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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 14, 2018

Kevin Anderson

Indian Wells, California

K. ANDERSON/P. Carreno Busta

4-6, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well-played.
KEVIN ANDERSON: Thank you.

Q. Looks to be quite a test for you today, especially coming with a pretty good record up to this point. Can you talk a bit about the conditions and how tricky the opponent can be.
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I mean, he's such a great fighter. I knew I was in for a tough match. Of course it was quite gusty today, so that was a bit of an adjustment for both of us.

I thought in the first set I was pretty happy with the way I started. I felt I was holding pretty easily. Had a couple of break points in separate serve games on his serve.

It's always tough when you get broken and then you're sitting on the changeover and you have lost the first set, but I thought I did a really good job of resetting, realizing that even though I had lost the first set, I was really in the match.

And if I just stayed patient, I believed I could create another opportunity, which I was able to do. I felt especially as the second set went on, a bit more momentum building, but I thought he did a great job closing it go down, especially on his serve games in the third set. And it ended up being a very close set with neither one of us having too many looks on the other person's serve.

And then going to a third set tiebreak, it's often anybody's game. I tried my best to impose my game as much as possible, fight for every point. Obviously, again, it was tough that 5-6 match point. Really thought the ball was going out. And again having to reset, and I played a very good point at 6-All to set up match point.

So overall, very, very tough match. I kind of expected it going in, but very pleased to have gotten through.

Q. How tough are the conditions? How slow are the courts? Are these slow hard courts from your point of view?
KEVIN ANDERSON: It doesn't feel that way to me. It feels like the ball flies through the air, obviously with just a little bit more altitude. And when the sun is shining, even when it's not shining, the ball is bouncing a lot. I feel like it really helps the serve.

You know, I have always enjoyed playing in these conditions. I think the toughest part is just depending on the time of day, conditions change a lot. And even today, just in my warmup, we started out and there wasn't too much of a breeze and suddenly it was pretty breezy. Obviously in my match it was breezy the whole time, so that was a constant adjustment.

But I think the conditions are great here. I have always enjoyed playing here. I'd say the biggest challenge is just having to adjust day in and day out. Each day the conditions can change.

Q. With the wind, when you're on court level, is it swirling or going from one end to the next? And how is that affecting your ball toss on serve? Obviously you're very tall and that ball is going quite high.
KEVIN ANDERSON: It felt to me like it was swirling a little bit more. And when that happens, I try to, you know, put it out of my mind a little bit.

You know, when it's a constant direction, you can make a few more adjustments because it's obviously staying consistent. But today I felt on either side sometimes the wind was with me and sometimes it was against me. So I think you're almost making micro adjustments all the time.

I actually didn't feel like it was windy enough to affect my ball toss on the serve so much, so that was nice. I felt it was more sort of in rally conditions, the ball seemed to be moving around quite a lot.

So as gusty as it was, I didn't actually feel any issues or problems with the ball toss, which sometimes can be the case if it's a little bit windier.

Q. There were five of what you could call the new generation in the quarters in Delray. Two, Chung and Coric, are moving on here. In the locker room, are the seasoned pros feeling this new group of talented players coming through? Are you sort of aware of it?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I think it's really exciting. Obviously we have had the last while a lot of the same players sort of dominating. I mean, obviously to some extent the last five Grand Slams, even more have been, you know, won by the same select few individuals.

But I think, you know, we have been seeing these guys coming up the last few years, so it's really great to see them taking strides forward. The future of tennis is with this up-and-coming generation. I thought the ATP NextGen was a great initiative and really showcased the young talent that tennis has to offer right now.

I have played quite a few of them. They are tough competitors. As you said, Chung and Coric both are having very good weeks here, playing great tennis, and know they are a force to be reckoned with.

I played Chung last week in Acapulco, close match, expecting a very close match tomorrow with Coric, played him last year in US Open. I expect him to play a little bit better. I'm excited. Hopefully we will see these guys continue to do well.

Q. Obviously you've got a good record against Coric. How much confidence does that give you, knowing they are kind of feisty and fearless?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I mean, maybe a little bit from last year's US Open, before that, it was a little bit -- it was a little while ago before I played him.

But even US Open, it's a completely different week. Yeah, things have changed. Different conditions. You know, it's several months after that match.

I know what to expect. I know how he sort of plays. I have been watching him a little bit this week. Seems to be play very well, fighting very well, being aggressive from the baseline.

I kind of know what to expect. I know what I need to do from my side. For me the biggest thing is always focusing on playing my kind of tennis as much I can. I feel when I do that I give myself the best chance of having a good result.

Yeah, I'm excited to step out on court tomorrow.

Q. I may have missed this before, but it seems like you've got a whole new group of endorsements. I can see Porsche. When did all that start picking up? When did all these new ones come on board?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Actually, I have had all of them for two or three years now. It's always -- it's always nice putting yourself in a position. You know, it helps pay some of the coaching bills and whatnot.

You know, for the most part, I just really try to, if I play good tennis and keep going up the rankings, it definitely makes, you know, makes that whole off-court position much easier.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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