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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2011

Alexandr Dolgopolov

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

A. DOLGOPOLOV/J. Tsonga
3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Do you consider this the biggest success of your career so far?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, pretty much. Of course, it's the second week of a slam, you know. Beating Jo, he's a really big player, in five sets. So for sure it's probably the biggest match I've won for now.

Q. What turned it around for you? You were twice a set down.
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I could see he's pretty tired. His physical form is not probably the best now. In the second set I could come up from a break down, and I was just holding on. He had a really good third set.
I was up a break, and he just started hitting winners. I had to hold on and play consistent, try to make him more tired.

Q. You will now play Soderling. How will you take him down?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, you know, he's a really good player. I'll just have to hold on and try to do my best game, you know, be consistent because he's really good server. On the baseline he's really solid.
I'll have to do my best and give him a fight, and maybe a bit of luck.

Q. Serves very well from the baseline. Can you spot any weaknesses in his game?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, everybody has weaknesses. But I've never played him, so I'll probably see on the match. I'll discuss it with my coach and see how it goes.

Q. What was the plan for this match since the last match at Wimbledon?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: This match I was more fit physically so I could run more. I tried to make him play long rallies, because, you know, Wimbledon I wasn't that fit last year. So I had to risk more myself.
Today it paid off that I played more consistently and made less unforced errors.

Q. We remember Andrei Medvedev talk about how he used to hit with you when you were five, pretending you were his son. What do you remember at that time when your dad was coaching him and you were on the tour?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I had a good time. I was always around the players' lounge playing with all the stars there. Everybody knew me. I had a good time. I was in the tennis circuit.
I was with Andrei, always cheering for him. A lot of stories I remember from them.

Q. How long did it go on for? How old were you when it started, and how old were you when you had to go to school?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I think it started, I was about three years old when my father start to coach him. It went on for three, four years. Then they broke up and they got back again at '98. So another year. I was like 10 years old at that stage. So maybe four, five years I traveled. Some I remember, some I don't.

Q. When did you decide to be a professional tennis player?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I was just practicing, you know, and my father is a coach, so it just went there. Probably at 10 years old I started, like, practicing professionally. Less school and more into tennis.

Q. How tough is it for you?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, this year I got a lot stronger physically. I worked out consistently in the preparation for the year. So I'm feeling a lot better. I don't have to risk that much as I did last year. Feeling good, feeling solid, so I can really get my game up with the level because I don't need to do, you know, like stupid shots, you know, miss a lot.
So I'm getting more solid, more consistent, of course playing better.

Q. Who was your favorite player 10 years ago?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: 10 years ago? I always like Andrei, how he played. I liked Marcelo Rios' style. Probably those two.

Q. Now?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Now it's tough to say. You know, I'm in the circuit.

Q. Who do you like to watch the most?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Probably Roger, because I like, you know, different shots. It's pretty fun to watch Rafa, as well. He's like totally a different type of player.
But everybody has something in his game that is interesting to watch. But I'm not into watching tennis a lot, apart from being on tour. I like to, you know, relax and keep away from tennis.

Q. You say you have a lot of stories from the time when you were a kid. Have you got one or two you can share with us?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, there was once when my parents lost me. I was pretty small then. They lost me somewhere on the site. They found me. I was surrounded with all these people. I couldn't read or write. They were taking my autograph. I was just writing letters, like Alex.

Q. Do you like to make some show on the court during the match?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: For sure, I enjoy it on the court. Sometimes I do really good shots. So I like it on the court. I like competing. Even if I'm losing, I'm trying to, you know, be positive on the court. Some players, you look at them, and they're like having a bad time there, they're struggling.
I'm trying to keep away of that. Of course, sometimes you get really pissed if you're playing bad or something. But it's life.

Q. You have hands very fast and you think very quick. Did you do other sports or do you do some different things with your hands?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: No, I think it's just how I am, you know, naturally. I don't do much of different sports. I'm in tennis from three years. Never done anything else. Playing tennis all my life.

End of FastScripts

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