THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 10, 2022

Mili Poljicak

Press Conference

M. PILJICAK/M. Zheng

7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: You're the boys champion at Wimbledon. How does that sound?

MILI POLJICAK: It sounds great and it's a great feeling that everybody's dreaming of when you're starting to play tennis to win a Grand Slam even in juniors. So it's a big achievement for me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you take me back to the moment of victory. What was going through your mind?

MILI POLJICAK: It was amazing, for sure. It's like the moment that you work for years to be there and to win the tournament. So it's a big moment in my career, so...

Q. I believe you warmed up this morning by hitting with Novak. How enjoyable was that?

MILI POLJICAK: Yeah, as I said, you're working for years to come even to play Grand Slams. I was able to practice with one of the best of all time to warm up before my finals, to warm him up for his finals.

It was great feeling, great memory. It help me in one way because when you play against one of the best times, then you step on the court against junior guy, you feel more comfortable. So I think it helped me a lot, and I'm very thankful for that.

Q. Did he give you any advice?

MILI POLJICAK: He just said to be calm, to be concentrate, to play every point, and that he believes I will win. We have Balkan mentality that we are like under the same. Yeah, that's what he said.

Q. You're the first Croatian to win a Wimbledon title in the juniors. How does that feel? What does that mean to you?

MILI POLJICAK: Yeah, I am the first one, and it's a great feeling. I'm proud of myself because it was a lot of big names in Croatian tennis throughout last years. I'm so happy to be the first one.

I think I'm not going to stay as the only one, that some other Croatian guys will come do what I did, then Croatian tennis will go up as many as it can go in future years.

Q. Did you change your strategy after losing to him in Roland Garros or was it just the surface that was different?

MILI POLJICAK: Well, it's different surface. It's grass. It's special. It's not even close to match we played in Roland Garros. There I won the first set. I was playing good. I completely disappeared from the court. He started to play better and better. He was better player throughout second and third set, and he beat me.

Here I think from the first point, I was better player. But I just make some easy mistakes at the beginning that give him a break up, then he was 5-3, 40-15 serving. I managed to play three, four good points, get back into the set, and I think that was deciding moment of the first set.

The second set also he broke me first, but I was calm. I played every point. I think I was better player today, and that's what result says also.

Q. Your strategy was to bring him in? Hitting a lot of dropshots, touch shots at the net. Was that intentional?

MILI POLJICAK: I never do like strategy. Sometimes I knew that his forehand, maybe backhand is weaker. I never do, like, strategy, I'm going to play this or this.

I'm trying to play my game and to see where it goes. Maybe in match to change something if something other is not going well.

But I think I usually play a lot of the dropshots, a lot of slices, changing the rhythm. It's not something new for me, so...

Q. Are you planning to play the US Open juniors?

MILI POLJICAK: I don't know in the moment. I don't know. It's 50/50.

Q. In your country, Croatia is very good at ace.

MILI POLJICAK: Yes.

Q. Cilic told me before.

MILI POLJICAK: Yeah.

Q. Your ace is very good.

MILI POLJICAK: Thank you. I cannot say if it's good or not, but if Cilic said that it is, then he must be right because he's more experienced in everything than me.

Q. Can you give some comments about your opponent.

MILI POLJICAK: Yeah, tough opponent. I mean, it's final, so it's not an easy match. It's tough match always. I lost to him on Roland Garros, so that was additional motivation for me to get revenge.

But I think he played also good match today. But in some moments I was better, I was more into the match, wanted to win more. I think that was deciding today, so...

Q. Just now we mentioned Cilic. Do you know him? Did he give you some teach? Ivanisevic, you are the first junior champion for Wimbledon, and he was first senior champion.

MILI POLJICAK: Yeah, Cilic, I know him. To be honest, we never practiced together. We just say hi to each other. He wish me luck. I wish him luck when we see, when we are together on the Grand Slams. But I don't have any specific contact with him.

With Ivanisevic, I mean, he's one of the greatest, maybe the greatest tennis player of all the time. So, yeah, it's additional motivation to work more, to come in the pros and maybe try to get a title in the pros. So Ivanisevic won't be the only one who won the title.

Q. In one sentence tell me what your dream should be?

MILI POLJICAK: My dream? It's to win a Grand Slam, to be No. 1 in the world, if it's possible. I'm going to do my best and be as good as I can, so...

Q. There were no points. Did that matter to you? Do you care about that at all?

MILI POLJICAK: I think with this win, if there was points, I'll be first. Now I'm going to drop because I'm losing points from last year.

It doesn't really matter. When you come to Wimbledon to play, it's special tournament. Also in pros there is no points, and they are playing, fighting. You are trying to do as good as you can on the tournament like this.

The points, they don't really matter on the Grand Slams. It's not like pros. Last year I cannot defend points, I cannot earn them, because I'm done with the juniors. I think it's bigger problem in senior tennis than it's in juniors.