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SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 14, 2009

Shao-Xuan Zeng

SHANGHAI, CHINA

J. TSONGA/S. Zeng
6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you please briefly talk about your match and how you prepared for this match?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: So I know that it would be difficult to play with Tsonga and so I expected a difficult beginning.
It was true that he brought me a lot of pressure, and I got a lot of break serve points, so I found a lot of pressure in my serve games, so when I lost a serve game, it was difficult to come back.

Q. So it is your first time to play with top 10? Could you please talk about your previous meetings with top 10 and also your meeting with Tsonga. What's your gap with top 10 in addition to some tactics? And also, how can you bridge those gaps in the new term?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I don't think that there is very big difference in terms of techniques, but I think there is some difference in speed and strength and a bigger difference in terms of fitness and also the movements on the court.
And also, it's very important for me to win in the serve game, and so basically it's crucial for me to win the serve game for me to be closer to the top players.

Q. Yesterday you mentioned that basically you don't care about the techniques of your opponent and you want to be predominant in the court. What are your tactics?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I seized some opportunities and so I played well with some easy shots. And, for example, I approached the net when I got some flukes, but I got a lot of pressure when we exchanged a few hits close to the baseline.
And also he had good quality returns, so as a result, I had poor quality returns. And also, he approached the net a few times, played very well. So basically he is a full-court player. It's difficult for me to find loopholes in him to realize a break-through.

Q. And you mentioned that this is not your first meeting with top 10. Basically, what's the interval between your meetings with two top-10 players? How big a progress did you see in this interval?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: As for the previous meeting with top 10, it should have been in Beijing. I was not so sure about that. At that time I was not so good, and play with the flukes, and also, I think I made some progress in serves, as well.

Q. What's your plan for your forthcoming matches?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I need to play in the 11th National Game in Shandong, and after that, the Chinese tennis national team will be reformed, and after that, we will go through the winter training.

Q. Will this match give you some help to prepare for your match in the National Game?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I think I will gain some confidence in this match, so this match, in spite of its results, will be of great help for me to play in the National Game.

Q. Do you still remember your opponent, your previous meeting with top 10?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I think that it's Baghdatis and also Coria. I played with two other top 10 players.

Q. So basically this is your first time to play in such a high-level tournament. What did you learn most?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I think that what I got most is that I gained more confidence, and also, I saw more clearly the future development of Chinese tennis and also the strength of those top players and our gap with those top players.

Q. Just now you mentioned that by playing such high-level tournaments, you started to see more clearly the developments of male tennis. And basically, can you talk about what are those developments, and how can we follow such trends and whether Chinese tennis is following the right track?
SHAO-XUAN ZENG: I cannot talk about others. I can only talk about myself after this match. I think that I will continue to play fast in the courts so as to win in the match.
And the top 10 players, they are very good. After playing with Tsonga, I found that he's very fast in the court. He's one of the top 10 players. I think that being fast is one of his biggest advantages.

End of FastScripts

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