MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 5, 2021

Diego Schwartzman

Press Conference

A. KARATSEV/D. Schwartzman

2-6, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I'm wondering in your opinion what do you think has changed between first set and last two sets in your game plan or your way to go through the ball, what you can say about that?

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN: I'm not sure if I changed something. I think he changed. He was missing almost every single shot. After that, 6-2, 2-0, he start to do too many winners, too many aces, I mean, not more unforced errors. It was very difficult for me.

After the half of the second set he was playing very hard, very close to the lines, serving too many first serves. I had no chance after that.

I mean, I was trying. Maybe I was not playing my best, but he was doing two, three winners per game. It's very difficult when you have an opponent that is playing in that way.

Q. Just in the impression I get, I get this feeling that currently you are not so dominant even on this surface of clay court. Do you have the feeling that you don't produce your best tennis, and maybe why? Do you think Karatsev can be a clear outsider in the perspective of Roland Garros?

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN: Well, yeah, for sure I not play my best tennis, I agree. I think in Barcelona I deserve to do the semifinals and I lost the match against Carreno that I was 6-3, 5-2 to do semis in a good way.

Also, I'm not having really lucky with the draws. I played Ruud first round Monte-Carlo, Karatsev first round here for me. Ruud, the last two times play 1000s, he did semifinals on clay. Karatsev is winning too many matches and have a lot of confidence. My last match was ten days ago.

So maybe I'm trying, I'm practicing really hard, but not having a lot of rhythm. For my game, it's very important that. And then, you know, I'm not having the lucky to maybe start with better matches or matches that give me a little bit of, you know, points, rallies. It's very difficult.

Obviously I'm losing more matches than before, than the years before, but also, I'm losing matches against the guys who are in the really top this year. So I have to see the two faces. Obviously I'm not playing my best, but the guys who I'm playing are the best right now in this year.