US OPEN

September 10, 2022

Nicolas Peifer

Martin de la Puente

Press Conference

DE LA PUENTE-PEIFER/Hewett-Reid

4-6, 7-5, 10-6

THE MODERATOR: 10-6 in the match tiebreak to win it. Two hours and 20 minutes on the court. Would each of you please assess your performance this afternoon.

MARTIN de la PUENTE: Well, I think we both did a good match. We really started -- my point of view, I started a little bit nervous. It's always a pleasure for the wheelchair tennis to play in these kind of stages. The US Open is one of the greatest. I think I really felt the pressure on the first games.

But then I think we managed to come back. We managed to put some pressure on the Brits. I think I'm happy with how it ended. I think we going to continue like this. We can be a very competitive pair.

NICOLAS PEIFER: I don't speak English.

Q. When you were down in the match, what were you talking about, what were you telling each other to stay focused?

MARTIN de la PUENTE: I mean, we really try to fight, to fight back. This is very beautiful sport that it doesn't end till it ends, till the last point. We're trying to just keep pushing, keep trying, I don't know, just keep believing in ourselves even though we were very bad position in the second set.

But I think the key is just to keep going, keep pushing, keep fighting. We're always saying to each other, Fight, fight, fight, let's fight.

I think it worked. I don't know if next time we going to do it again, but we'll try to.

Q. Three tournaments together, three titles together. Current win/loss record of eight wins, no losses. That's some start to a partnership.

NICOLAS PEIFER: (Translated from French by Martin.) He was saying that we're on the same page on how do we play, how do we think about the sport. I mean, sometimes the ball is in the middle and stuff, the communication was a little bit tough. But he was saying that we're on the same page. We were trying to do it both together, not on our own.

I think that's the key, I don't know, for the success of this these weeks.

Q. Martin, it was months ago at your first Grand Slam, now your second Grand Slam, and you are a Grand Slam title winner. How does that feel?

MARTIN de la PUENTE: I mean, it feels amazing, I'm not going to lie. I know most of the guys from tour from when we were juniors. A lot of tournaments together. A lot of victories, a lot of losses.

But I think it's worth it. It's worth it how the sport -- the sports way, sometimes we call it it's hard. I think sport gave me the most beautiful moments of my life, one of the worst as well. I think that's the key.

I'm really happy. I'm really happy to get this title. I still can't believe it, to be honest. Gordon and Alfie were amazing, such a good pair. Now we're going to go for more.

Q. Gordon didn't have as much pace and power on his ball as he usually does. He was firing cheeky ones at you. You seemed to recognize that was happening, seemed to change your game plan in the second set.

MARTIN de la PUENTE: Yeah, I mean, we knew that GO was having some problems on the wrist, he wasn't at his 100%. I was trying to fight him on court, but the problem was that Alfie was everywhere. First set he was everywhere, smashing everything.

We tried to just not get too nervous because we knew that Gordon was not his best. He's always dangerous on the net. He was doing some good volleys, some very good dropshots. We were trying to fight him as we could.

I think on the match tiebreak, we really put some balls on him, put some pressure, and finally get the victory.

Q. Nico, you have lots of experience at Grand Slams. Martin, you've kind of entered Grand Slams because of the slams starting to extend the draws. Feels like this is a silly question, but do you think this is a positive step forward for wheelchair tennis, the sport?

MARTIN de la PUENTE: It is. It is. It is a positive. The thing is that wheelchair tennis was most of the times very short. Everyone wanted to play the slams. Everyone wanted to be the next Rafael Nadal or Juan Martin del Potro in the wheelchair. But they were too small. The slams are giving us the opportunity to be tennis players, be the ones that we want to.

I think that is a key for us, for the disabilities, for all the people at home who don't know what to do. I think for me it's a dream came true. I hope we can see it more often in the slams.