AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 11, 2021

Fabio Fognini

Press Conference

F. FOGNINI/S. Caruso

4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You saved a match point, tough battle today, and now you're on to the third round against the Australian No. 1. How much are you looking forward to that match?

FABIO FOGNINI: I'm looking forward to recovering first. And then we can talk about the match.

Q. Let's get it out of the way. Everyone wants to talk about it and ask you about it. What happened there at the end? We've got an English translation.

FABIO FOGNINI: Italian or English, it's not important to me. We are good friends, and you know me better than the thing that are happened on court, for me stay on court. I have nothing to say about that question anymore.

Q. Do you think you handled it well?

FABIO FOGNINI: I just told you. I mean, I am really happy, of course, because I think I was not playing my best tennis today, so I had more chances than him in the fifth, but that's the sport.

I was lucky, too. It's not important what you asked me before because these kind of things sometimes on court happen.

Q. It's not the first time you've been involved in something like this, though. This seems to have come up quite a bit in your career.

FABIO FOGNINI: You understand my words or not? So can you please change question, please?

Next question, thank you.

Q. Ash Barty said earlier in the day that playing another Australian player was one of the more difficult challenges you can have. Playing another Italian player, does that add to the level of...

FABIO FOGNINI: Yeah, of course. I agree with her, because these kind of matches are always really strange. I mean, could be really good match from both sides, could be worse, because of course you play with a guy that's the same nation like you. You practice with him two weeks ago in the first week of the year. And, yeah, I agree.

Q. Playing a player like Alex De Minaur, tough assignment?

FABIO FOGNINI: Really tough. I think at the moment is the favorite because of course he's coming from Antalya where he won a tournament. And here he didn't lose a set already.

Actually, I mean, at the moment, to say that I'm really happy because of course I'm coming from injury, and for me it's really tough. The only what I have to say is of course now I'm 33, almost 34, and I wish my body still recovery really quickly, because Alex I think is one of the faster guys in the circuit, and he's really solid from both sides.

You know it's going to be hopefully interesting match if of course I have to say I recovery 100 percent. But at the moment, he's the favorite.

Q. Have you spoken to Salvatore since the match?

FABIO FOGNINI: Not yet. We're going to spoke, don't worry. I'll let you know. If you give me your phone, I text you.