AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2025

Tristan Schoolkate

Press Conference

J. SINNER/T. Schoolkate

4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Tristan, tough but competitive match out there. How are you feeling after that?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: Thanks. Yeah, pretty good, but, I mean, yeah, it hasn't really kicked in too hard. I have just been recovering.

Yeah, it was pretty cool out there.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Taking a set off the World No. 1, do you take plenty of positives out of a performance like that?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: For sure. I saw a stat after the match that that was the first set in 20-something sets in a row for him. Yeah, that was obviously a pretty good feeling grabbing the first.

Yeah, it's obviously the reason he's at the top of his game that he could hold his level for longer in that match. He sort of ran away with it a bit. From the third set he lifted his level a little bit, and maybe I dropped off a bit.

Q. What was it like to play in front of a crowd of that size in your own country?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: Awesome. Yeah, definitely something I won't forget. The first hour was probably the most enjoyable hour of tennis I have had in my career.

Week in, week out on the tour I'm usually not playing in front of too many people. It was pretty cool to have the whole arena screaming my name. I had a great experience last week in Adelaide, as well. Obviously a bit smaller than Rod Laver, but yeah, tonight was awesome.

Q. How does that experience help with your game when you have a big crowd cheering for you on the biggest court in Australia playing, and pretty much out there cheering for you? How does that sort of feel to have that crowd on your back?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: It gives you so much energy. Yeah, I mean, physically I feel good. Like, yeah, I was super happy with the way I felt out there. Obviously, yeah, maybe you back yourself a little more because everyone is getting behind you. I'm not sure.

Yeah, like I said before, it's not every week I get to play in front of so many people and have everyone scream my name. Playing against the World No. 1, it's not your regular Thursday night.

Q. Did it give you that confidence, I suppose, in that first set, like when you're keeping on serve with him to start off with, you got that late break, did it give you that confidence, like, hold on, I can actually...

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: Yeah, I think it gave me the confidence from when I walked out until I walked out after the match. Yeah, that was a great way to come onto the court and everyone is getting around me.

I backed myself in from the start to the finish. Obviously I came out on the losing end, but yeah, obviously happens a fair bit when you play the No. 1 in the world.

But, no, I'm super happy the way I backed myself in for the first set especially. I played great tennis. I thought I served very well. Kept myself in the set.

When I had my chance to break serve, I did and came away with the set. Sat down afterwards, and was, like, settling in for a few more sets here. So it was pretty cool.

Q. How often have you actually played on Rod Laver? Have you practiced there much?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: The last time I had, like, a proper session, like, a hitting session, was the year Djokovic got sent back. I might have been one of the only people that actually practiced with him that year.

I don't know what year. I can't remember, maybe '22, I think. That was probably the only time I have actually played for longer than half an hour on there. I think we hit for about an hour.

Today I got to hit for half an hour to warm up before my match, which was pretty good, because Alex finished his match, which obviously helps to get used to it a little bit.

But yeah, and then yesterday I managed to get a session in there early in the morning before I played doubles. I had a little bit of time, but he's obviously spent a little bit more time on Rod Laver than me.

Q. Expanding on that, how is that arena always looked to you from the outside?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: I have watched so much tennis as a little kid and so many big matches on that court. Probably one that comes to mind the most is when Rafa and Djoko played, I think 2012, they were both cramping and everything in the ceremony afterwards.

It was pretty crazy. You walk down, see the Walk of Champions. Yeah, so many people would do anything to actually just walk down there.

I get to walk down there and play a match against the No. 1 in the world that won the tournament last year, and his photo was at the end, which was a bit different, too. Pretty cool.

Q. Is this something you can build on now? Does it give you confidence and lift your own expectations for the rest of this year and beyond?

TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE: Absolutely. Yeah, I guess it's a testament to the work I'm doing. I feel like I'm improving year after year.

Yeah, I think I have come a long way. To test myself against the best in the world, and have some success in the match was really good. Gives me a lot of belief that what I'm doing is working, and if I can keep working on my game and keep improving, hopefully I can take another set and maybe even a match off players like this.