AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 10, 2021

Denis Shapovalov

Press Conference

D. SHAPOVALOV/B. Tomic

6-1, 6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How much do you look forward to playing Felix in the next round?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, I mean, very happy to get the win today. Obviously Bernard is a really tough opponent. If I let him into the match there in the second set, I would have been there for a while. So I'm really happy to close it out in straights.

For sure excite to play Felix. But for me it's just like any other match. Just kind of getting ready the same. It's just the next round for me. Obviously sooner or later you're going to run into Canadians in the draw. Canadians never want to play Canadians, but in the end it happens so often that we kind of just treat it the same way.

Q. Did you spend most of last year during the time off in The Bahamas?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: No, I was in Florida.

Q. Obviously there's restrictions in Canada. Do you still go back there?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: No. I haven't been since February.

Q. Would you like to?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I mean, obviously I would like to go to Canada. My friends are there, some of my family lives there. For sure I want to go. But with two weeks quarantine, it's impossible to be back right now.

Q. Will you spend --

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I don't know. I have no idea where I'm going after this. I plan to play Rotterdam. We'll see where I prepare.

Q. What is that like, to not know where you're going?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: It's the world nowadays. Honestly I just lucky to have a chance to play, to be under these circumstances in Australia where it's just like normal life. It's really nice to be here. I'm not too concerned. I'm sure I'll figure it out when the time comes.

It's the world nowadays. Everything closes and opens. Yeah, of course it's not easy. I'm really sure we have it much better than some other people in the world right now, so...

Q. Do you recall your first match with Felix? He said something about playing when you were nine years old.

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, we played I think under 12s or something Nationals. I don't remember that match. He said I beat him 0-0. I honestly don't remember that match.

Honestly, we've played so many times, it kind of like starts to blur together.

Q. We know you love doubles. Do you get any advice from Daniel Nestor who won 91 titles in doubles for Canada?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I mean, I do when he's around. For sure Davis Cup and in the past years, when I play with him, he's given me tips. I wouldn't say that he gives me doubles tips.

For me, honestly I play doubles for fun, so it's not about really getting tips and stuff. Probably more I get from Rohan just playing with him so much. He's taught me what to do, how to play doubles really well. I feel like Rohan has been a really, really big mentor for me.

Q. What was going through your mind during the second set when the first three games went to him?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I mean, nothing. I was just taking it one point at a time. Obviously I knew the games were long, but I wasn't trying to focus on them, like, how long they were. I was just trying to break, or on my serve I was trying to hold. Just focused on the next point.

That's tennis. That's what makes the sport interesting. It could be really quick games if you're Daniil Medvedev and serve four aces, but it could be very long if you're Denis or Bernard today.