AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2022

Sam Schroder

Press Conference

S. SCHRODER/D. Alcott

7-5, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Just tell us what it feels like right now to have that trophy in your possession.

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, it's amazing to win a Grand Slam. It's my second one so far. Both were against Dylan. He's an amazing opponent to play against. I have a lot of respect for him. To beat him at a tournament like this, with all the people, the crowd was amazing. It feels really great right now.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Congratulations. It was a great win. What about the feeling of almost spoiling the party? It goes without saying that everyone out there was in Dylan's corner, weren't they?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, no, of course I go into the match knowing that, you know, the crowd is gonna be cheering for Dylan, which they definitely should, and they did a great job of that.

So I prepared myself mentally for that. It actually gave me a lot of energy to hear the crowd. You know, they were cheering for Dylan but they were definitely not cheering against me. Even if I made a good point they would definitely cheer so that really gave me a lot of energy and kept me focused, as well.

Q. Thoughts on your sport of wheelchair tennis.

SAM SCHRODER: Dylan Alcott, he's an inspiration for a lot of people, for me, as well, but also for a lot of people with disabilities, as well. People watching at home, seeing us on the big screens, on the big tournaments, I hope that inspires a lot of people.

Q. How tough is it mentally to play against Dylan who is obviously such a great player and then 5,000, 6,000 people in the stands also, hearing how excited they are for every point you lose?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, it was my first time actually playing on such a big stage like this, especially with the spectators. Most forums we have maybe a hundred people, maybe 200 at most. A couple thousand people today, that was amazing.

But like I said, I prepared myself mentally for that mental battle against the audience, against the public. You know, it gave me a lot of energy, like I said. So I really knew it was going to happen and I kept my cool. I stayed focused, knew what to do, I knew I could beat him if I was able to play my best tennis, which thankfully I was able to do today.

Q. You're only 22 and Dylan has been winning slams for eight or so years. If you go back to sort of when you first came across him, either as a teenager or however old you were, is there a memory which inspired you or which you remember growing up?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, you know, like as a disabled kid you would always watch the Paralympics a lot because that was one of the only ways you could see wheelchair tennis and other sports, and you always saw Dylan there playing really well. And then I think in 2016 I played him for the first time at I think one of my first ever tournaments, I played him in the first round and I lost I think 6-Love, 6-1, but I was so happy to win that one game. Because it was just someone I really looked up to at that point.

So, yeah, I think he's a great player to play against, and I have a lot of respect for him. So, yeah.

Q. We know that Dylan had a pretty frantic day on Tuesday, he played and then went to Canberra and back. What was your preparation like, what did you do the past 48 hours to prepare for today's game?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, first, yesterday I also had the doubles final to play. So I was really focused on that, because that's obviously very important as well to me. Unfortunately we didn't get the win.

But that really did help me stay in the rhythm of playing matches, you know, because I played my semifinal two days ago and then yesterday doubles and today the final, so every day I was able to play a match, whereas Dylan played two days ago his semifinal singles and then yesterday he didn't play any matches. So I think that really kept me in the rhythm and kept my touch on court as best as it can be.

Q. Obviously handicapped sport and sport tennis and wheelchair tennis in general is a very good sport, especially here in Australia they do a lot of good things. What do you think will happen now that he retires in terms of publicity and all the good things that happen here but also in Europe and the other slams? Are you scared or what do you think will happen?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, no, you know, people always come and watch Dylan here, especially in Australia. He's very famous so we know he's going to bring that energy on court and he's going to get people to come and watch.

But I really do hope that now that he's retired that people will still come and support us, because it's an amazing sport, you know. We play at a very high level, we practice just as much as the able-bodied players do. I really do hope and I have a lot of confidence that people will come and continue to watch.

Q. Competitively, what does the sport look like without Dylan? You have been playing really well, won this tournament, Niels has had a lot of good results lately too. Dylan has won I think 15 of the 20 Grand Slams he's entered so he's taking up a lot of space competitively. What do you think it looks like now without him there to block everything?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, I think for the next couple of years Niels and I are the ones that are going to be dominating the big tournaments hopefully, you know, in singles as well as doubles where we will make a great pairing.

But I do look forward to seeing new players rise from the bottom and try and challenge us now that we are the ones at the top. It's just, you know, now that Dylan is retired it's going to be Niels and me, but we do have a big rivalry, as well. One match he wins, next one I win. We keep going back and forth and pushing each other to try and get our level higher and higher every match. So I do look forward to what the next couple of years will bring.

Q. How much did Dylan, as a competitor, force you to raise your own level?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, Dylan, of course he is No. 1, so you always have to be at your best. If your best isn't enough, then you have to practice hard to, you know, get your level higher, which I was able to do these past couple of years.

So that was great motivation for, you know, really practicing hard and staying committed to it and doing everything you can. I'm sure that Niels and I will have the same thing for the next couple of years.

Q. Dylan is very good at tennis. He's also very good at celebrating. How do you celebrate this?

SAM SCHRODER: Well, usually if I win a tournament, I will drink a pina colada and my coach will drink, what's it called? I'm not sure what it's called. Anyway, we do have that going on. We will definitely try and find a pina colada somewhere today. If not it's probably going to be a couple of Canadian Clubs for me.

Q. (Question off microphone.)

SAM SCHRODER: I don't know. It's something I've always liked. It's very sweet. I really like it. I like pineapple a lot, been eating it here every day.

I don't know. Since the first time I won a tournament, well, since I was 18, we've been doing that. It's great to look forward to, you know. It's a great way to finish off the tournament, and look forward and talk and celebrate what's to come.

Q. Obviously you're competing out there in this match, but were you able to appreciate the atmosphere during the match of just how special this whole moment was?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, definitely. Like I said, we usually don't get a lot of people coming to watch our matches. So this was the most, by far the most that have come to watch. I really enjoyed it. It was great to see everyone supporting us, everyone having a lot of fun on court and people in the stands having a lot of fun.

You know, it's a great atmosphere. The Australians are very, of course very proud of Dylan and they showed that out on court, which is great. But they also cheer when I make points, you know.

It's just an amazing, yeah, amazing energy on court today and in the stands, which really helped me get through it as well, I think.

Q. Niels nearly took down Dylan on day one. Then you and Niels planned attack on the Aussies, the doubles. Now you take them down. Is this what the Dutch mean by taking Australia now?

SAM SCHRODER: Sorry, what was the question?

Q. Talk to me a bit about the...

SAM SCHRODER: About the doubles? You know, the doubles against Dylan and Heath was great. We've played against each other like five or six times the past year, I think. We won almost all of them. So we worked our way into the match with a lot of confidence, even though we lost the final a week before at another tournament.

So we knew what we had to do, we knew what we had to improve on from that match, and we were able to do it. You know, first set 6-1 was great, we made like three unforced errors probably. Then the second set they started really well, and it got really close. We all kept our serves. So the scoreline was getting closer and closer to the end of the second set.

Thankfully we were able to play a really good tiebreak again. I think, you know, both of us players, we are really able to play great tennis even under a lot of pressure, which definitely showed during that match. I was really happy with that.

Q. Walk of Champions, just tell me how you felt before you were rolling out on court? At Rod Laver Arena, sitting at the top of the Walk of Champions going out to a packed house, how did you feel?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, really no words for that. I don't know how to describe the feeling. It was just amazing. Very special feeling for me that I will cherish forever. You know, I love, like I said, I love coming here. You know, weather was great. It's always great here, to be here.

Yeah, I have no words really to describe it. You just have to experience it yourself and then you'll know what it feels like, I guess. But like I said, I will definitely be back next year and hopefully able to defend my title.

Q. Congratulations. Another great victory for you. I mean, talk to me about that first set. It was tight, wasn't it? You had to grind that out.

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, it was very close. You know, a lot of games where I was up 40-15 and Dylan won them, and a lot of games where I was down 40-15 and I was able to win them. A lot of very close points, a lot of very close balls, barely went in or out.

That first set could have been decided by one or two points. It could have gone Dylan's way, as well, obviously and then it would have been a totally different match. I'm really glad that didn't happen.

Q. You're now a two-time Grand Slam singles champion. What else can you achieve now in your career? Because you're still so young.

SAM SCHRODER: Well, I mean, there is a lot still to achieve obviously, but no, it's just great motivation for me to keep practicing hard and to keep going. You know, the confirmation of just knowing all the hard work you're putting in is getting paid off is great. So I will keep practicing hard and go on for the next tournament.

Q. Just a quick question, only a few weeks ago you met Dylan, your last meeting on-court battle was with Dylan and he came out on top on that one. What sort of things did you change up or did you think about going into this matchup that you could, that you learnt from the previous meeting with him?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, it was the first time in a couple months that I played him, so I kind of had to get used to his game again.

He played very aggressively during that match. Today that was a little bit different. I feel like he was more bringing the ball back and hoping I would make a mistake. I know from my own point of view, I think today I had the guts to really go for winners even when he was going towards the net. If you hesitate and you play towards him he's gonna finish the ball off, so you need to take that risk.

It's not always going to work out and even if it doesn't work out, then you have to do it again the next ball, which I was able to do today, especially mentally I was really there today compared to the match the couple weeks ago.

Q. Enjoy that pina colada.

SAM SCHRODER: Thank you.

Q. Many congratulations there. Very good. You're the only player to have beaten Dylan in the last couple of years. What was the game plan today?

SAM SCHRODER: Game plan today was, you know, Dylan, he likes to just bring the ball back and wait for me to make a mistake. So I knew that I had to be very patient and just bring those balls back the same way, keep the pressure on him to do something.

You know he's going to come forward to the net so I was well prepared to make those passing shots, even if they're like a risk. But if you train for that then it's not going to be a risk anymore.

So I knew what kind of game he was going to play today. I was really well prepared for that. So, yeah, it went very well.

Q. You have the experience of having won the US Open in 2020 against Dylan. Do you get nervous on these occasions, in these big courts or do you not have any nerves at all today?

SAM SCHRODER: Yeah, I was definitely a bit nervous before the match. I think once I got on court today the nerves kind of went away. Then, you know, during that first set they kind of came back a little bit when we started getting really tight in the score.

But overall I was mostly just enjoying myself more so than feeling pressure to try and beat him. You know, I really go into the match, I knew if I was able to play my best tennis that I was able to defeat him. So I had a lot of confidence in that.

Q. Well done.

SAM SCHRODER: Thank you.