	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

ATP CUP

January 10, 2020

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

N. DJOKOVIC/D. Shapovalov

4-6, 6-1, 7-6

Team Serbia - 2

Team Canada - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Denis, that was certainly quite an epic match. Can you talk through it and also the couple of incidents during the match as to what was actually happening?
DENIS SHAPOVALOV: What incidents?

Q. With the crowd.
DENIS SHAPOVALOV: The crowd was so respectful today. Great crowd.

The match was really good. I think I played a really high level. Yeah, I mean, a little bit unlucky. He went up in the tiebreaker early, and that's just tennis.

I mean, I played a great match. My game's at a good level. So, yeah, I'm happy with where I am.

Q. Felix, thoughts on the match that you played against Dusan Lajovic. What made the difference that he was able to win in straight sets? Your thoughts there?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: You know, every day I try to step it up, you know, improve and then do things better. I thought I did well until I got broken in the first.

Pretty tough game. Just one time in the first I think he made a couple of returns, he was maybe a bit more aggressive than I was. Then, you know, he served well through the whole first set.

The second I thought I had my chances, but then after we had that long game at 2-All, that unfortunately didn't go my way. I got broken that game. After that, it was just downhill.

You know, just doing too many unforced. He was playing better. I'll see what I can work on and improve before the Australian Open.

Q. Denis, you showed up here playing top-10 level tennis against some very, very difficult opponents, regardless of the final outcome. Are there one or two particular things you can point to in the off-season that have you come up firing this well?
DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I don't think it's anything specific. I just have been working over the years and just kind of building my game.

Of course Mikhail has helped me a lot, but it comes from before then. Even when I wasn't getting a lot of wins, when I was struggling, I was still going to the court, working every single day as hard as I could.

This guy, he can back me up on that, and I think anyone that knows me can. I don't think it comes from something magical. And surely like the end of last season it was kind of starting to click out for me.

Obviously, you know, the way I started, it's great. So hopefully I can just keep up my form and just keep improving, you know. Still, I'm only 20 years old, and I feel like there is a lot of room to grow and areas where I can work on.

Q. Does it show you that it's just a fine line between winning and losing? Because I said, you're not doing that much differently than you were when you were struggling a little bit more, relatively speaking. But now that clicked, you can't put it down to one shot or one slight change, let's say on service return or just one thing or two things that if you have just tweaked a little bit?
DENIS SHAPOVALOV: No, I mean, of course there are things I have tweaked. I'm serving a little bit differently now, picking my spots better, obviously chipping the returns more.

But I just added a lot more variety to the game, but I think I'm just becoming more solid, improving in the areas that I know are going to win me points and win me matches.

Obviously it's a game of confidence, as well. How I ended the year last year, coming into this season, I was pretty confident. I think I put in a lot of good work in the off-season. I think that's a big part of it.

Q. What has it been like working with Mikhail? What are a couple of things he said that really stuck with you and helped you start so strong this year?
DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I just really like the way he works. You know, he's always making me work that little bit of extra. You know, whenever I think practice is over or I'm going to get a drink, he makes me do those, you know, those five, ten extra minutes of ball feeding or serves and stuff like this. And I think stuff like this goes a far way.

I think on the other side, he was a player. You know, he played really recently. So first of all, he really understands me, understands what I'm going through, and I really feel that from him.

I feel like he can really help me with the players, too, in terms of what they don't like in terms of what to do in matches.

Yeah, I think the combo has been really good. I feel like from the first day he's really understood how I play my game and how I see myself playing. He's really helped me get there and helped me become, you know, a good tennis player.

Q. Against Novak, you've gotten a little closer almost every time. Is it you're more comfortable out there, you have learned more about his game? What is it overall that's helping you make strides?
DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, definitely getting more comfortable to playing these top guys. Obviously if I want to go deep in tournaments, I'm going to have to be beating these players.

For sure, playing them helps, you know, just get comfortable out there, but also I just, you know, with my confidence right now, with my game, I really feel that I can take it to anyone, and I feel like against anyone I have a chance to win.

I saw that against Rafa even at Davis Cup. I had a chance to win that second set.

Yeah, today again, it's another step for me, you know, showing me that I'm right there with these guys. Honestly, I was a couple points away from taking the match. So, yeah, I think I'm at a really good position. Hopefully I don't stop here. Hopefully I can keep going.

Q. Felix, I understand that you're using a new racquet.
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah.

Q. What is the difference on the racquet? What adjustments do you need to make to feel fully comfortable with the new racquet?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, well, for sure, there is adjustments to make with the new racquet in terms of string, tension. I have been adjusting still.

So we'll see what I do in the next couple of weeks with that. You know, I felt great, you know, in the offseason playing with it. I felt good in the last weeks.

Now there are certain things that I don't like, to be honest. So, you know, I can't say more than that right now outside of I'll keep adjusting and see what I can do better with that, yeah.

Q. Would you maintain using this new racquet going into the Australian Open or go back to something you're totally familiar with?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Can't tell right now. Like, I would want to tell you, but I'm not sure myself. It's in the air. It's in the air. We'll see, yeah.

Q. What prompted the switch?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Just easier power. Babolat came up to me with a version that was just a little different than mine, more profiled, it was going through the air quicker, a bit more spin to the ball.

I said, you know, I'll try it. Why not?

I tried it. It was great. I had a great month with it. Trained well.

Now we're hitting tournaments, so it's a bit different. So, you know, we'll see the adjustments I can make. But I think, you know, the velocity and the spin on the racquet was a few improvements that were on there, but we'll see if the improvements are better than the other things, you know, than the other side.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

ATP CUP

January 10, 2020

Adriano Fuorivia

Denis Shapovalov

Felix Auger-Aliassime