	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

CHINA OPEN

October 4, 2018

Zhang Shuai

Beijing, China

ZHANG SHUAI/A. Kerber

6-1, 2-6, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese.

Q. Big score difference in each set. Do you think there were many differences in tactics or game plans within the match? Talk about the match today.
ZHANG SHUAI: I think in the second set, at the beginning of the second set, I had opportunities. In the first game, I didn't do well in one or two points. In the fourth game, I had a breakpoint.

When I was down Love-3, that was quite tricky, quite difficult to turn it around. I made several double-faults in the second set. Those were some of the mistakes I shouldn't have made while I was competing former world No. 1.

When you make some mistakes, some errors, you will lose the whole set, even the match.

I'm really happy I was able to play my game in the third set.

Q. Kerber is a very tough opponent. When it came to the third set, did you expect to bagel her?
ZHANG SHUAI: Well, I also consider myself a very tough player. Whenever two players are similar in terms of quality, when we meet, the difference will be who is braver, who is able to play out the advantage or who is tougher in this match.

I'm really happy when I was facing a tough player, a top player, I was able to keep calm, calmer than before. I was able to win the match.

There were previous matches when the scores were close and I wasn't able to finish the match with a win. While this year at the China Open, I have seen improvement.

Q. Now you have an opportunity to make a record high performance in the China Open. You are playing good tennis. A good chance you can get the title here. If you can win the title, is it something you'll be really proud of?
ZHANG SHUAI: It's still far away from getting the title yet. Being able to compete in the China Open, being in the center court, this is something I'm really proud of in my career.

Plus, I have fans coming from all over the world cheering for me. This is something I'm really happy about. Again, I think I can defeat a former No. 1, a Grand Slam champion, this is something I am proud of for the rest of my life.

In the Lotus court, I beat a former No. 1. Here on the center court, I defeated a No. 3. I believe all the records I've set are closely linked to the China Open. This is something I'm really proud of.

Be it top eight or any other achievement, I'm already really happy I have made these achievements. Today Kerber was the Wimbledon champion, and tomorrow it will be a US Open champion. My goal is to play the best I can.

Q. Many players get really nervous on their home court.
ZHANG SHUAI: Stosur, right? She doesn't play really well in Australia. Are you talking about Garcia, too?

Q. You always play very well with great results on your home turf. How do you do that, not to have pressure, but instead to gain positive energy from the audience?
ZHANG SHUAI: In other matches, I don't see that many fans cheering for me on-site because they have to go to work, go to school. Not as attractive as the China Open. The China Open, during the holidays, so many fans actually coming from all over the country to Beijing. Some of them have to take the train for 23 hours to get here. Some of them have to save money for most of the year to actually buy the tickets to the China Open.

I feel I don't want to let them down if I am defeated in the first round. I don't want to let those people down who have traveled from far. I understand when I competed when I was a kid, I had to take a train for two days to get to the destination. I feel for them.

I could not lose one match and so I have to do my best in the China Open to actually provide good performance for them. I'm staying here not only for me but also for those people who like me. I am fighting for them so I can be in another match.

Q. When Naomi was here, she did not know she would be playing you in the next round.
ZHANG SHUAI: I did not know either. When the journalists asked me, I got to know I play Naomi in the next round.

Q. How do you view this when you are playing against a good friend? Chinese players have good results in the China Open. How do you view this competition among Chinese players?
ZHANG SHUAI: Well, friendship first, competition second. Be it win or lose, I would maintain a good relationship with her. I hope we can be healthy, keep fighting, because at least one of us could be in the last four. I hope more Chinese players can be better, can have higher rankings. I look forward to seeing younger players, our friends who are current players, to be able to compete in different tournaments with great results. They are really good players. They have beaten me in different matches. I think in the near future, they will enjoy bigger breakthroughs in their careers.

I'm really happy to see Chinese players making good results.

Q. You saw ups and downs in today's match. Technically which one or which element are you most satisfied with? Naomi Osaka also mentioned you are able to control unforced errors, to actually minimize unforced errors. What is your game plan?
ZHANG SHUAI: Talking about the match today, I do not see big ups and downs. Sometimes when you see 6-1, 6-2, but in many games we were fighting with long rallies for just one point.

I was really happy to hear the compliment from Osaka. I don't think I'm a good returner, I make few unforced errors. I think all the credit goes to my coaches because my coaches were really strict when I was a kid. I practiced with many kids together. Our coaches always asked us to minimize unforced errors, to maximize the success rate.

For those players who trained together, we all got very good results in the teenage years. I hope I can be better. I think Naomi Osaka is a really good server, very aggressive, and I hope there will be something I can learn from her.

Q. Naomi Osaka says you are one of her good friends. Stosur is your good friend, too. What quality makes you a good friend of so many top players?
ZHANG SHUAI: Well, every person is very special, very unique. Their style in how we approach our lives, as well as careers, we have different values. At least to myself, when I am grown up, I have always been sincere, be it with players, coaches, staff, media.

Sometimes I feel that I am too sincere, that I can get hurt by being sincere to other people. Well, sincerity is only to those people who are also sincere. For all other players, if I'm good friends with them, that means they're sincere, they're nice. I like friends who are simple, who are direct. Even though we are opponents on court, off court I hope they can be successful, have good results. I would not be jealous if they have good results.

We each have good hope for each other, respect for each other. When you are playing a friend on court, it is actually very tricky and tough because eventually there's only one winner. We hope that there can be two winners, but it's not the case for tennis. The reality is cruel. We have to accept it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297