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ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 16, 2020

Lloyd Harris

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

L. HARRIS/P. Busta

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You dropped just seven points on serve, didn't face a breakpoint. Just how comfortable did you feel out there and how pleased are you with this win?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, today I felt very good on the court. Serving absolutely incredible, I think. I didn't give him any chances to play, and it kind of opened me up to play a lot more freely on his service games and just kind of go after my shots and play the way I wanted to play.

Overall, it was really good.

Q. You have sort of struggled a little bit with consistency over your career. What have you done to, I guess, bring that consistency in? You have obviously done really well the past month or so.
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, I mean, I was struggling in the last year and a bit, stringing a lot of matches together in the higher levels.

But, you know, I always felt like my game was there. I think physically I have improved a lot. That's allowed me to maintain a high level over a lot of matches, especially now starting this year.

So I feel like that's something that's helped me tremendously, and that also helps you mentally. I mean, when you're feeling physically better out there, stronger, you know you have the game to do it. I think all of that put together has really led to that.

Q. Second career semifinal. How is, if it is, different to Chengdu from three months ago, four months ago?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, I'm super pleased to be back in the semis. I mean, that was obviously my first and it was something new. That was also the first time I reached the quarterfinals.

You know, that week as well I was playing really well, but I feel like this time around, you know, at least I have been there. I'm not a stranger to that anymore. Playing with a lot of confidence, beating a couple of really high players.

So, you know, I'm looking forward to the challenge, and, you know, one of my main goals for this year is to go deep in an ATP tournament and win a title. So I'll be chasing that. I'm hungry for that. I'll be giving it my all out there.

Q. This also helps you to move to what would be a new career-high ranking. Any thoughts on that, or is that something you don't really consider mid-tournament?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, I mean, we'll get to that part. Right now I'm just kind of focused on the next match.

Obviously that will be a great achievement in itself, but still, I mean, I'm aiming for a lot higher than that and I have a lot bigger goals in mind.

But, you know, reaching any benchmark is always great and fantastic, so I'll be very happy and pleased with that after the tournament.

Q. I think you're nicknamed The King. Can you talk to me a little bit about where that came from?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, I mean, we're all kind of like a close group of friends who play Davis Cup together, and I kind of got that through one of my teammates. I mean, we all have crazy nicknames. It's pretty cool. We kind of only call each other that.

So I was kind of the youngster among the squad. When I came into the Davis Cup team I was 18. Everybody was like 27, 28, 30s. I was kind of like beating all of them, so they just started calling me King, because, I don't know, that's just what I got named.

From then on out, that's kind of been my nickname.

Q. How did you get to support Spurs?
LLOYD HARRIS: To be honest, I wasn't really, like, the biggest football fan all my life. Only became really into football like three, four years ago. Just some of my favorite players that when I started watching, I took a big liking in some of their players, you know. Heung-min Son, Harry Kane probably my favorites.

You know, and then I just started supporting them. Got the shirt, got everything that goes with it. And to be honest, I have been following them like every single match.

So, yeah, now I'm a diehard fan, for sure.

Q. With you and Kevin both in the top 100 now and Kevin is coming back and everything and you played ATP Cup, I'm curious what kind of attention is tennis getting at the moment back home? Is tennis getting more attention there a priority for you?
LLOYD HARRIS: Absolutely. I think it's something we really need as a country, you know, for more than one player to be successful and be doing well week in, week out on the tour, because that just lifts and boosts the country.

And especially, I'm still living in Cape Town, still residing there, I feel like whenever I'm back home I can make a big impact on all the younger players, all the younger kids. A lot of the juniors and the younger players that are good are from around my area and I get back to see when I'm back in South Africa.

So just by trying to give back a little bit to them and just to boost tennis all in all, I mean, we have an exhibition coming up, as well, in Cape Town, we're really trying to raise awareness that, listen, we're actually such a great tennis nation, let's get the people more involved, let's get the younger kids more involved.

Let's try and get back to that point where we have a bunch of players in the top 100, you know, and also try and get some female players up there again.

Q. Your serve is obviously your strong point. Is there any other part of your game you're really hoping to work on and really improve this summer, Australian summer?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, I mean, there is a lot I want to work on. I think there is still -- I mean, I can still improve every aspect of my game, for sure.

It's a process and it takes some time. But, you know, right now it's just, you know, working on being more aggressive for me. You know, I feel like I have a shots, a lot of stuff I can do. I'm just not executing it all the time.

So it's just about finding that belief to continuously be doing it in matches and playing the way I want to be playing when I'm playing bigger and tougher matches.

So I feel like it's easy to pull off stuff in practice and come forward and, you know, do all these things. It's just about now using all of the stuff we have been working on in the match play.

Q. How have you found Adelaide?
LLOYD HARRIS: Oh, so far I have really enjoyed it. I was here last year. I played a Challenger over here. I enjoyed it then, and I have been enjoying it now.

So peaceful along the river. I have had such good food here, to be honest. So so far I have really been enjoying it. Obviously if you're winning, you're always enjoying the place, so that helps, too.

Q. Have you done anything special while you have been here?
LLOYD HARRIS: I have been kind of busy. I have played five matches already, so my days have been completely packed. But, I mean, hopefully I'll get a time to do something still.

Q. There is the Roger/Rafa exhibition happening there, and then there's the one that you're with Kevin, right?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah.

Q. Who else is in the one with you and Kevin? What's the date of that? Is that the 14th of February, or...
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, so it's just us playing the exhibition. It's a massive, kind of like a schools tournament, all that. So it's kind of -- we had the date set for the 2nd of February, which I believe is the date of the Australian Open finals.

So, I mean, if we don't get that far, then that will be the date. If one us reaches maybe quarters or semifinals, then we'll have to postpone it until the weekend after the Federer match.

So we'll see. But right now that's the idea. It's kind of this, you know, just -- we have this massive new thing in South Africa with all the schools, all the people participating in this tournament. This is kind of like the final event where they are all playing.

So all of the young players, all the up-and-coming players, they will be at this event, and then we will play the exhibition in front of obviously a full-house stadium.

It's something that's really exciting, I think, for me and Kevin, something we have been wanting to do. You know, just to, you know, also speak a little bit to all of the players there, to everybody that will be involved, and just give them a little bit of feedback.

So we're really excited about it.

Q. Where in Cape Town are you going to hold it?
LLOYD HARRIS: It's not in Cape Town. We're playing in Soweto.

Q. You guys are playing in Soweto?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah. Cape Town, the Federer/Rafa match will be in the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, which is just absolutely phenomenal, and the fact I think there will be 55,000 people.

So it's going to be a huge event. And as far as I remember, tickets sold out within seven minutes or something like that. So you can just imagine how excited South Africa and Cape Town is about this event.

Q. Then the one in Soweto, where in Soweto? Is it near the Apartheid Museum? I'm trying to figure out where you'd stage it in Soweto.
LLOYD HARRIS: I believe it's a facility called also like the Arthur Ashe Stadium, something like that. I have never been there. I don't know the surroundings so well. To be fair, I have never played there or been there.

But, you know, that's the venue that they announced for now.

Q. If you look at your journey from playing quallies in Egypt at Futures and stuff to where you are right now, how would you describe this journey? How do you feel about actually reaching this level? How do you explain actually making it through?
LLOYD HARRIS: Yeah, it's been a long process for me. I feel like -- I mean, I don't have any wildcards or any big tournaments I could get into in my country or anything like that.

So it was a long road for me. I was playing Futures for two years, two-and-a-half years before starting off on the Challengers, kind of winning a couple rounds here and there, having to drop back, playing a lot of Futures. Just keep myself in the rankings.

Eventually got into the Grand Slam qualifying. Wasn't winning any matches there. So it was a long journey, and I had to, you know, really grind for a long time.

If I look back, I mean, still two years ago I was still playing Futures. So it's not a very distant memory. I have very good memories, a lot of good success that came out of there. I think it's really helped me with, you know, the person I am now and just, you know, that extra little bit of fight and hard work I had to put in to make it to where I am now.

I believe going forward it just makes me stronger and a better competitor. I feel like I really deserve it, yeah.

Q. Do you feel like you're almost at that level where you could match up with the best in the world?
LLOYD HARRIS: I feel like tennis is like on any given day, you know, if I come out and I'm feeling great, serving well, playing well, I can go toe to toe with any of the top guys.

But the thing is they are just so consistent. The fact that they are coming out every single match and playing at that very, very high level, I think that's why, you know, some of those guys stay at the top for so very long and it's hard to take them out.

But I feel like on the day, you know, anything can happen. I'm trying to get my level obviously to get more consistent at a higher level, and that's something I'm working towards.

You know, the way I'm playing now, I'm feeling pretty confident. I'm hoping I'm going to come up against one of these big players and put in a big performance. Whether it's going to be a win or close match, I don't know. Obviously looking for the win. I'm excited to see how my game weighs up to them this year.

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