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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 26, 2020

Tennys Sandgren

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

T. SANDGREN/F. Sandgren

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

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. We spoke with Fabio. He told us that he has no regrets because you played unbelievable, especially in the crucial moments in the end the of the match. How do you feel about that?
TENNYS SANDGREN: Wow, that means a lot. That means a lot. I have a lot of respect for him and his game, what he brings to the court. So for him to say that, it means a lot.

I thought the difference was really small moments. Maybe I played just a little bit better on a handful of moments, and that was the match.

Q. You've played him before obviously, so you know what he brings to a court. How difficult is it to keep your own focus when everything else that is going on the other end?
TENNYS SANDGREN: I mean, it can be challenging. I have a hard enough time anyway just in general. Throw some of the breaks in there, things like that, it was just kind of par for the course really.

I like some of the flair he brings to the court and the matches. I enjoy that. We seem to bring out good tennis from each other. We play some entertaining matches.

Q. Can you tell us exactly what happened at the end of the first set? I saw a time violation. I didn't understand what happened with the towel, a ball boy. Then there was another warning. Describe what happened.
TENNYS SANDGREN: I don't know if I'm the right person to ask. I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. I really didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what was going on.

It seemed like, I guess, in the tiebreak he got a warning for time. I hadn't been looking at the clock so I didn't really know what time it was. I know the points were getting really physical at the end of the first set. My legs were starting to burn. I was feeling it. I'd have to imagine his were, too.

I don't really know what was going on at the time or anything like that. I was trying to keep my head above water. Between the first set and the second set, I don't know what was going on. There were some breaks, restroom, time. I don't know. It was odd. I didn't really know what was going on. I was trying to stay focused.

Q. You were saying to the umpire that there's one rule for one and one rule for another.
TENNYS SANDGREN: It seemed odd. It seemed odd that we probably were already at time between the first and second set, then there was a bathroom break. I was like, Well, already would have been time. If you needed to go to the bathroom... Not to say he didn't need to go to the bathroom or anything like that.

It just seemed like we were dragging on for no real reason. I would have liked to have seen the ref be a little more forceful for what the times actually were. We have a set amount of time, breaks, things like that.

I don't know, though. Like I said, I was just trying to keep my composure and stay focused. Yeah, sometimes I can mouth off a little bit as far as speaking my mind as a way to vent. I was getting a little frustrated as to why we weren't playing yet. I used that time to vent. Maybe I made sense, maybe I didn't.

Q. Did it help fire you up?
TENNYS SANDGREN: I was already pretty fired up, honestly. I was feeling good. I feel like I played well at the end of the first set. I was able to carry that into the second thankfully. But I was ready to get after it.

Q. You made 15 points in a row after that situation.
TENNYS SANDGREN: Really? It seemed like his blister -- like he was having some blister issues as well. His play dropped a little to start the second set. It wasn't just my good play was why I got up 4-0. It's a rollercoaster sometimes with him. Sometimes you're just a passenger with what's going on. He doesn't play well, all of a sudden he's playing amazing, you're stuck with your hands in your pockets like, Shoot, I'd like to play tennis, too, out here (smiling).

That second set was kind of quintessential Fabio with how it can go down. Even though it was 4-5 and I lost five games in a row, I thought at least I'm still on serve, not in a hole or anything like that, I'm up a set. Maybe try to screw your head on right and keep fighting.

Q. You're now 5-2 against top 20 guys at slams, which is a better winning percentage than Federer has.
TENNYS SANDGREN: Wow.

Q. How?
TENNYS SANDGREN: I tend to lose to guys before I play them. Their record, the amount of matches they've played against guys that are top 20, top 10 are silly. I haven't played that many.

Q. You're ahead of Zverev, Medvedev, a lot of people that have been higher ranked and made more money than you.
TENNYS SANDGREN: Sure.

Q. When you do get these occasions, what has made you to be able to capitalize so frequently?
TENNYS SANDGREN: Maybe because I haven't had that many. Maybe I haven't had that many looks or wasn't supposed to. Maybe I shouldn't be here.

The fact that I am, I get kind of amped up. I want to perform. I want to do well. I don't want to take the time on the court for granted.

Getting to play an a big stadium, getting to play in front of a lot of people, because I've played a lot of tennis in front of the very few people, the fact I get to do that seems to bring out the best tennis in me.

It seems if I play pretty well, I have a shot. With the way I serve, some of the offensive, defensive skills I bring to the table, seems to translate in some of these bigger matches.

Q. Speaking of an inferior record, what would you think of playing Federer next?
TENNYS SANDGREN: Your record (laughter)?

It would be very special, very special. I was kicking myself that I lost to a too good Sam Querrey at Wimbledon in the round of 16 because I would have played Rafa in the quarters. That would have been very special. I was a little upset I wasn't able to get to that match.

So obviously they're still in a dogfight. But it would be incredibly special to be able to play him at least once in my career. To play him on a big staging like quarters of a slam would be a ton of fun really.

Q. Then you and Fucsovics, two guys outside of the top 16, in the quarters.
TENNYS SANDGREN: He's really good. Geez, he's so balanced, hits the crud out of the ball. Either one is going to be extremely tough. I'm less the favorite in one of those matchups - against Roger - but I feel like I'm the underdog in both of those matchups, I think, so...

Q. The bathroom break rules are open to abuse really. What Fabio did tonight, did he cross the line?
TENNYS SANDGREN: No, I don't think he crossed the line. I've gotten time violations for being in the bathroom too long. Like between sets, they gave me the changeover time, an ATP 250. I had literally the changeover time to go to the bathroom. I got a warning when I came on the court, like, 30 seconds late.

I don't know. It just seems like it can be subjective at times. There's not like an objective set rule on times between breaks and bathroom breaks and things like that, medical timeouts, going off the court, staying on the court. It becomes tricky.

No, I wouldn't go that far at all, no.

Q. You used the phrase 'I shouldn't be here' a moment ago. Could you explain a little bit what you mean by that. You're still surprised when you make it to this point of a Grand Slam tournament?
TENNYS SANDGREN: I think to clarify, I wasn't supposed to be here. I spent a lot of time in my career not sniffing these opportunities. So there are better players than me that I played with in futures and challengers that have stopped playing because they just ran out of money or got injured or something like that.

The fact that I was blessed enough to keep hold of my dream and to be able to try and fulfill it, have the body to do so, the opportunities, definitely blessed.

It's worked out pretty well. There's definitely a world where it didn't work out. Some of the margins were pretty small for me to have some of these opportunities. I definitely don't take it for granted.

Q. (Question about playing challengers and now being in a quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.)
TENNYS SANDGREN: I feel more used to it now, having had more success, runs at slams, winning matches.

Definitely, like, the first six months, year, where I was getting into main draws of slams, playing more ATPs, I was struggling to get the best out of myself. I felt inferior in those moments, that I was less of a player than I actually was.

Getting the confidence to believe in myself, that I do actually belong on this stage, is crucial for competing. I mean, if you don't feel like you should be there, you're probably not going to play very well.

Getting that confidence over time has helped a lot.

Q. Do you have that firmly now?
TENNYS SANDGREN: I wouldn't say 'firmly'. Confidence is never firm. But my core belief is definitely a lot higher than it used to be.

Q. On times you thought you might not make it. I remember the day you were the other guy in the Marcus Willis video. What are your memories of that? I wouldn't have left that match feeling great.
TENNYS SANDGREN: I did not feel great after that one. He downed an RC Cola and a Snickers and took me out. I was trying to do everything I could to get better and try and move on.

He's a heck of a player, though. It's not to be trifled with. I had a few of those where it's like, What are you doing? Is this ever going to be worthwhile?

You shift the focus, right? It's not about the successes, money, winning. It's about who you're trying to be, how you're going about your craft, and are you doing the things that you should. Are you finding fulfillment outside of those successes.

If they're few and far between, you're trying to get the best out of yourself, what do you hold onto? It certainly isn't the money, the glamour. It's putting your hardhat on, getting your work done, trying to be the best you can be, trying to believe that's going to pay off in some form or fashion down the road.

You don't know what that's going to look like. You hope it's enough to sustain you. That mentality is going to get you places.

Q. Did you ever try the Snickers?
TENNYS SANDGREN: I do like Snickers but not on the court during a match. Maybe before like a practice or something. Not recently, though. Trying to eke out that last 1% or 2%. Snickers isn't on the menu for that. I don't think Novak is having any Snickers.

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