THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2023

Roman Safiullin

Press Conference

R. SAFIULLIN/D. Shapovalov

3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Roman, what are your thoughts after today's match?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Well, after today's match, I mean, still I didn't realize that I made it to quarterfinals, especially on my first Wimbledon main draw. I didn't play a lot in my career on the grass court, so I'm really happy that I could make it and hopefully I could make it more.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. A really good run so far. Your next opponent Jannik Sinner. You faced him in ATP Cup a few years ago. What do you remember of the match? What are your expectations? Do you talk with him? A little bit on everything on Jannik from the Italian side as Italian.

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Yeah, we had last year match in ATP Cup, so it was basically for me first experience to play against top-10 player. It was really tough one for me. Yeah, like especially in the first set I remember I made some problems to him, so I hope to make also some good notes from that match and to improve the tactic and my performance for the next match.

Q. How do you find this particular moment in your career? Maybe you are maybe taking revenge against him what you had in the past with the injuries and other problems?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Actually, my biggest injury, it was after Australian Open junior championship. It was a shoulder. Yeah, then it takes long time to recover, and then after I recover, I got another injury with my right ankle.

Yeah, it's all takes a lot of time to recover and to get like back on track. For me, it took like very long. For some people maybe shorter; for some people longer.

Yeah, it was many injuries I had, big one. I mean, big one these main two and a small one as well. But, yeah, the main is these two.

Q. First time at Wimbledon. So I'm just curious to understand what happened this year? What was the click for this amazing run?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Honestly, it's tough to say, because also, before the clay court season, it's a little bit, not this time but before clay court season, I was feeling that I do not do much on the clay because I'm not good at clay.

But at the end I played four tournaments, I guess. Out of these four I made two times third round in Masters. So it was not a bad start.

Here, on the grass, I skip Roland Garros because of the other injury, and then I was just practicing for the grass court season. I played basically all tournaments what was before.

I didn't do really well on some of them, but a little bit, step by step, I was getting the game on the grass court. Here, adapt a little bit, because here is different on grass than in Halle or Mallorca and adapt a little bit the game and play now in quarterfinal.

Q. I just found something on the Internet and I was curious to ask you. Can you confirm that you missed Roland Garros because you forgot to enter the qualifying in Paris and then you stayed out as an alternate? If you can explain a little bit.

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Yes, yes. I forgot to enter the quallies to Roland Garros because I had the match against Zapata, and I completely forgot that I need to enter and I was not entering in advance.

Yeah, I stayed first out for main draw. But the thing is I got injured in Rome, and I supposed to play Geneva but I arrived there and then I skip it.

Then I was still first out. So quallies, I wouldn't make it anyway, because I had a problem in which I couldn't recover that fast.

Q. I think earlier in the tournament you might have been in a budget hotel. I'm just wondering, now with a nice payday whether or not you might change hotels to be more comfortable?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: No, no. Why should I change it? Nice hotel. Of course it's not like five stars, but I like the bed. Everything for me fits. It's not so far actually to go and not so much traffic. Why should I change it?

Q. A question on Wimbledon. How big was Wimbledon when you were a boy growing up? Did you watch it? Did your family?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Yes, of course. Of course when I was a kid I was watching basically all the tournaments which I could watch, and especially Wimbledon. So I saw Roger and Novak, Rafa winning here. So it's a great memories.

I'm happy to see like downstairs we have a board where is all the champions here. It's really nice to see the whole history of the winning Grand Slams.

Q. How is this Wimbledon going to change your life not only mentally and the belief you have on the court but also financially as a tennis player? How is this going to affect you going forward?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: Honestly I did not check it yet the prize money, my prize money for the quarterfinal. I mean, I hope it will change it and that I can make even more in the future. So invest in my team and to make even more in the future.

Q. How about for your confidence? Now you're well inside the top 100. Seems like you're on a different level now. How do you think this is going to affect your confidence going forward?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: It should for sure help me with this confidence, and especially this confidence is not easy to get it, because the confidence, you get it only through the matches, through the winning matches, and that's what I'm basically doing now.

Q. You have a clothing sponsor?

ROMAN SAFIULLIN: No, no.