AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 12, 2021

Diego Schwartzman

Press Conference

A. KARATSEV/D. Schwartzman

6-3, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Diego, can you talk us through your match today and how you were feeling on the court?

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN: Well, how I feel, difficult to say. I didn't feel really good today. It was a difficult match. He was playing amazing tennis. Too many winners. I saw 50, I think, hit in the match. And again me, I'm playing good tennis. 50 winners, I think it's a lot. I think I didn't serve well. Maybe that was one of the keys in the match because he was really comfortable doing returns.

He was playing better than me. He was doing everything really well, moving well, hitting well, and I was not really comfortable in the match. I think he deserved to win. He did everything better than me.

Q. You mentioned 50 winners was a lot. There had been a lot of discussion about the speed of the courts. What's your impression of how these courts are playing this year?

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN: Well, the conditions are every year different. Depends on the tournaments. This year I think they are very, very quick. But also they didn't have a lot of time to work on courts, so maybe that's one of the reasons why they are really, really quick.

It's difficult, but the first two matches I played great matches. I did well. But today playing against him, he's a guy who was doing very power shots every single time, and the courts was not helping.

I think today was not helping, and I didn't feel really comfortable with the speed of the court.

Q. Did you make any adjustments? Did you go up in kilos on your racquet stringing or anything like that?

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN: No, no, because like I said, we were practicing here since already three weeks, four weeks, so I played already many times on court. I practiced many times.

I felt okay the last few weeks. I'm playing good tennis. In my opinion, I prefer a little bit slower to have better conditions so you can think a little bit more in the match and you can have choices, different choices, different shots in the match. With this speed, it's difficult. You are always in defense or on attack and the points are really quick. Not many longer points.

Q. How would you sum up the whole experience, the Australian Open, the quarantine and the rules? Would you do it again at French Open, Wimbledon, US Open?

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN: Well, like many players said, I think if you prepare for two weeks to be here for many weeks and to have a free life to be here today because we start a new quarantine here in Victoria, but we have two weeks free life, totally free life here, yes, I can do again. But it's really difficult.

I think ATP should maybe review many of the rules this year about quarantine and the obligation for the players to play. We are South American players, and last year I was in Europe for four months, and now I'm already one month -- more than a month out from home, and to continue playing, we have to be in the hotel and then in the tournament, and we don't have any choice.

It's going to be very difficult to continue like this. You know, every single tournament doing quarantine and just going to the site and not going out, it's difficult for the mind, for everything. I think ATP should review all the rules for this year, and maybe it's going to be better if we can repeat like they did the last year, that the tournaments were not obligated to the players to play.