QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

February 19, 2025

Luca Nardi

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/L. Nardi

6-1, 4-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with English questions, please.

Q. Great match. I just want to know, what's happened at the second set. I know this is not the result you were wishing for, but how much confidence will it give for you for the near future?

LUCA NARDI: Well, yeah, for sure it was a very good match. Carlos was playing unbelievable today. I was a bit nervous, you know, maybe because to play one of the best players in the world is not easy, so I was nervous.

But in the second set it was 5-1, I said, you know, Let's try to give it all. And, yeah, I started to play better and better, and I won the set.

Like, in the third set, there was one game that I, you know, I wasn't too much focused, and he made a break. At the top level, even if you're not focused only for one game, you lose the match. This is what happened.

For sure I will take some good things about this match, and now I know how I have to play, and for sure I will keep it with me.

Q. I want to ask you, please, what are your goals in 2025 in terms of ranking, and in general overall.

LUCA NARDI: In terms of ranking, actually, I don't have too many, because, you know, I'm a guy that, for example, last year I didn't play too much because I got injured three times. So the main goal is to play all the week, and try to be healthy and not to get injured. The ranking, you know, it can go up, it can go down, so you never know what happen, but just to be healthy for all the year.

Q. I want to ask you, usually the Italian players during February they play the clay swing in Rio and Buenos Aries, and Santiago usually. So what makes you to play the hard court surface? Is that because your best surface is hard court?

LUCA NARDI: Yes, for sure, I play better on hard court, and try to play most of the matches on hard courts, yeah.

Q. In 2023 or 2024, I'm not sure, you won against Novak Djokovic.

LUCA NARDI: Last year, 2024.

Q. And today you played very good match against Alcaraz, I think, from the second half of the second set. What's the key, or do you prefer to play under, like as the underdog, let's say?

LUCA NARDI: No, of course not, no (smiling). No, no, no. I mean, it's nice to play with these guys, but in the second hand, I mean, here there are some very good players, but for sure if I have to choose I wouldn't choose Alcaraz in the second round, that's for sure.

Q. But my question is, do you feel less pressure when you play as the underdog?

LUCA NARDI: No, because, you know, it's a match as all the others. You want to win, so the pressure is all the same. Maybe you're playing with, I mean, you try many things because you have to do, you have to be at your best to try to beat them, but no, about pressure, every match is the same.