US OPEN

August 31, 2021

Maxime Cressy

Press Conference

M. CRESSY/P. Carreno Busta

5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Could you tell us your thoughts about the match and your perspective now going forward.

MAXIME CRESSY: No, I'm very proud of what I've been able to accomplish today. I mean, it's my third main draw slam, so it's always a very difficult scenario for me to handle as I'm, like, just starting the tour.

But, no, I'm very proud of myself for staying focused and consistent mentally on what I had to do throughout the match. Yeah, I didn't give up. I gave it my all. Came out my way.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How many match points did you save? There was some dispute whether it was three, four, or five. Do you even know?

MAXIME CRESSY: I wasn't paying attention at that time, but I think it was three. Yeah, three match points saved.

Q. Still live in Hermosa Beach?

MAXIME CRESSY: Yes, I live there, yeah.

Q. Where do you practice?

MAXIME CRESSY: I was practicing in Paris or Orlando. I do mix it up a lot, yes.

Q. What gave you belief you could come back against a player like Carreno Busta?

MAXIME CRESSY: My main thought I kept telling myself was on really holding my serve efficiently. One of my good qualities, I'm not really scared of my opponent or whoever I'm playing. I was just focused on me and holding serve. That gave me some confidence. I was able to really loosen up and make some great shots to break him.

No, my main thought was to just focus on holding my serve efficiently throughout the rest of the match and it worked.

Q. (No microphone.)

MAXIME CRESSY: As I said, I'm a new player on the tour. I don't have much experience with crowds. My debut on the tour was during the COVID. It's definitely a new experience, a really exciting one. I love playing with the crowd.

No, it's been an incredible, incredible match for me. But I don't have much experience to say how it feels to have the crowd or not around. I was playing a lot of futures two years ago, so I didn't really get used to playing with crowds.

THE MODERATOR: I was just told it was four match points.

Q. The fan thing, people were out there chanting your name. You're trying to focus when you're playing the match. Did you hear that? Did you ever have anything like that before?

MAXIME CRESSY: It happened at UCLA when I was playing in college. I played USC, our rival school twice, and I was able to clinch for them. That was the first time that people were chanting my name. I was able to clinch both matches.

No, it's an unbelievable feeling, yep.

Q. You get through the qualifiers, you find out you're playing the ninth seed. Thoughts?

MAXIME CRESSY: No, I have lots of self-belief. I believe I can beat anyone. I was just focused on my game. I was very confident going on the court, yeah.

Q. Give us some UCLA news. What is special about the tennis culture there? Talk about Billy Martin.

MAXIME CRESSY: Billy Martin is a fantastic coach. He was the one who recruited me when I was at Weil Tennis Academy when I was 17. I have lots of respect for him.

I had an incredible experience at UCLA. Macky McDonald was my roommate my freshman year in college. We had some amazing times together. He's a great friend of mine.

No, I've had some unbelievable years at UCLA that I'll keep in my heart. No, it's been incredible seeing all the Bruins doing very well. Jennifer Brady, Marcos, Macky. I'm thrilled for them, too.

Q. Did Macky tell you about his wild days as a kid in Piedmont, California?

MAXIME CRESSY: Yes, of course. I know he's a California boy.

Q. After you won a qualifying match at Wimbledon, I was wondering how your confidence has been since then. What have you been doing since?

MAXIME CRESSY: No, my confidence has been improving ever since Wimbledon. I'm very happy with what I'm doing on the court. I'm working really hard.

I mean, the results have not been what I wanted, but I believe that I'm on the right path. My confidence has just been improving little bit at a time. Today my confidence just spiked a lot, so very happy.

Q. Can you comment on how much you've grown since you left UCLA, specifically your experience playing quallies at slams. We all know how tough it is at that level. How much has it helped you grow as a player and person?

MAXIME CRESSY: Definitely lots of challenges. When I left UCLA in June of 2019, I've had lots of momentum before the COVID. It was very unfortunate for me that I wasn't able to keep going with that momentum. I had a very difficult time with the COVID.

But, no, every single challenges that I've been able to overcome have made me a better, much better, and grown person. So, no, I'm very proud of all the sacrifices I made in order to reach my dreams. I'm on the right path, so I'm very happy.

Q. I watched over a long period of time in smaller tournaments where you were very much emotional sometimes. You're doing the transition to bigger tournaments. How do you cope with that? Are you more calm in a way? With your kind of game style during these times with a lot of slow courts, how do you think the game and your game will change in this environment?

MAXIME CRESSY: No, I definitely got more calm because I knew I had to manage my energy more efficiently, especially in those best-out-of-five-set matches. So, yeah, I started to be more calm in my matches, just to be more focused for a long period of time. That's the key, is the mental consistency in that level.

I knew I couldn't really be as emotional as I was at UCLA in order to stay consistent on and off the court.

What was your last question? Oh, the slow courts.

Yeah, I believe that my game will adapt to the slow courts as well. It's just a matter of believing in myself. I didn't have much play on the clay courts. That's why I struggled at the beginning.

But as I'm playing more and more on the clay, I believe I can be a terrific serve-volleyer on every surface. I don't have any limitations with regards to that.