand Slam challenge? Where do you think your confidence is towards challenging for a Grand Slam?
OLIVER MARACH: We played last year a final in a Grand Slam Wimbledon. It was very close that we lost. For sure our goal this year is to win one. And winning, of course, a 1000, the big tournaments.

I mean, we had a good last year. We were the alternate team in London. It was a little bit unlucky because we were running for the London Masters and I got injured at the end of the year so I couldn't play the last three weeks. We were playing well, winning tournaments but then I couldn't perform anymore. That was a little bit unlucky.

If it continue, like Mate said, now another goal is the London Masters at the end of the year. I think we have a good chance to do that if we perform like that.

Q. Sometimes some of the players feel that doubles doesn't get as much recognition as the singles. What is your feeling about that, and just about how to make doubles more popular with the crowd and maybe more prize money, so on?
OLIVER MARACH: It is already more prize money now in the tournaments. Maybe a little bit more media and the TV.

But they are try to compare to the last match, giving it much more attention. It's, of course, not easy to the singles, but it's getting better and better. Yeah, I think in doubles, I mean it's completely different than singles. It's more active. It's very entertaining. You have sometimes very good volleys like you saw today. We had really some great shots.

When I come back to my country, I see more and more people playing doubles because there is more fun. But maybe in the next years it's going to get much more attention. I mean, it's already on the way better.

Q. Just touching on that, you said that singles and doubles, it involves a different set of skills. Just elaborate on that. Maybe you require a better net game in the doubles and it's focused more on the service and the return. Just compare how the singles and doubles play, what skills are required.
The second part of the question is: What are the factors that goes into choosing your doubles partner? What do you take into consideration?

MATE PAVIC: I would say it's completely a different game, you know, between singles and doubles. Obviously, as you watch doubles, it has more to do with a lot of net play and volleys and stuff like that. Singles these days it's a lot of, I would say, physically -- a physical sport. You have got to run more, you've got to put more balls in play. A lot more shots, you know. So I would say it's completely different.

In doubles, you put your strength, let's say, in a lot of volleys, net game, serve returns, that kind of thing. In singles, a lot of running, physical sport, forehand, backhand, running, baseline. So it's completely different.

And considering you're second part of the question, everybody is different. Also in doubles. They play different. He is playing also a little bit from the back. When he serves, I'm playing volley and stuff like that. You also know how you feel like playing with different type of players, and that's how you kind of pick also and choose who you want to play with, who you don't want to play with. There is no rule in that, you know.

Q. You said the factors (no microphone).
MATE PAVIC: Of course. You've got a lot of people playing just the ad side. I don't know. He played, in 2009 and 2010, on the deuce side. Now he's play on the ad side. So he can play both sides. Some people playing their whole career on one side. So it's all a factor. But you keep that in mind, and then you kind of choose who can you play with and who you want to play with.

OLIVER MARACH: I think the opposite combines the best. If you have two players with the same style, I don't think it works that well. But that is my opinion about the doubles.

We combine each other very well because we are completely opposite players. Service volley from the back. But then we both return well. We improve our net game a lot. Before it was not perfect, now it's much better. Good harmony on the court. We work on our weaknesses a lot in the past weeks, and that's why we are very successful right now.

Q. Talking about the victory of today, how happy are you? Maybe you took your revenge from them, right, from last year?
And maybe one last question regarding the tournament, how happy are you here in Doha and would you be coming back next year to defend your title?

OLIVER MARACH: We come for sure back, because I love this tournament. I come here already since many years. I just was not here last year. Supposed to come, but I was injured until March. I came here before also as a singles. I played singles before, also. I played a couple of times singles, doubles too. I love this first week of the tournament.

What was the first question?

Q. The revenge you took?
OLIVER MARACH: About the revenge, right. Well, always good to revenge. Very happy, of course. First week of the year, first win the tournament. Taking the momentum now to the next tournament and hopefully have a good result in Melbourne. That's our big goal. Then we're going to see the rest of the season how it's going.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

January 5, 2018

Oliver Marach

Mate Pavic