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HUAJIN SECURITIES ZHUHAI CHAMPIONSHIPS

September 27, 2019

Alex De Minaur

Zhuhai, China

A. DE MINAUR/B. Coric

6-2, 4-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You have defended your semi-final points from Shenzhen last year. Some players complain here it's hot and humid, some have breathing problems, it seems that the weather here is enjoyable for you.
ALEX DE MINAUR: Well, I don't like to complain about conditions and playing surfaces, how the ball's playing. At the end of the day complaining about it is not going to get you anywhere. So I know it's tough conditions, I know it's hot, I know it's humid, I know it's slow, very long rallies, but I still got to go out there and do everything in my power to keep fighting for every point. And if I've got that in my head before the match, then it's only negative thoughts and you don't want none of that.

Q. Yesterday your match finished really late, I want ask you how do you feel about playing against Andy and your win against such a great champion, how do you feel about that match?
ALEX DE MINAUR: I felt extremely honored to play Andy. He's one of the greats of the game and it's amazing to see him back on the tennis court and back playing some really good tennis and, look, it was nothing short there than I expected. It was a dog fight and that's what I signed up for and I'm extremely proud of myself to get through it, but at the same time very happy to see Andy back out there and back playing good tennis.

Q. Now let's talk about the hat, it's everywhere in social media in China now. So could you tell us how do you find the music and how do you decide to present it. It's a very funny video.
ALEX DE MINAUR: Look, lots of hours sitting in my bed realizing, what can I do with this gift. I got this gift from a fan and I thought it was incredibly funny. So at first I was just going to take a video without music or anything, just playing around with it, but I thought it would look so much better with a good song. And, look, I work hard on the tennis court, but I also work hard at my videos, so it was fun. Now hopefully if I have some time I can maybe do a part two, we'll see.

Q. (Question in Chinese.)
ALEX DE MINAUR: Yes.

(Laughter.)

Q. We know that you have played two very long matches. Tomorrow you're going to play against Agut. Do you have any method to keep your physical strength so that you can play a good game against Agut?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Well, obviously I've got to do everything I can to recover, that consists of getting some sleep, getting a massage, then tomorrow trying to sleep in, maybe have a nap and then come back tomorrow and keep doing what I've been doing. Every time I step out there on court I'm going to give a hundred percent. Roberto is a very good friend of mine and one of the toughest guys out there, so it's going to be a hell of a fight and I love it, so I'm looking forward to it.

Q. So all of our match courts are with cover, so would you prefer to play like outdoors or with the covered court?
ALEX DE MINAUR: I actually I like the covered court because it reminds me, especially of Brisbane, Brisbane International at the start of the year. So it feels like great conditions out there, I've been enjoying myself, the crowd support has been insane, so, look, I just want to try and keep it going and we'll see where it takes me.

Q. It's the same designer of the Brisbane court.
ALEX DE MINAUR: It is? Well, it looks and feels good. I really like that court and I've played a lot of matches there and a lot of good tennis, so I like it.

Q. Andy said last night that he's just a Top-70, Top-60 player. Do you agree with that or do you think he's just too modest?
ALEX DE MINAUR: I think it's a very tough one. For someone like Andy, where he's been and all the injuries he's had to overcome and at the age he is, to come back and not only play sort of the big tournaments, to come back and play Challenger events and all that, it shows the amazing passion he has for the game and how much he still loves it.

So it's tough as a fellow player to see him struggle out there, but I really hope he's back to his level or back to a good level very soon. I think he's definitely a better player than Top-70, Top-60, but it's got to be him that believes it.

Q. You are so young and you're just 20 years old, but you're already so successful, you already have two ATP singles titles. How do you cope with the popularity and the fame and being recognized everywhere, especially in Australia and does this bring pressure to you from time to time?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Well, the good thing is that not many people recognize me, so I keep under the radar. And for me nothing changes. I'm still the same kid, I do the same things, nothing has changed. I still go and have breakfast with my coach and in a small cafeteria, which is like four Euros, I still train in the same club with the same coach. I have an amazing team and which hasn't really changed and they both help me to keep improving and to keep me grounded. I don't feel like anything should change. Once you start believing that because of fame, popularity or winning matches or going higher up in the rankings that you should change things, then that's where the troubles come. So I just try to keep it simple.

Q. Tsitsipas said that there's still a gap between the three top guys and the others. In terms of intensity, the passion they put in the game, do you agree with him or do you think that it's just a matter of time that the young, the next generation can get to the next level?
ALEX DE MINAUR: I feel like it's an interesting one because as we have seen the game develop we have seen the age, average age become older and older. So to try and obviously challenge these top guys you have to be at a very high level physically.

So there's people who develop a bit before and they have already got their full size adult body at 21, 22, and other people that take a little bit longer. And I do feel like it's true that these guys, they just play well every single tournament, every single match. I feel like at the moment Daniil Medvedev, he's really accomplishing that and he's a real force to watch out for. So, look, I think it's a matter of time. I know all of us want it to come sooner rather than later, but we're still going to work hard to keep improving and put ourselves in position to hopefully push these guys or beat them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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