CINCH CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 20, 2023

Jordan Thompson

Queens Club

Press Conference

J. THOMPSON/A. Popyrin

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Jordan Thompson. First of all, congratulations. How do you feel about the performance overall against your fellow countryman?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, pretty good performance. It's tough playing another Aussie and not knowing I was playing him at the start of the day. Yeah, I think I dealt with that pretty well.

Got out to a healthy lead. He nearly got back in it, but closed out the last game. It was tough but it was getting a little bit tight. Closing it out was a good feeling.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When did you find out?

JORDAN THOMPSON: After I warmed up and the first match had already started. Maybe an hour before, hour and a bit.

Q. I suppose at least you know him? He's not someone you think, well, what do I do?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, right. In a lot of ways he plays quite similar to Milos. Wasn't a huge adjustment, but yeah, it's never easy playing a Lucky Loser because the draw came out on Saturday, I think, and then preparing for that for a few days and, yeah, now before the match it's someone different. It can throw you off a little bit, but thankfully I didn't let it throw me off today.

Q. What happened in that second set? You had that solid advantage, and then, as you say, it tightened up. Did you feel it was more Alexei?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Well, I was up 6-4, 5-1. He had new balls. I did get to Love-40. I actually played a very good return game. I made a lot of returns.

But he was downwind serving with new balls and he came up with a lot of first serves. I didn't do anything wrong in that game. Actually I came down the other end before I served for the match, and I said to my coach, That's one of the best return games I have played.

Then, you know, got myself back into the game at 5-2, was down 15-40 and, yeah, couple things didn't go my way, but, you know, closed out the last game to love. I guess double break, security break, helped me out a lot.

Q. Considering what you did last week and the way you played there, now getting this first-round win under your belt, is this one of the more confident years you feel with grass?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, I always feel comfortable on the grass. I mean, it's quite tough. I lost in the final. Obviously very disappointed. Then coming out today on a completely different grass court, I'd say more of a traditional grass court and it's a lot slicker, it's very different.

So adjusting each and every week is tough. But I think my movement helps me a lot with that. You know, I think you get a few practices under your belt and you start to tighten up your shots. The grass is a lot longer in 's-Hertogenbosch Bosch, and here you can tell it's very finely mowed and it's a lot slicker.

You can see by going out there it's going to be a little bit quicker, but always feel comfortable. I wouldn't say always confident but pretty comfortable.

Q. You have Cameron Norrie on center.

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, incredibly tough opponent. He's been at the top of the game for a couple of years now. He's done well here. I think he made a final. I'm sure he feels comfortable out on that center court.

Yeah, it's always tough playing him. I have played him quite a few times as well. It always feels like a battle.

Q. You said you feel comfortable on grass. There is a lot of younger players who don't really feel as comfortable on grass and are still trying to figure it out. How long did it take you to feel good on this surface, and what you had to do to feel like you could play your best tennis on this?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, I would say not a lot of younger guys probably grow up playing on, you know, grass or synthetic grass, something like that. They all play on clay, and that's probably why I have trouble on clay and not so much grass.

I think just the secret is time on grass, and, you know, growing up, I played quite a bit on it. So I think that really helped me out a lot. Actually wish I'd have grown up on clay, because that season is a lot, lot longer than this one.

Yeah, that's probably the reason I think young guys just play on clay all the time.

Q. There has been a trend over the last few years of tennis matches getting longer and becoming more physical. I wonder if that was your sense over the course of your career that it has stepped up the physicality of the sport?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, everyone is so professional. You've really got to look after your body. Yeah, we are playing on grass this week, and I actually said these are probably some of the quicker conditions and it still felt quite slow. I know it was overcast and pretty humid and the balls are going to fluff up. I was expecting it to be lightning quick and it wasn't the case. The courts are very, very slow these days.

Q. Is that one of the reasons you think that matches have become longer and it has become more grueling is the slowness of the courts?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, for sure. Rallies are longer. Yeah, the balls are getting bigger. I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's the court or the ball, but the rallies are getting a lot longer, and it's just normal for it to be more physical, because the slower the court is, there is going to be more serves that come back and just get into a bit of a ding-dong battle and you're just going to be rallying all day.

Q. Do you think there ever will become a point where there's that conversation about best-of-five becoming best-of-three at the slams, at least some of the rounds?

JORDAN THOMPSON: I hope not. I'm much more of a traditionalist. Yeah, when they changed the Davis Cup, I was shattered and I thought it was the wrong call. They have already, in my opinion, ruined one format. So I really hope they don't do it to the Grand Slams.

Q. When you spoke just now the different types of grass court, this one being a bit more of a traditional grass court compared to The Netherlands, firstly, which one do you prefer? The really closely cut one? And when you say you growing up on grass, was it like White City, Royal Sydney? Where did you play grass at home?

JORDAN THOMPSON: I actually probably prefer maybe just a little bit longer in the grass so it takes a spin a bit more. Yeah, I think one of my better serves is the kicker, so obviously the longer the grass is the more it grabs it, and more it kicks here, it kind of shoots and slides on.

In saying that, I mean, that's nitpicky. But yeah, I don't mind either. Yeah, probably just a little bit longer.

Then, yeah, I mean, in Australia we play junior events on grass, like the Nationals are on grass or in Mildura. And I grew up playing on synthetic grass, and there are grass courts in Sydney. I did a couple squads out at White City. There's a couple near my house.

Yeah, I wouldn't have trained on it all the time, but pretty confident that I would train on it more as a kid than a lot of other guys.

Q. The last point, Alexei took a bit of a blow trying to chase it down. Do you know if he's okay?

JORDAN THOMPSON: I have no idea. I saw him running to it. Didn't look great. I'm sure he will be fine. He was walking. I'm sure he will be okay. I hope he's okay.