CITI OPEN

August 4, 2021

John Millman

Press Conference

J. MILLMAN/E. Ymer

6-2, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How excited are you about moving on to the round of 16? By the way, haven't seen anybody sign so many autographs and take so many selfies in my life.

JOHN MILLMAN: I'll probably get in trouble for that (laughter).

No, look, really happy to be moving on. I found it pretty challenging today. I think probably just energy levels were probably a little bit down I think coming from the Olympics. I put in so much energy. Brutal conditions there in Japan. But also just the emotion levels at the Olympics was so high every day, even when you weren't playing.

I was emotionally just invested into so many other sports, really trying to get behind all the Australians. I think just here I probably felt a little flat, if I'm to be honest with you.

But I love coming here to Washington because I think the city's amazing. I really want to get out and explore it a little bit, which we've got the opportunity to do with the easing of the COVID restrictions, which is great.

But, yeah, look, I was really happy with how I kind of grinded my way through today because, like I said, I just found probably the energy levels have been a little low this week.

Q. Tell me about your opponent. A lot of good things out of him.

JOHN MILLMAN: Definitely. I think he's had a bit of success here before, if I'm not mistaken. I think he's gotten through quallies and won a round or two here. He obviously likes the conditions here. He's played three matches here already. He played Bjorn Fratangelo, J.J. Wolf, Jordan Thompson, three really good players, in my opinion.

He was probably a little bit more acclimatized to the conditions, not necessarily the heat and that, but the balls. They're playing a little bit different here, especially from where I came from in Tokyo where it was a lot livelier, really pinging around. The balls aren't really catching the strings. I'm still trying to get used to it.

Started off probably a little slow, but in the second set he brought his game, extended the points. Probably the conditions aren't allowing you to really finish those points a little bit quicker.

I was really trying to press and press. But he did a really good job of extending those rallies, extending the points, making it physical. I was really happy to walk away with that straights sets.

The second set tiebreaker was long and physical. But to walk out of there with a straight-sets win is really important to get my American hard court swing off in winning fashion. I'm really just trying to get as many matches as I can over this American hard court swing leading into the US Open.