THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 28, 2022

Feliciano Lopez

Press Conference

B. Van De ZANDSCHULP/F. Lopez

6-2, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Your thoughts about today's match?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I think he was a much better player than me today on the court. From the very beginning, I got broken in the first game of the match, and since then, I didn't find my way.

I think he overplayed me, and especially on the return. Seems like my serve wasn't working properly today, but also, it's because he was, you know, he was very fast on the return. He was reading my serve very well.

Honestly, I didn't find a way to make him feel uncomfortable on the court. Seems to be very easy for him from the very beginning of the match.

Yeah, I got broken so many times, which is very unusual on the grass, and, you know, serve is most important part of my game, so if my serve is not working the way it has to work, it's very difficult for me to perform.

Yeah, this is more or less in general what happened today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. I think this is your 20th Wimbledon. Will there be a 21st?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't think so (smiling). Looking at my rankings, I don't think so.

Yeah, this one will be probably my last Wimbledon. I'm ranked 200 in the world, I think, or so. I didn't see the rankings in the last week, but yeah, seems to be difficult for me to play another one unless I try to, you know, get back in the top 100, which is very difficult. This is not the plan for me right now to start playing, you know, challengers and singles tournaments around the world to get my rankings, you know, back.

So, yeah, this one is going to be probably the last one.

Q. Do you have any plans to play any tournaments coming up?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I'm planning to play second half of the year. I don't know where, and I don't know if I'm gonna play singles and doubles or only doubles. The plan is to play some doubles, that's for sure, in the US Open and probably the lead-in tournaments also.

But I haven't decided yet, so yeah, I'm probably playing Newport for the first time in my career after Wimbledon, so I'm excited about that. Never been there. So I have been told it's a nice place with a lot of history. The Hall of Fame is there. So that's another reason for me to go there and play, and then I will see.

I will place Los Cabos most likely, and then probably, you know, two of the lead-in tournaments before the US Open. Doubles mostly.

Q. US Open, would you play quallies at the US Open?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't think so.

Q. No?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't think so, but I haven't decided yet. Doubles I'm sure I'm going to play.

Q. Would you like to play doubles next year?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: That's another thing I haven't decided yet. I mean, after 20 years playing singles and doubles, sometimes it's going to be a big challenge for me to be on the tour and to still, you know, traveling and playing only doubles.

I will have to find a great partner, a great friend of mine like Marc Lopez was, for example. In that case I will give myself a try and, yeah, but that's not the case, so maybe I'm going to play some doubles the second half of the year, and then I will see what's the plan for next year.

Maybe I play just a few tournaments, the tournaments that I like playing, and that's it. We'll see.

Q. When you do stop, how much do you think you will miss playing? Because you have played for so long at the top.

FELICIANO LOPEZ: A lot. I mean, I will miss tennis, of course. Tennis has been everything in my life since I was a kid, so of course I will miss tennis, especially the competition.

This is the part I think I'm gonna miss a lot. A lot of my colleagues that they are gone already, so far they say that, you know, the competition is the thing that they are missing.

But, you know, this is life. I have a great family, and, you know, I will have plenty of things to do, no? So I'm not afraid of, you know, of this, you know, situation, honestly, because I have to be proud of everything that I have done. I think I never expected honestly to be here at 40 years old competing and playing another Wimbledon, so I consider myself very fortunate.

The day I stop, I will be happy, and luckily I will still have a lot of things to pay attention to.