US OPEN

September 3, 2020

Vasek Pospisil

Press Conference

V. POSPISIL/M. Raonic

6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A great match today, great performance against obviously a fellow Canadian and player, Milos, who has been playing great over the past week. How much do you think that played into things just ahead of the match that you are facing a fellow Canadian? How were you able to overcome that challenge?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, I think especially the first set it probably had a bit of an effect on both of us. We both started a little bit, maybe a little bit slower, maybe -- you know, I could feel there was a little bit of nerves on the court from both sides.

And then I just felt as the match went on, I mean, I felt a lot more comfortable, and I found a really good groove and I was moving really well.

I mean, he's serving incredibly well, but I felt like I got a relatively good read on his serve. Then the key for the match today on my end was that I was serving extremely well and able to hold my service games with, you know, relative comfort, which made it a little bit easier, you know, for the rest of the match.

But, yeah, to answer your question -- to play a Canadian obviously is always tricky, right? I mean, especially someone like Milos who I've known for basically my whole tennis career. We grew up together, we were the top two in Canada for our same age group. We're the same age, so obviously we have a bit of a history, for sure.

Q. Just wondering, you actually didn't have a lead-up tournament for this event, for the US Open. You were playing great obviously at the beginning of 2020, but Raonic made the finals just last week in the Cincinnati event. Were you concerned at all heading to Flushing Meadows that you didn't have official match play on the ATP since the hiatus?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, I was, for sure. I mean, I didn't feel great in practice leading up to my first-round match.

You know, I just tried to take it as -- I was trying to be realistic with the fact that maybe it would take me a couple of tournaments to get into the swing of things.

Then about two or three days before my first round I actually got a really good rhythm. I was, like, Okay, I feel like I can maybe do something here this week. It wasn't really until the last two or three days before my first round.

Prior to that I just felt a little bit rusty, even though I had been training hard. You know, match play is different. But, you know, today I feel I played even quite a bit better than the first round, which is great. Definitely feel like I'm right back where I left off.

Q. What was your game plan going into this match, considering you know each other's games so well? What was key to the match today for you? What's the intensity like playing a fellow Canadian? Seems to be a big topic.

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, well, playing Milos is never easy, because, you know, he's the kind of player that has so many weapons. When he has time on the ball he's -- you know, he puts you in defensive, and that's not where you want to be when you're playing him.

I guess my game plan going in was, you know, what it was the last time I played him when I was able to win, as well. I just wanted to take time away. Obviously serving well is really important.

I felt like in the first set I wasn't quite dialed in, and I wasn't really hitting through the court as much as I would have liked to and felt like he had a little bit too much time. Then I tried to make that adjustment early on in the second set.

He's just one of those guys that you can't, you know, you can't give him time. He has a very heavy ball, he's a really big guy, and he's got big strokes. If you can play quick, then that's better.

That's easier said than done, because he obviously has a huge serve, and a lot of power. So it's not always easy to accomplish that game plan, but I was able to do that again today.

Q. I notice that on your T-shirt you have Huawei as sponsor. I wonder while in New York you're having 5G mobile coverage from them.

VASEK POSPISIL: Yes (laughter). Yes. No, they've been, yeah, very good to me, very, very nice. Really great sponsor. They've been really treating me extremely well, and I have a really great partnership with them the last year.

Yeah, I'm, you know, I'm having great service from them, and great products, and I'm very happy.

Q. You haven't played your next opponent in a long time. How would you describe your style of play and his? What keys to the match will be?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, it's very tricky opponents. I have played Roberto a couple times. Especially playing a best-of-five match against him, he's obviously really in form. He made semis last week, he almost beat Novak. The draw doesn't get any easier. It's going to be a really tough match.

I think it's one of those guys that I'll have to try to keep the points short, because definitely the longer the points go and the match goes, the worse for me, no doubt about that.

I'm just going to try to play aggressive and use my strengths and try to, you know, give myself the best chance of winning the match, which is, you know, keeping the points short and trying to use my weapons.

Very solid player. Super fit. You know, he gets to a lot of balls. But I definitely have some weapons in my arsenal that hopefully will disturb him.

Q. How do you explain your fine form and how well you have been playing?

VASEK POSPISIL: Like this week? Or just in general? I don't know. I guess it's a written question. I don't know if he means before COVID, as well.

No, I think in general when I came back from the surgery, I just -- I felt like a different, a little bit like I matured and I feel like I'm a different player out there. I feel quite a bit more relaxed and confident.

Honestly, also just working with a new coach and working with my old fitness trainer, I feel like I'm moving as good as I have moved in the last four or five years. The other thing is I don't have any back issues, which is huge. Obviously it goes without saying how important it is to be healthy on the court. I think I hadn't felt this way physically since, you know, I had my big back issues, I guess, in 2015 and onwards.

So I just kind of took it as normal to -- I just assumed that it was just a normal part of sport that everyone had to deal with, having pains every three, four weeks. Clearly it wasn't normal, because now I feel amazing.

Back the last four years or so I couldn't go three, four weeks without having to take a couple days off from some kind of back issue, and sometimes ten days.

Yeah, I think it's not so simple. There is a lot -- it's a complicated answer. There is a lot of things that go into it. Like I said, coach, my mentality, how much I have matured, as well. My fitness trainer, back injury is no longer an issue, knock on wood. But it's a lot of things, for sure.

Q. I was wondering, you talk a lot about Milos' game today. What did you like about your game today?

VASEK POSPISIL: Oh, yeah. Well, I served extremely well. I mean, I felt like I was pressuring -- I feel like when I got into the rally and we were kind of neutral that I had a little bit of the upper hand. I was trying to make sure I was playing through the court so that he wouldn't get time, and I feel like I executed extremely well.

I was calm throughout the whole match. I was adjusting really well. I was, you know, just calm mind and was adapting quickly. I mean, if there was something that was happening in the match that, you know, I was picking up on patterns very quickly and I was adjusting the right things, even on my end. You know, if I didn't feel one stroke, you know, if I didn't feel like I was hitting my backhand well or if I lost my serve for a game or two, I just adjusted things very quickly and played a really good match.

I executed well, came in on the short balls, put pressure. Yeah, one of those days where, you know, you play very clean match. It's not always the case.

Q. You haven't played since February, right?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, since February, right.

Q. Milos was hot last week, got in the final. Everybody thinks he's red hot and you're not. How do you explain how well you played and managed to pull it off?

VASEK POSPISIL: Yeah, I mean, I knew it was going to be very tough. I mean, I saw Milos play last week, and I, you know, could see he was really in form.

But I got confidence from how I played the last match, I played better than I expected. Because like I said, I didn't play great in practice leading up. I played better than I expected.

And I was, like, Okay, obviously I know that I have certain amount of confidence in myself and in my game and in the strengths that I have that if I feel like I'm playing and moving well, that's key. If my court coverage is good, I feel like I have a lot of weapons that I can, you know, that I can play and give myself a chance to beat almost anybody on the tour if I'm really playing well.

I think after my first-round win with Kohlschreiber and seeing that he's a veteran, very tough opponent and seeing how well I was playing in that match, I just kind of flipped a little bit of a mental switch, like, Okay, I'm playing as good as I did before the break.

So for sure a little bit of a surprise, definitely, because, you know, I didn't even play any practice really matches until a week or -- I'd say about 10 days before the Open, didn't have any exhibitions or anything. Obviously going into competition is quite a bit different.

I guess it just shows I was training the right way and doing fitness and prepared myself to take my chance this week. Yeah, I'm just glad that I kind of left off, I mean, continuing from where I left off before the break.

Q. Did anybody ask about your back and your treatment on court?

VASEK POSPISIL: No, no. Basically I strained my, two days before my first round, I strained, like, my, I don't know what it is, like my ab or my, like, kind of this like midback-abdominal area, so it was really hurting on my serve for two days before the first round.

And then, you know, was able to manage it in the first round. Didn't feel it. Didn't feel it yesterday and didn't feel it in the first set here until, I think I just felt like I aggravated it for a couple games there. Then got some treatment and took my anti-inflammatories and Tylenol and luckily it went away.

But, yeah, I'll have to monitor that for sure, because it's kind of a tricky area, and I was really struggling to play for a couple of days leading up to the event. But right now I finished well, the rest of the match was fine, so that's definitely good, but it is a tricky area and I'll have to be careful.