	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

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 10, 2019

Roberto Bautista Agut

Wimbledon, London, England

R. BAUTISTA AGUT/G. Pella

7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to be in the semis for the first time?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, it feels good, no? I think I did a great tournament. I playing very good the first week of the tournament. And today was a very difficult match. Guido Pella is a good opponent, has won really good matches this week. He was really tough to beat.

Well, it was also a good opportunity for us to pass through the quarterfinals and play the semifinals here in Wimbledon. Well, it was also a lot of emotions on the match. Well, I feel very happy.

Q. Am I right in thinking that tomorrow you were supposed to be flying out on your bachelor party? You weren't expecting to be this far into the tournament?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I didn't understand it.

Q. Were you supposed to be going on holiday with your friends tomorrow?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I had planned to be in Ibiza right now. We had everything organized already. My friends, six of them, are all there.

Well, it feels better to be here in London.

Q. What are they going to do? Are they going to come to London?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I think so. I think they will fly on Friday.

Q. You had a very difficult year last year, particularly off the court. What strengths did you learn about yourself that have helped you get to this situation now on court?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I was playing really good tennis last year. I had to retire, unfortunately, in the semifinal of Halle. Well, it felt really bad to watch the tournament at home.

This year I was really, really motivated to come here. I wanted to play a good tournament. Well, everything work well.

Q. What are your thoughts about what the three guys have accomplished to prevent people like you from breaking in? What sort of opportunity is this for you?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: It feels good to be next to them. They are one of the best players in the tennis era. They are such a good sportsmen, a good tennis players.

Well, it feels very good to be next to them and to be part of the semifinal in this tournament.

Q. What would you best say to capture the idea of the challenge of facing your next opponent?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: We played I think 10 times. I had the chance to play really good matches against him. Some I lost, some I won. I played really, really tough and difficult matches against him. He's the past champion here in Wimbledon. He really likes playing on grass.

Well, I really feel good also playing this year here on the grass. I think it's going to be a nice match.

Q. What is it that you're enjoying about the grass right now? Particularly I notice that you're still not coming to the net that much. I think I counted 25 times into net over four sets.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Because my shots are really, really flat. I like to take the ball early, to be solid. With experience of coming year by year to the grass, I really learn more about the movements on the grass. I feel I can play a solid game also from baseline and I can really develop the good things I do on the court here on grass.

Q. How surprised are you to have gotten this far? Were you not expecting to have gotten this far?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, I think today it was a good opportunity for us, for both of us, to play each other and get the chance to play the semifinal. It was a really, really tough match. Guido really played amazing tennis. It was not easy to manage all the emotions and get through all of them to win the match.

Q. Why do you think you've been able to be such a tough opponent for Novak, especially recently?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, because he is very solid from baseline. He likes to play a lot of rallies. Well, I like to play against opponent like this, to play a match with a lot of rallies. Against Novak, that's what we do.

Q. Do you feel as though you belong? You have three great players potentially getting to the semifinal. Do you feel now at 31 you actually belong amongst the elite players?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, that means that I am working well. I did a lot of work during all these years to be better player, to be every single moment thinking on the improvements, not to try to catch them, but to be as closer next to them.

Q. Are you getting married then in the next few weeks?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I will get married in November if everything work well (smiling).

Q. Quite an early party then?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Yeah.

Q. For Spanish you have a very peculiar game, fast strokes. Where did you get your type of play? You have an open grip on your forehand compared to your countrymen. Tell us more about that.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: It's very particular, no? I grow up playing on clay. The club I grow up, there is 15 clay courts. There is no hard court, no grass court. I think because I played since I was very young with a very heavy racquet, and that means if I would play with a lot of spin, I could not move the ball, no? I think that's why I play that flat.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297