MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 27, 2024

Thiago Monteiro

Press Conference

T. MONTEIRO/S. Tsitsipas

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congratulations. Up until the last game, you had only missed three first serves. You were serving at 93% first serves. Is this the best serving performance of your career?

THIAGO MONTEIRO: I think so (smiling). I think so, yeah. I was feeling really good the serve today. Here in the conditions, the serve, especially the left serve, works really well. The ball was bouncing high.

I mean, it's really important against these big guys, big players like Stefanos, top-10 players, it's really important to serve really well. I was really focused and do well with my serve games. Today worked a little bit better than I expected, but it was a really good game for my part.

I played well also some return games, which is not easy against him that he normally serves really good too. So I was just trying to be aggressive in the serve and also in the returns, and I create some good opportunities on the match. I was feeling good the ball. I was confident.

So it was a really big key to get this win today to believe and also to be, like, 100% focused all the time, because the minute I drop the level a little bit, I knew that he could go back and play in high level. So today it was a really good day.

Q. Was there anything in the last month that made you feel confident, whether it was results you have had in challengers or feelings that you have had in training, that you could beat someone of Stefanos' level?

THIAGO MONTEIRO: I mean, these weeks was a little bit different than the past weeks. I wasn't feeling really good actually in the past three, four weeks, but I was kept the work ethic and also try to build my game again, because I was trying to grind in challengers, but I didn't have the results that were expected.

But, I mean, tennis every week, we have a big opportunity, a new opportunity, so I was trying to focus on that, trying to every day push a little bit harder and practice a little bit better, because after the Rio Open, I didn't keep the consistence on tournaments, and this week I was feeling really good. I like the conditions. I had two good matches on the qualifying and really good first round.

So today it was already a different mindset in the game. I knew I had a big challenge ahead against a top player, but I was feeling good. I was just trying to enjoy also, and I just believed that I could create opportunities and believed in my game that I was back to feeling good again.

So today it worked really well, and it give me, like, big confidence to know that in a good day I can play, like, in high level against these big guys.

So, yeah, I just want to use this victory to keep going with confidence in the tournament and try to improve some things that we always can improve and be ready for the next one.

Q. Knowing where you came from, like, we talked about driving hours and hours with your brother to tournaments as a kid, to big wins like this on the biggest stages, do you put things in perspective and does it make you even more proud knowing where you come from?

THIAGO MONTEIRO: Yeah, I mean, I just try to enjoy the most the tour, because we are, like, very privileged guys, you know, to travel the world, to play a big sport and to have this opportunity every week.

So I just try to push my best to give back, like, the efforts that my mom and my brothers put on me to be in this position now. I'm just really happy that I can play, like, in the big tournaments. I knew that they were watching me, so I try to push a little bit even more when I know that my family, my friends, everybody is behind me.

So I'm just happy, happy for me, and also happy for them that they can share this moment with me.

Q. You're 29 years old and you got to do something for the first time, which is make the third round at a Masters 1000. What does that mean to you, and what kind of belief does it give you that it's actually never too late to experience new things in tennis?

THIAGO MONTEIRO: Yeah, actually it's never too late, never too late indeed. I see guys like Struff that is 32, 33, won his first ATP, like, last week. Mannarino, 35, he had his best season of his tennis career, like, last year.

I mean, tennis is like this, like one week can change the whole year the whole plans that you have. You just, like, need to keep working hard and to keep trying to enjoy it, like, take this opportunity, like, when it appears.

I'm just happy that I could win against a top-10 player again in the second round of ATP 1000, and now playing for the first time the third round. Last year I had match points to be in the third round in Rome against Coric, and he was like 50 in the world, so it's always like this. You need to keep believing, keep working, and you know some day it will pay off.

Q. Obviously you know better than anyone, it's been a little while since Brazil had a huge champion. A lot of excitement now about Fonseca and Beatriz had great years recently. I'm wondering if you could speak at all about is there a certain level of pride among the Brazilians to try and get back to where Guga had brought the country in terms of prominence previously?

THIAGO MONTEIRO: Yeah, for sure. I mean, this week has been really good for the Brazilians. Not just me but Thiago Seyboth Wild and then we had Joao Fonseca now, he's just 17, and he's a big star, and it's really nice to see it, to share this amongst the Brazilians and trying to push each other in the right way, you know.

So also Beatriz since last year she has been doing great results. So we just try to share the experience, to try to push each other, to learn for them also, and we have like a really good environment between us.

So it's really good to see everybody doing well and to, like, practicing together in the big tournaments and sharing the experiences and then trying to learn from each other.

I'm also a little bit more experiencing on the tour, so I try to also, I don't know, give advices when they ask or try to share as long as can possible on their routines, you know, so it's just good to see so many Brazilians doing well, and I hope we can motivate even more to come.

(Questions in Spanish.)