AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 10, 2025

Jordan Thompson

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Jordan, how does it feel to be here for another home Grand Slam?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yes, it doesn't get any better than this. Home slam, it's in your backyard. Always love coming to this event. One of my favorite slams. Hopefully it will be a good tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How has the foot pulled up after Brisbane?

JORDAN THOMPSON: It's definitely getting better. Yeah, it usually takes a bit for me to withdraw. Couldn't play Adelaide either. Just spent the time trying to rest and recover and get it right for the Australian Open.

It's looking pretty good so far.

Q. I noticed as far as I understand it still signed up for the doubles. Can you give us an idea whether you expect to play that with Max?

JORDAN THOMPSON: No comment.

Q. Three seeds for Australians in the men's this year. Nick gave you a bit of a plug in his press conference earlier today. How are you feeling within the Australian crew at the moment? You must be feeling maybe they can get close to winning this Grand Slam?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, we got a great crew. Nick is unseeded. If he's fit, he's a contender. He's made the final at Wimbledon. We have Demon in the top 10. Pops, myself. Kokk's going really well. Hopefully he's fighting fit.

Australian tennis is looking pretty good at the top. I think we're all just pushing each other. We want to get better, just keep pushing up the rankings, all of us. Hopefully a few more of us will get seeded in the future.

Q. On the women's side, the guys are kind of pushing each other. The women, they're not quite as highly ranked at the moment. Where do you see the Aussie women? Are they on a similar trajectory?

JORDAN THOMPSON: To be honest, I don't really watch a whole lot, men's or women's. Obviously I'm part of the men's side, so I know all the guys.

Yeah, it's just too hard for me to comment on that.

Q. We've seen this week Nick Kyrgios is back in the Davis Cup squad. I was talking to Demon a couple days ago. He credited you as being the one that seems to have put the olive branch out. Was it you that made that difference?

JORDAN THOMPSON: I don't know if it was me that made that difference. I'm always in his ear. I want to play Davis Cup with him. My debut was with him. He's one of my good mates. We grew up playing together since we were eight years old. I told him how good would it be if we were playing Davis Cup, playing for our country together, try to win the event?

We've made the final twice. I think we could have a genuine chance of winning it if we had him in our team. Trying to put that on his shoulders (smiling).

No, just thankful that he's agreed to play.

Q. Alex seems to have taken another step up in the last 12 months or so. Take us into the atmosphere within the tour, how he is viewed, whether he has a realistic chance at this Grand Slam?

JORDAN THOMPSON: What did he do? He did three quarters in a row of slams last year, top 10, I think he got to 6. He's just continually getting better. He's constantly improving. He works so hard. He's very professional.

Guys in the locker room know it's going to take a big effort for them to beat him. His movement is unreal. I said at the US Open when I lost to him that he doesn't really have a weakness. Like, it is really hard to hurt him on the court because of his speed.

I think if he just has a good week, it all goes his way, he can definitely do some damage.

Q. What do you think made the difference to elevate your game up to this Grand Slam seeding?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Probably mentality on the court. I'm trying to be more aggressive. I'm trying to use, like, all the aspects of the game to win points. Trying to push forward to the net as much as I can. Got to use my speed and volleys to my advantage.

Obviously I can use the speed to defend when need be. But that's not Plan A. I guess I'm just taking the game on a little bit more. It's definitely paid off. So hopefully I can keep pushing forward.

Q. On that note, start of a new year, new season. What would constitute a successful year for you?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Number one would be staying healthy. I guess a push inside the top 20 in the rankings. I would like to get to No. 1 in doubles, but with Maxy being out, a little bit tough at the moment. A little bit clouded there. I think I need him to get to No. 1.

I'd say those two, they're the main two goals.

Q. I want to ask about a couple of the big-serving guys. You played Perricard and Opelka. You beat them both in Brisbane. What do you think of them, the tall serving guys having a moment again this month, what it takes to have success against them in your experience?

JORDAN THOMPSON: Yeah, well, Perricard, he's just constantly improving. His groundstrokes are getting better and better. I played him first in 's-Hertogenbosch in '23. His serve was really good then, but it's just getting better and better.

I think he's got a great coach. They've got a great game plan for his style.

Reilly is Reilly. His serve is incredible. He can play from the back. He can move. For a big guy, he's an incredible athlete.

Those two matches took an incredible returning display for me to get them. But just watching them last week, especially in Brisbane, I think it would take a better effort now to beat them because they're playing great tennis. They have that serve to their advantage.

Stepping up to the line, they're probably a 99% chance of holding serve. That makes it tough for anybody, just like Djokovic probably found out. Yeah, they are constantly going to be a nightmare for everybody (smiling).

Q. Obviously touched on the fact that you are seeded here. Does this feel like the best opportunity you've had in the Oz Open? Have you looked ahead to see who you might have?

JORDAN THOMPSON: No, I haven't actually looked at the draw. Just like any other week, it's another tennis match I need to get through no matter who you're playing.

It probably does help that you're not running into a seed first or second round. At the same time, the depth in the men's tour is incredible.

So just one match at a time. I know who I play first round. I just want to get through that and take it one point at a time.

Q. Being obviously seeded at a Grand Slam level in terms of doubles, does that help you in your singles, your mentality, trying to go deep in terms of the pressure side of it as well?

JORDAN THOMPSON: To be honest, doubles is more like a bit of fun for me. I've said this openly. I wouldn't be playing if it wasn't for Max digging his heels in and making me get out on the court.

For me, it's just a bit of extra practice. It definitely sharpens up my singles game and the doubles game as well. In singles, you feel like you got the whole court to hit into, especially on returns. In doubles you have to hit into quite a small space.

Just feels like I've got an ocean to hit into in the singles court. Just credit each other. You're just getting better at both by being out there on the court.

I think I played over 110 or 115 matches last year. I just felt like I was actually getting better on the doubles court as it went on.