AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 24, 2023

Karen Khachanov

Press Conference

K. KHACHANOV/S. Korda

7-6, 6-3, 3-0 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Karen, well done. You have always been very consistent in Grand Slam events, but now this is your second consecutive semifinal after the US Open. What has brought this change to your results at this level?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Yeah, like you mentioned, consistency (smiling). I mean, I would say it's all the details, you know, all the small things that you put together in order to kind of do those steps forward and to, yeah, to keep achieving those goals which are set.

So at the end of the day, I think the first semifinals which I did in US Open, that gave me extra boost and extra confidence, you know, to show where I really am, you know, and what I can do when I'm at my best and how can I be more consistent with that form.

So I think all those things together, they push me to where I am right now.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. This week you have been writing messages of "Stay strong," referring to Armenia and Azerbaijan. What's your understanding of the region there, and why do you feel it's important to highlight it to the world media?

KAREN KHACHANOV: I say many times. I have Armenian roots. From my father's side, from my grandfather's side, even from my mom's side. I'm half Armenian. To be honest, I don't want to go deeper than that, and I just wanted to show strength and support to my people. That's it.

Q. Did you have much response from people?

KAREN KHACHANOV: From who?

Q. Or even complaints from the ITF about writing a message? I know there was a letter, Azerbaijan Tennis Federation...

KAREN KHACHANOV: I didn't hear anything about that.

Q. You haven't been told, nobody said not to write messages on the camera, just to be clear?

KAREN KHACHANOV: I mean, so far, no.

Q. Daniil has mentioned how, when you were growing up, you were sort of at the lead of this group of you and him and Andrey, and then they seemed to have caught up and leapfrogged ahead. Now you're getting better results. We will see what Andrey does. What do you chalk that up to? What has that been like? What was that like to be sort of out front and then get overtaken?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Well, you know, it's like competition, right? Somebody goes further. Somebody stays where he is at the moment.

So I would say, yeah, we were changing, in a way, the last couple of years. Daniil was in front of us, me and Andrey, but still, Andrey was playing, top 10, finishing the Masters. I was top 20, top 15. At one point I think I dropped to 25 or 28, yeah, like '21, that was the moment where I had some, yeah, personal issues and, you know, like tougher times, let's say, let's call it like this.

Not everything was going as smooth, but, you know, look, I always believe in myself and my abilities and what I need to do in order to be at my best.

So I think with my team, we are on the right direction and the right move, and, yeah, I think this kind of competition in a positive way between us helps us to get better.

Look at Roger, Rafa, Novak, right? I mean, I don't want us to compare to them obviously, but it's kind of what pushed them through during the years. They admit it many times.

Q. There is a possibility of an all-Russian final here. Russians and Belarusians were banned from Wimbledon last year, and the All England Club are considering what to do at the moment for this summer. Do you have any message to them at all right now? Do you think that ban last summer achieved anything?

KAREN KHACHANOV: No message. Just whatever they decide. I mean, what can I do? I think my words would not change anything, right, in a way. So I don't want to say anything, because is just no point.

If they achieved something, I think you better ask them, not me.

Q. Look, not always the way you want to go through with a retirement. How hard is it when you're playing someone and you see that they are physically, they have got an ailment? How hard is it from your side to try and stay composed and stay focused and make sure you can go in for the kill, if you like?

KAREN KHACHANOV: It's part of the sport. I would say, yeah, it was a tough competitive battle until a certain moment, but at the end of the day you don't know how serious he's injured, right?

I think this end of the second set, you know, when I pushed through and then took it with 2-0 lead by sets, it's extra pressure to the guy, if especially he has some issues with physically, right, with the health.

I think also the beginning of third, you know, when you take this lead, so from the opponent, the attitude change, so it's way tougher to come back.

So I think all those things together. I was quite focused and, you know, I knew what I have to do, how I have to push. I did it really well.

Q. You just mentioned, you talked about your Armenian roots, I believe you went back to Armenia in 2021, right? Just curious what that was like, you going back to a place where your family is from, what that feels like?

KAREN KHACHANOV: No, I was many times, I was many times in Armenia, because I still have relatives there and family, part of family.

I didn't come many years since I was a junior, because, you know, of our tight schedule. I really couldn't find time to come back, you know. But I think that year in 2021 in November, we decide to kind of change our vacation with my wife and with my family, with our son.

We went there for 10 or 12 days, and we had not only the capital in Yerevan and we went around the whole country and we had really nice sightseeing tour, went to different monasteries and different places, you know.

Yeah, I was much more in touch with the country and also I had, like a master class at the end. You know, I was really surprised by how many kids and how many people that went during that day, because it was not even organized in advance. It was the same day they announced, and the people went all over the country, I don't know, it was maybe 300, 400 kids. I was really amazed by how much they wanted to see me. Yeah, that's something really nice to feel, you know.

Q. Just going into Friday's match, what do you think you can learn from the previous semifinal you played in New York?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Every time it's different, you know. Every opponent is different. Every situation is different, I would say.

Because in New York I had, from the beginning, I had four sets' match and then second round four sets, then third sets, Draper, retired end of the third, but we still almost played three hours.

Fourth round five sets with Carreno. Quarterfinals with Nick killed me because we finish around 1:30 a.m. That day I remember I went to sleep at 5:00 after all my treatments and everything. Day after I also had two days off, kind of days off between, but the next day, definitely we didn't do anything. You try to recover, but I think once you miss the full night of sleep, it's crucial for the energy, you know, because food and sleep is one of the most, and recovery, treatments, you know, I would say.

So this time is different because I think I'm physically also, after preseason, feeling really good so far, and I didn't had so long matches yet, so again it's different, you know, it can be three also, semifinals, but I think coming into I will be in a physically better shape.