WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 28, 2020

Roberto Bautista Agut

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/R. Bautista Agut

4-6, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You made quite a match of it this afternoon. Really came back well in the third set. What do you think was the difference between Novak winning and your inability to pull the match out at the end? I'm sure it must have been frustrating.

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, I can be very frustrated and think that this is a big (indiscernible) because I was very close to win, I serve for the match, and I was two points away for the win. Or I can take the other way and think that I made a good comeback to the tour level. I played really good matches this week, and I was serving for the match against the No. 1.

Q. Do you think making it to the semifinals here just a few days before the US Open starts has been a good week of preparation for you leading into the US Open?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I take every week, every competition, 100%. I don't take Cincinnati as a preparation as anything.

When I started the tournament here, I was focused on Cincinnati, and now I will start to be focused on the next week. But Cincinnati is Masters 1000, and I didn't take this week to prepare anything. I was 100% ready to play a good week.

Q. I'd like to know what about the closing roof in that specific moment? Were you annoyed by that? Do you think they could have waited a little longer or not?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Everybody knows that they could wait a little bit, no? It was an unfortunate decision. Is being not the first time I disagree with Lars Graff. I think it was not great and it was 100% wrong.

I cannot do anything, no? I lost the toss of the ball with my serve on the 5-4, and I cannot do nothing right now, no? But it's for sure a bad decision from Lars Graff.

Q. You made immediately a double fault on the first point after that closing roof.

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: As I said, I totally disagree with the decision he took, and for sure it was not great because he broke my rhythm. It was the third time we stop the rhythm in the match. One at toilet break and a physio break and then a roof break.

So the roof break could wait a little bit to finish the set, because to close the roof, it's five minutes. I totally disagree with the decision he took.

Q. I'm curious about the court speed change, whether Armstrong was a lot different speed-wise. I know it was different when the roof was shut, but how it was different from the other matches you played earlier this week.

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: What I felt, the outside courts are a little bit faster than Grandstand and Armstrong. I didn't try Arthur Ashe. Normally it used to be like this on the slams, no? A little bit less speed on the big courts.

Q. You have had a lot of success against Novak, winning close matches. Obviously today you could have won. Why do you think your game matches up better than most against Novak?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I don't know (smiling). I'm not going to say. I think I compete well against him today. I had my chances to get one more round, and he's a great competitor. He is a very good player. I'm not gonna (indiscernible) Novak.

That means that I'm doing some good things, and I have good work direction playing against Novak.

Q. Novak seems to have a great way of performing at his best during the final set tiebreak. He has an incredible record. Do you think there is a reason in his game why he's able to perform that way in decisive points?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, I think he played really good tiebreak. He served two aces at the beginning of the tiebreak and he did a break in the score very fast.

Well, I was, as I said, I'm going to take the match that I played good level. I played a good week. I was really close to win.

I'm going to try to don't think on the negative things and to depress about could not finish the match serving at 6-5.