NATIONAL BANK OPEN

August 13, 2021

Roberto Bautista Agut

Press Conference

R. OPELKA/R. Bautista Agut

6-3, 7-6

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A tough one today. Looks like from the stats you played a very good match, and in all reality, he only won nine points on your serve all match. How tough is it to lose a match when you really only give him one look at your serve?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Yes, as you said, I think I was doing my things well. I was playing aggressive. I was winning a lot of points with my serve, also with my second serve. I was playing very aggressive.

Well, when you play Reilly or John, these kind of players, as you know, everything happens in two, three points, no?

Well, today I was a bit unlucky. I was feeling really well at 6-6 and had the stop of the match for 5 or 10 minutes or 15, I don't know. Well, I think it was a positive week for me, and I will keep going, will keep working, and today was not possible.

Q. You have been to Canada a handful of times in the past. I was just wondering, just in general, what are your impressions of this country when you visited? How much do you like playing here?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I like a lot playing here, no? I think I have been having very good results in Canada. I used to play very well also in Montreal.

Well, I think it's one of the surface adapt well for my game, and I feel well playing here. So hopefully I can come back for many, many more years.

Q. We hope you can come back as well. For you, we have a younger generation of all these players winning matches, winning titles. You have been a mainstay on the tour for quite a while now. You have made a Wimbledon semifinal, have won multiple ATP titles. For you, at this stage of your career, what types of goals do you have in the sport right now?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, I'm enjoying my work, enjoying my day. I like to wake up with the passion to improve my game, to improve my tennis. Well, I try to don't think a lot in advance and just to stay where I am now. I will see how is in the future, no?

As you said, there are a lot of younger players that are playing very good tennis.

Q. The younger generation, we saw Jannik Sinner just win a title last week, great players like Musetti, Canadians like Denis Shapovalov, Felix. Do you think, is this the most competitive the tour has been, do you think, since you became a professional?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I will say now for sure. I think before, when I got into the tour, I had very few losses against people who was ranked below me, and now I think everyone can lose against everyone if he is not in a good shape or if he is not playing good tennis. I think now there is more equal level and a lot of players playing very good.

Q. What are some of the things you have learned from your matches here that you can use in your next tournament?

ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, I think I learn a lot, no? I think I felt well on the court. I just felt, again, the fire inside me, the spirit on the court. I felt really well here in Canada. Played aggressive. I tried to put a lot of pressure on the returns of my opponents.

Well, I think I need to keep doing these things and good things will happen in the future.