THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 28, 2022

Paul Jubb

Press Conference

N. KYRGIOS/P. Jubb

3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-7, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Paul, really big battle out there. Give us your thoughts on the match.

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, thank you. Obviously gutted to come out second best. No one wants to be a loser.

But, no, I fought hard. It's obviously not easy playing Nick, with I guess a little experience at this stage, at this level. But, you know, I tried to compete hard, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Interesting you say 'experience'. Could you expand on that for us. Sometimes the tennis with him is a sideshow, isn't it? You have as close a view as anybody. What is it like for someone so inexperienced as you to face him?

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, like I said, it's not easy. I think it's kind of a situation I probably haven't been in before.

But obviously he's such a difficult player to play with that huge weapon of a serve. I think that's the first time I've kind of felt that kind of pressure behind playing my serve when he's running through his pretty easy.

So it's like difficult kind of managing how you're managing your game. It's not as easy to play freely against someone like Nick. I guess having experienced that, you can move forward from there.

Q. The ranting, what he gets up to, does that put you off? Is it a struggle to make it not so?

PAUL JUBB: To be honest, not really. I kind of didn't pay attention to any of that, so... Yeah, kind of I can't really remember what he was ranting about.

Q. I think it was 13 break points you had today, 2 converted. Do you feel like it was an opportunity lost or missed there?

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, I mean, for sure, especially the one in the fifth where it was on my racquet, the forehand return.

But it's kind of been a running trend a little bit in my last recent matches. Queen's, the match I lost first round, I think I had 2 from 14 break points. One against Steve Johnson at Eastbourne, it was similar stats.

If you look on a positive side, I have chances. It's just a matter of time before I start taking them and the matches maybe turn out different.

Q. In the first set Nick went to the umpire and complained about racial abuse. Did you hear that? Do you know what was said? Did you hear anything that caused you any concern?

PAUL JUBB: No, I didn't hear anything. But obviously if something was said, then it's obviously not good. I'd encourage the tennis fans to try and not do that at all. It's not nice.

Obviously I wouldn't want to experience any racial abuse, if there were. I don't know if there was. So I wouldn't want Nick to experience any of it.

Yeah, I didn't hear anything, but if there was something said, then got to put that to a stop.

Q. None of this sort of stuff that Nick was saying seemed to be aimed towards you personally. He was reacting to the crowd, the umpire. Did you get the impression he was getting fired up by the heckling from the crowd or it was putting him off?

PAUL JUBB: No, I think he definitely got fired up at times and kind of used it. But I think it was a bit of both.

But, yeah, I guess he could probably answer that a bit better than me.

Q. What did he say to you at the end? It seemed like he said some nice words. When you look at your world ranking and you compare it to the way you played today, does it surprise you that you should not be at least a hundred places higher?

PAUL JUBB: No, I said to him, obviously I knew he had a good serve, but playing against it is kind of different. I kind of like to pride myself on being a good returner, like to give guys kind of many opportunities and get into return games. But today some of the returns, like, I couldn't get close. So, yeah, I just kind of complimented him on his serve really.

In terms of the ranking, I know I'm a fraction of the player I'm going to be, what I'm capable of being. But I'm in early stages. I'm on the process, journey, right now. I'm just looking to keep climbing. But I definitely know what I'm capable of.

Yeah, even myself, I feel like I could have played better today.

Q. Where do you go after this?

PAUL JUBB: After this? Back to the challengers I think maybe in Spain are going to be my first few. But, no, for me, I'm just going to keep working hard. I know I've got a long way to go and I'm capable of a lot more so...

Q. You said you weren't sure how you would react to an underarm serve, you didn't know if you would laugh. You got one today. Could you tell us your reaction to that.

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, I mean, I was prepared for one to come my way. Yeah, I mean, I said, like, I'm not against underarm serves. I think it's a good tactic.

Yeah, I think I won that point, which was good, so yeah.

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about your life. From what I understand, you grew up with your grandma in a council estate. Can you describe how you got into tennis, how that's changed your life.

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, I mean, growing up with my grandma was great, and the people I had around me in my childhood. Still a lot of those people around me today. Had a great, yeah, childhood. Can't complain. I love all them to bits.

I got into tennis first year of primary school, just an after-school tennis club. Yeah, kind of the coach then asked me to start doing some lessons. Carried on playing since there. Yeah, that was when I was like five.

Q. Were they there today?

PAUL JUBB: Johnny, he was associated with the club, did the after-school tennis club, when I was five. He ended up being my coach up until I left to American Uni when I was 16, 17. We had a strong, long relationship.

Then my college coach from America, he came with his family today, which was really nice. Then obviously my current coach. And some of my school friends who I grew up with, who I've known since I was a little kid, they came. It was very good to see their faces.

Q. When you face someone like Nick Kyrgios, what is the toughest part? Is it his actual game, his serve, the ability to hit you off the court, or is it his antics, his energy?

PAUL JUBB: I think a combination of everything. Especially at this stage for me, not having experienced that before... Someone at that level, who has a serve like that, yeah, I'd say it's a good combination. Then maybe with more experience, I think maybe more of his game aspects.

But, yeah, it's an experience I'm grateful for and one that I'm certainly going to try to build from and learn from. That's all I can do really. Like I said before, I'm definitely going on to bigger and better places. I'm the fraction of the player what I will be.

Like taking those opportunity, maybe playing a bit different here and there, different games, managing the match a little bit better, that will come with time, so...

Q. If you were to play him next week, anything you would do differently in terms of preparation?

PAUL JUBB: That's probably something I maybe have to think about a little bit more in detail. Yeah, right now not too sure in this one.

Q. Incredible crowd reaction today. Have you ever played in front of a crowd like that? It was very partisan, that obviously upset Nick. Quoting the BBC Sport tweet he said, I don't 'start clapping when they're scanning shit at a supermarket, do I?' I don't know if you heard that. First of all, what was it like feeling that support on the court for you? Second, do you have any reaction to the supermarket shelf stocker's comment?

PAUL JUBB: No, obviously the atmosphere was great today. First time playing in front of a big crowd like that. Maybe one as rowdy.

But, no, I loved it. I'm very, very thankful and grateful for all the people who got behind me today.

I also heard a lot of people cheering on Nick, a lot of people getting behind him, as well. A little combination.

But the supermarket one, yeah, no comment (smiling).

Q. How keen are you to use this as a big springboard? How important is it for you to use this now to kick on the next 12 months?

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, definitely going to try and use it to keep moving forward. I want to be winning. I don't want to just settle for a five-set match against Nick, well played, whatever. I want to be winning no matter who I play.

So until I'm there, until I feel like I'm happy with where my game's at, reaching the goals I want to get to, then I'm going to keep pushing and driving. That's the way I've always been.

Q. Was COVID a big obstacle?

PAUL JUBB: Yeah, no, I mean, obviously after 2019 I was still focused on going back to college. Then obviously COVID hit and I didn't even get to play that year, really. So it was kind of a double loss there.

Then obviously the rest of the year was pretty dead. Last year was my first full year really. I had to kind of start from the ground up, play the futures last year, was ready for challengers this year. Won a challenger earlier this year. Looking to hopefully do well the rest of the year and set myself up to hopefully start playing some ATPs and things like that.

As long as I'm keeping moving forward, there's positives to look at.