US OPEN

September 12, 2021

Gilles Cervara

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was your strategy coming into this match to play Novak, especially after the final earlier in the year? What did you want to accomplish, where did you want to attack him?

GILLES CERVARA: First of all, after the final in Australia, we had the feeling that Daniil didn't have this fire that can helps your game to be much stronger, especially against a player like Novak. So this had to change for sure to play this final at another level.

Our feeling yesterday and today was that he was ready to compete and to be at high level. That's the first part. I will say more mental part, energy part. And in the game we had couple of strategies, especially sometimes to play more down the middle, to not open so much angle and to run a lot.

Of course, it's easy to say there is not a magic things. You have to play at your best, to have quality in your shots, also to know that strategy can change during the match because Novak will adapt during the match. You have to feel when you need to do something different.

He had, yeah, couple strategies in his head to be ready for different situations. Of course, to serve good was one of the keys. He served very good today. Maybe not at the end, but with the pressure, the tension, it's a bit different.

Q. What will this do for him moving forward?

GILLES CERVARA: Sorry?

Q. What will this do for him moving forward having won a Grand Slam?

GILLES CERVARA: I didn't understand.

Q. What will this do for Daniil, his confidence, to win a Grand Slam?

GILLES CERVARA: A lot of things. To beat Novak, first of all, in Grand Slam, it's a big things. Then in final, it's another big thing. Yeah, I guess and I wish that it will makes him be at another level also. Yeah, for sure it will be different.

Q. It seemed like Daniil came out trying to be very aggressive especially on second serve. How much of the strategy was that?

GILLES CERVARA: Yeah, it's like I said, just said before. He was ready for different strategies. It means this was working in Cincinnati, but he was ready also that maybe he cannot do it because too many risk or it will not be enough.

But today was a good strategy, even if at the end it was maybe too much aggressive when he was with more tension.

Q. Daniil wasn't able to serve out the match. You once told me he finds the best in himself when he faces adversity. How proud were you when he handled that moment?

GILLES CERVARA: This moment was very tough. For him, too. After the match he just told me that, yeah, he was a bit cramping with the pressure. It makes the match a new match starting. When you lose the first break, you feel that something, okay, will be tougher at this moment, and you need to find the resources on the next service game to serve much better, that he didn't do at this moment.

He found a big game from baseline to be able to beat Novak.

Q. Today his serve was probably one of the best performances in history. How do you prepare to serve like that?

GILLES CERVARA: If I just talk about the last few weeks or months, it's easy. After Tokyo when he lost against Carreno Busta, I felt the serve was not good enough like he did in the past, especially two years ago when he won so many matches. He won because his level on serve was very high. That what he needs to do.

We took more time to work on this shot. Like every day I got my goals in my practices to make him be at his best level on serve. With Daniil, when you work something at the good moment, on the good goal, then it works straightaway. We felt it straightaway in Toronto that the serve increase so much.

Q. Have you seen him do that celebration before?

GILLES CERVARA: Sorry. I didn't hear.

Q. You've played FIFA with Daniil before. Have you seen that celebration from him?

GILLES CERVARA: No. After on court I said, What was this one? He said, No, it's FIFA.

Exactly. This one was very, very funny.

Q. How important do you think getting to No. 1 is for him now?

GILLES CERVARA: I don't know. Maybe you can tell me about the distance between Novak and Daniil. I don't know.

Q. Probably less than 2,000 points. Would he change the schedule to try to chase?

GILLES CERVARA: Maybe. I don't know. Right now I don't know. This win makes the thing different. I guess now we will stay to prepare the best, not to put more tournaments and more tournaments to get the victory.

Okay, it depends for now I'm thinking of this for the end of the year. We will talk about this.