AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2025

Tomas Machac

Press Conference

T. MACHAC/R. Opelka

3-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: A really hard-fought game today. How are you feeling after five sets?

TOMAS MACHAC: Well, I feel pretty good. I did great preparation before this tournament. Really happy with that, that I was physically ready for this match. Reilly was playing his tennis, he was serving well. I was just hoping I will have any chance on his serve. I was just focusing on my serving, and that's why it took so long (smiling) until the end.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I just wonder how proud you feel, having beaten Reilly in this type of match, because it's very different, isn't it? Five sets, tiebreaks, one or two points, and you have to stay very mentally focused.

TOMAS MACHAC: Yeah, it's a totally different match against this tall guy or tall guys, because they are serving really good, and it's different angle on the return.

So I was just trying to be positive as long as possible, and actually I was feeling great on the court during the match. First set was not good one from my side. I was feeling without the rhythm, without good serve, so first set was not good, but after was okay.

So how I feel right now, I feel good (smiling). I don't have any specific emotions right now, because it was a very difficult match for a mental part.

So I need to rest now.

Q. You're right in the middle of sort of Stefanos -- age-wise, sort of Stefanos and Daniil, and also on the other side, the younger players coming up. I was wondering, which do you associate yourself with more? Do you think of yourself as a new person and your game style as part of sort of the new wave of the way people play, or do you think of yourself more with the players a few years older than you?

TOMAS MACHAC: Actually, I don't understand the question now. What is the question?

Q. You're 23, right?

TOMAS MACHAC: Yeah.

Q. So Stefanos and Daniil and that generation.

TOMAS MACHAC: Okay.

Q. They're like 27, around there.

TOMAS MACHAC: Yeah.

Q. And then Carlos, 21 and Fonseca, 18. Do you think of yourself of the older group or the younger group? Your game, do you think it fits more with one group versus the other?

TOMAS MACHAC: About the age, I don't know. But about my game style, I try to play a little bit different. I can be aggressive. I can be defensive. So my game is really flexible.

So when I play my best tennis, I think I can play against the best ones. I already show that during the United Cup or especially in Shanghai. So I try to be myself. I try to play my game with the best ones, and it's going great.

That's huge for me, and I think I had great -- last season I was really, really great with the Olympic medal, with the great results in the single, great result in the doubles. So I tried to practice strong, and let's see this season.

Q. It means you're still going to focus on your singles. On the other hand, from the doubles side, Team ZZZ is expecting you to fair well, how do you expect to allocate your time and focus also?

TOMAS MACHAC: Well, I like to play doubles. Especially when I'm tired, I don't care. I really enjoying to play the doubles, especially with Z. So I think we're going to play tomorrow. So if you practice one hour or if you play doubles one hour 40 minutes, it's really same.

I like to play the games when I'm on the tournament, so looking forward to play again with Z.

Q. He took an early exit in the singles. Of course, he is focusing on his doubles right now, not to mention the men's doubles and, of course, the mixed doubles. What do you think of his chance with teaming up with your former teammate and also the chance in the mixed doubles?

TOMAS MACHAC: Oh, he's playing with Katerina? Okay, okay.

He was asking me if it's okay with me, so I said it's totally fine. He's a really nice guy. He's a really nice guy. Actually he even ask me if it's okay for me. So I was like, Man, it's really okay. So I'm cheering for you. Cheering for Katerina.

If I have time I will definitely come to watch. Really looking forward to that.

Q. Novak's in a battle at the moment, but if you do play Novak, what kind of match do you want to play against him? What kind of match do you think he might try to play against you?

TOMAS MACHAC: I will not show up with my game preparation right now. It will be secret.

With Novak, you never know. He's one -- not one of the best. He's the best. You never know with this guy. I try to play my game. We will see what's gonna happen. Really he's the best.

Q. You had wins over both he and Andy last year, didn't you?

TOMAS MACHAC: Sorry?

Q. You beat him and Andy Murray last year. Come up for a game plan against you...

TOMAS MACHAC: Definitely I will enjoy that Andy is sitting on his bench. I will play against Novak. It will be really thing to think about when I stop playing tennis. I will really remember that moment if I will play against Novak.

Q. I think you were reading from a notebook during the match. Do you read some sort of messages to remind yourself of what you need to think? Am I right in thinking you were reading?

TOMAS MACHAC: Yeah, I have some notes for some situations during the match, so when I need to calm down or think about something else, because on the court you really feel lots of stress, and there is lots of emotions and emotions is really changing.

So I had a feeling to take my notes and to read it and to calm down. It was much better, so I'm really happy with this decision.

Q. Is that new for you? Have you done that much before?

TOMAS MACHAC: I did it before I think when I was playing one year and a half back when I was playing two challengers in a row, and I won those two challengers in a row.

So I was feeling really tired, so I had some notes. Sometimes it helps me a lot.

Q. What sort of messages?

TOMAS MACHAC: Really easy, really basic, enjoy the moment, don't think about the results, some kind of those messages. It's not something, how to say, difficult.

It's really basic words, because those basic words, it's really important during those matches. You don't need to have some, you know, different words. Needs to be really easy for me, especially for me.