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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 8, 2010

Alex Bogdanovic

LONDON, ENGLAND

G. DIMITROV/A. Bogdanovic
4-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Disappointing, then, first set and then there was the delay a factor?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, it's always disappointing every match you lose, but I thought yesterday I played a little better. After I won the first set, it didn't help -- we kind of stopped a little bit. It was on and off. But you have to expect this, especially when you're playing on grass.
I didn't -- I don't think I dealt with that -- I kind of lost that little focus when we went in there, and then I got broken up early in the second set. It was kind of that -- that was a little frustrating for me.
Today I come back, and he actually -- he served very well and I didn't. I played a few loose points to get broken.

Q. Must have been a bit disappointing, those two double faults on your serve?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yes. I mean, two double faults in one game. I mean, it's quite a lot, especially playing on grass and that kind of gave him a game. You know, I kind of handed it over to him.

Q. Were you hoping to prove a point, having had to qualify?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I was just trying to win every match I played, basically. Just today it didn't happen.

Q. Was it a surprise when you discovered last night that you are not going to be given the wildcard at Wimbledon?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: No. I mean, obviously like I said I've had a lot of wildcards in the past, and I was always appreciated. Even though I did meet the criteria, it was their decision. You know, they felt like I didn't make use of the wildcards.
So it's just -- I've got to play quallies and earn my way into the main draw.

Q. What do you think about that? Is that fair enough or...
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, I mean, that's their call obviously. That's not in my control. All I can do is, you know, play match by match and, you know, get my ranking up. If I'm not good enough to get into the main draw I'll be in quallies. Then it's their decision whether they think I, kind of, over the year deserve to get a wildcard or whatever the criteria was.

Q. Have the LTA or Wimbledon explained that to you, explained why they're not giving it to you?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: No, they didn't. I mean, it was this thing that I think -- I was speaking to Leon earlier. It was about -- Davis Cup issue came up. He said -- he actually asked me February, you know, like, I want you to play.
I just said, I want to see how I'm playing at the moment and what my ranking is at the time, and I'm gonna kind of make a decision from there.
He said, Okay. We'll try and give you some, you know, wildcards to help you out. When I told him I think in Nottingham that I won't be playing for this tie, I need to get my ranking up, he was obviously disappointed with that.
He said I wasn't gonna get pretty much any wildcards, that even though he doesn't make the decision for the All England Club, that's the All England Club. I said, That's fine. I've got to play quallies.

Q. What's your sort of thinking behind your decision not to play Davis Cup?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: It's tough. I mean, I don't want -- I don't know what the story Leon was coming out with, but it's not like I don't want to play for my country. It's always been a great honor for me to represent my country.
Just because I'm not playing this tie doesn't mean I will not play Davis Cup. In December last year I basically -- my ranking, I finished the year 164 and British No. 2.
You know, I kind of -- I didn't meet the Aegon, didn't get into the Aegon squad. My money was, you know, cut. That's okay, because they made -- Steven Martens basically, we had a meeting and he basically said the reasons for that is I wasn't working hard enough throughout the whole year.
I thought that was just so disrespectful, because that's -- that's very untrue. He said my intensity wasn't good enough, and, you know, it was something that kind of -- that hurt me a lot, because I'm out there, you know, trying to give it my best shot to break the top 100 for now, maybe the last eight years.
You know, if it was as easy as that, everyone would be top 100, as good as Andy Murray is. But it's not, you know. He just said, you know, You're 25 and you should have been in the top 100, and now you're not. The chances are less and less.
You know, I kind of -- I found out they obviously didn't believe in me anymore kind of thing. So I just knew I had to go out there, and, you know, get my ranking up. That's the only thing you can do. That's what I'm trying to do, basically.

Q. Isn't it a good chance to sort of start afresh as the new Davis Cup captain, wouldn't now be the time to...
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, but it was in December. It was Leon who I got a letter from saying, on behalf of Leon that, you know, my funding was cut and stuff. So he obviously knew, you know, if he thought I was, you know, playing well or I had still the potential to become a very good player, you know, I should have been on board, basically, with the whole team.
You know, I just don't see -- to me, it doesn't make sense if, you know, if you can't get the funding, if you can't be in the team, then how can, you know, someone want you to play for your country.
To play Davis Cup, it's different. It's not -- you're playing for a team and you want to feel like the team has the backing, supports you, believes in you.
For me to perform at high level, you know, I will need to feel, you know, that's -- that they're doing that for me.
I kind of, especially -- I was really obviously kind of hurt, they questioned my efforts, which is never the case. I've always tried to give them my best shot and do the best I can.

Q. What would have to change then for you to say, Yeah, I will play?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Like I said, it was just a matter of me getting my ranking up, for him to kind of believe in it. I spoke to Leon. I'm sure he understands that -- we didn't know each other before at all. I would say hi to him and stuff, because Steven Martens was the head of tennis. He just needs to watch me more. I don't know if he knows my game or anything.
So he needs to watch me play a bit more, and I need to get my ranking up. The higher that I go, of course, I will be available and play, you know, for the tie. But right now at this time at this stage, I'm 170 maybe, and it's just -- it's time for me to try to get up there, really.

Q. What do you feel you can achieve in the game? What level do you feel you can still get in the rankings?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I believe I can be a top 100 player. For me, I still -- I still have the passion for the game. I'm 26, but I feel like I've got another six, seven years in my tennis career.
I don't think I've fulfilled my potential yet. I don't know where my potential will take me, whether it's 99 or 50. I don't know that.
But I need to just do everything I possibly can to fulfill my potential. That is my kind of goal, really.

Q. How is it that people ranked lower than you get more funding than you?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: That's their decision. That's okay. You know, if they have an opinion on the funding, I've got no control of that. But for someone to sit there and tell me that I wasn't putting in the effort and my intensity wasn't good and that is the reason I didn't break the top 100, I don't think that's right, especially when he only saw me play two matches in the whole year. That's where I was kind of quite upset.
But, you know, it's up to them. If they think I'm kind of too old for their funding that, you know, that's okay. But, you know, you can't sit there and kind of, you know, put players, you know, put their efforts down.

Q. How much money did you lose? How much funding did you lose?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I think it's, to get into the Aegon, I think it's 15,000 just for traveling, and then I got, from January to June, 4,000.

Q. What do you have this year?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: They gave me, from January to June, 4,000.

Q. That's a big drop.
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: A little bit. As you know -- you know, you kind of had to make the adjustments to that. Going -- I wanted to go to Australia just to see if I can qualify, do well, obviously points and money-wise. My preparation wasn't great. I just played -- I went straight to the Open instead of maybe playing another tournament.
But, you know, it's quite expensive. That one whole trip maybe cost 1,500. You know, that's okay. It's just -- you know, I just found when they don't value your efforts...

Q. Are you out of pocket?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Sorry?

Q. Are you out of pocket? Are you funding it yourself?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, I'm funding it myself, basically. Obviously right now I have Aubrey, my coach, who has been around, has known me since I was maybe 12 years old, and, you know, he has a job and stuff. He tries his best to come to tournaments and to support me, to give me the actual support. But obviously I can't, you know, obviously afford to pay more of anything. I've got to find my way.
That really doesn't bother me as much, because, you know, I've got to get my ranking -- it's just I just don't appreciate when people put your efforts down when it's got nothing to do with that. If we all -- if we always played five hours a day, it's not that easy to be a top 100 player. It's tough, but I still love it out there. I still want to give it a shot. I still believe I can fulfill my potential.

Q. Why do you think you have not fulfilled your potential so far?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I mean, obviously we all know people said I have talent. I do have talent, but talent alone doesn't get you anywhere. You need the physical and you need the mental side.
I have never focused on the mental side. It was something that I've just actually looked at right now. In February I'm starting to see a mental coach, trying to help me out a little bit.
In December I did kind of hit rock bottom. I wasn't expecting, you know, to kind of -- to be dropped and to basically kind of -- you know, whenever they lose hope, they don't believe in you anymore, and you're kind of all alone, especially when -- I love it so much. I kind of went to see him, because I was quite down. And I just told him, I just want to get my enjoyment back.
Because I know if I'm enjoying it, I'm smiling out on the court I will play good tennis. I'm quite talented. I just literally started to see a mental coach in February.

Q. You've played Ilhan, I think. Did you play him in Australia?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, I did.

Q. It's a sort of dangerous tie, isn't it, would you say?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: It is, yeah. Ilhan is a solid player, very good player. He's actually very close breaking top 100. I think so far he's had a very good year. I lost to him this year, the Open, second round quallies.
I don't know about the second player at all. I don't know who it is, but definitely Ilhan is definitely a player that's capable of winning good matches.

Q. Can I just verify, you said your conversation with Leon, you think that led directly to you not getting welcome?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: He just said if I wasn't playing Davis Cup I'm not gonna get the wildcard for LTA events, which was here and I think Eastbourne. I think the All England Club makes the decision for Wimbledon.

End of FastScripts

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