ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 3, 2022

Karen Khachanov

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: How have you found Adelaide so far?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Yeah, I mean, I arrived few days before already trying to have good acclimatization with the conditions. First few days were very hot, like 39 degrees, real Australian summer.

Yeah, first time in Adelaide, in this venue, the courts, city. Fine so far, very good. Good facilities. Just spending a lot of time still training on court and in the gym. Getting ready to start the season.

THE MODERATOR: How hard is it to acclimatize when you're traveling from so many different countries?

KAREN KHACHANOV: We live in Dubai, so for example I'm doing the off-season there. For me it's not really crazy difference in the weather. But still when it's 25, 27 like it was in Dubai, and 39, it's crazy hot for everyone, even for the ones who live here.

That's why during those days, okay, it's crazy heat conditions. Those days don't happen very often. When you have them, you try to survive.

THE MODERATOR: You came into last season in the top 20 in the rankings. You enter this season at 29. How confident are you you're going to be back in the top 20?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Let's say, you have short-term and long-term goals. For me the main goal is to be actually in top 10, not only top 20.

I know what I need to do to be there. I feel like I belong to be there. It's a process, a daily work I want to put in. I'm very motivated. I worked hard during those weeks, and I will still be doing this during the rest of the weeks.

Let's see. Let's see if I can achieve the goals that I set up for myself.

THE MODERATOR: You've had good success in Australia. Made the third round of the Aussie Open the last three years in a row. Been your bogey. What has changed this year? What gets you over the third-round hump this year?

KAREN KHACHANOV: First time to everything, right? Maybe it's time to break this system and routine, to be in the third round, which I've made the last three years. Actually all of those matches, they were so tight and so tough and so close.

That's why it makes so special to be playing Grand Slams, to go through matches like that, to be further in the tournament. Again, I'm fresh. I'm really excited to start the season, to be playing tennis again, even though we didn't have so big break with the Davis Cup at the end of the months.

Anyway, it's a new season, new challenges, new goals. You always excited to be start playing again tournaments.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The issue of vaccine mandates. Do you know whether similar rules are likely to be in place at other events this year, other tournaments?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Sorry, you disconnected for a little bit. Just make a short question, shorten up.

Q. Do you know if vaccine mandates will be at other tournaments this year instead of Australia?

KAREN KHACHANOV: I don't know. I don't have that kind of information yet. We are waiting I think before every kind of tour, every series of tournaments. For example, Australian summer, okay, we had information that the government required that, especially Victoria state. In Sydney you can actually come without vaccine, I think.

I heard already U.S. I think they published that they open up the tourism in November only for vaccinated people. Maybe that's another country which requires vaccine.

I think sooner or later most of the countries will come to that point I think for easy travel around the world.

Q. On the heat, is the heat on court in Australian worse and more severe than anywhere else in the world?

KAREN KHACHANOV: I mean, one of the them. But I think it's a combination of both humidity and the heat. Here actually it's pretty dry. When it was 39 degrees or 40 degrees, it was more like a sauna, very dry.

But for me the worst conditions were last summer in Olympics in Tokyo, for example, where it was 35, 36 degrees, and humidity 80%. There was really, really hot. You were dying there.

Of course, 39 degrees, anyway it's super hot, but here is summer right now so for sure it's one of the hottest conditions for sure.