	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2018

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

PAVIC-MARACH/Cabal-Farah

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to be Australian Open champions?
OLIVER MARACH: Ask him. He didn't know it at the last point I played.

MATE PAVIC: I still don't know if I did it or not.

Q. What happened? Lost in the moment?
MATE PAVIC: I was lost in the moment. We did the break. I don't know, in my head, I thought it's 4-3.

OLIVER MARACH: I wanted to scream, but I was scared.

MATE PAVIC: Break, 4-3. There was the scoreboard up there. I was kind of in the moment, I guess. 4-3, you know, keep on playing. Then this guy serves one point, the other point, third point. Then on 40-Love, the coach was, like, I heard him, C'mon, c'mon, this one.

40-Love, 4-3, why this one?

Then we won it.

OLIVER MARACH: I wanted to scream, and I saw him.

MATE PAVIC: Kind of not aware.

OLIVER MARACH: I was scared at the moment. I thought...

MATE PAVIC: I don't know. I was just in the moment, I didn't realize. Maybe better if I didn't.

OLIVER MARACH: You didn't hit a ball in the game anyway, so doesn't matter.

Q. How did you feel at the start with the Colombian crowd? They were so loud.
OLIVER MARACH: Yeah, but we know that. Latins are emotional. That's like that. I live in Panama. My wife is very emotional. We knew what's coming. Against the Bryans also, it was the same crowd. It's like a Davis Cup atmosphere, so we have to handle that. We're professional enough to block that out. Played a very good match, I have to say.

MATE PAVIC: Just be in the moment, don't even realize when you win.

OLIVER MARACH: Right.

Q. Is this more satisfying because you knocked out the Bryans, the legends of doubles?
MATE PAVIC: I don't know. Whoever you play in the finals or even the semis, quarters and semis, we had tough matches against that guys that maybe you wouldn't say that you should have the match like that, tough match. Also in the semis, the guys, first time playing together, they beat the world No. 1, Kubot and Melo. Colombians beat the Bryans and good teams. Until the finals, they didn't lose a set.

It was a good match. We were expecting a tough match. Happy to win it, yeah.

Q. How did you do it? You have a lot of matches this year already in this tournament. You're even in the mixed final.
OLIVER MARACH: He's young, it's okay, 24.

MATE PAVIC: It's okay. This guy is older. He doesn't even know if he's going to come back next year.

OLIVER MARACH: Really?

MATE PAVIC: That's what you said, man.

OLIVER MARACH: Really?

MATE PAVIC: If I come back next year, maybe be good.

OLIVER MARACH: Okay.

MATE PAVIC: It was tough for us. It was not easy because we had a lot of matches from Doha on, a lot of traveling also. We went to Auckland, had a long flights and everything. Then we would finish the tournament late, coming to Melbourne. We didn't really had a lot of days off or nothing. We kept on playing and playing and playing. It was getting tougher. Quarters, semis, I think we didn't play our best tennis. But just that confidence that we brought on from those tournaments and the wins and everything helped us a lot actually.

It's not easy. It's not easy. It's a lot of matches. When you're that far in tournament, that helps.

Q. What does your night look like? You're still playing tomorrow.
OLIVER MARACH: I don't let you sleep. I don't care.

MATE PAVIC: It's going to be tough. I have to celebrate enough.

OLIVER MARACH: We drink a bottle of red wine for sure.

MATE PAVIC: I opened my mobile, I have 200 messages. It's going to be a long night. Also emotions and everything. I not going to sleep a lot. We'll see. I don't know. I have to play it, so we'll see. I hope I play it good again and hopefully can manage to win again.

Q. Do you hope to keep playing together until the Finals in London?
OLIVER MARACH: Of course.

MATE PAVIC: I don't know. We will see. We'll see how he's playing. I don't know.

OLIVER MARACH: One time I'm going to really play I-formation and hit you with a serve on the head. It will be good.

MATE PAVIC: No, joking. Of course we keep on playing. I don't know, maybe we already qualified for Masters.

OLIVER MARACH: We have a lot of points already. Now is the first month just passed. If we keep on playing a solid year. But, I mean, we going to see. Everything can happen. But we are in a good position, let's say.

Q. What is the secret to your success together?
OLIVER MARACH: Chemistry is good, got really good.

MATE PAVIC: Maybe it's also the coach, no?

OLIVER MARACH: The coach, for sure, helped us a lot. We had him in US Open, but it was just one week when we started with him in Stockholm.

MATE PAVIC: Stockholm.

OLIVER MARACH: Right away we win the tournament. Played a very good tournament. Played there very well. Go to Vienna. Unlucky, I injured in Vienna with my back. I had a damaged disc. Couldn't play the semifinal. That was a pity because we were also in the Race qualifying for London.

We were the alternate team in London. We got in, played one match also against the Bryans. We won that, too.

MATE PAVIC: Since we have the coach, we didn't lost the match actually. Could be him also.

OLIVER MARACH: Not just this year, if you look at it, from Stockholm on, we are 20-0 with the guy. It's really impressive. I don't know how many teams did that before.

Well, we have to lose one time. We're going to lose for sure this year. I think he bring us better together, the final game a little bit better. Make us work very hard. The guy is really super strict. Doesn't mean that we didn't work good before, but better quality I would say. We win a lot of matches, confidence got better. We got better and better. I think that's our success right now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2018

Mate Pavic

Oliver Marach