	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS CUP MEN

August 12, 2011

Janko Tipsarevic

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

J. TIPSAREVIC/T. Berdych
6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Janko.

Q. What was the most difficult moment for you in this match?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I feel the crucial point in the match was the beginning of the first set when I managed to save three straight breakpoints. I played Tomas a couple of times before. What I know and what I noticed about his game is when he's leading, he's playing out of his mind, like really there's no stopping him. But sometimes when he's down or when it's a tight match, he makes some mistakes which are unusual.
But I'm really happy that I managed to save those three breakpoints and then wait for my chance and use it at the end.

Q. We understand this win puts you in the top 20. What does it mean to achieve that in your career?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: It means a lot. It was a goal. Two of my goals this season, the beginning of the year, was to finish the year top 20 and to win an ATP title. The second thing didn't happen for me yet, even though I was close already two times this year. I'm happy that the first thing is happening. The goal is to finish in the top 20. Everything over that would be a tremendous success.
I know it's overrated, but I'm really looking at one match at a time, not thinking about ranking positions at the moment.

Q. You'll be facing Mardy Fish in the semis. You lost your last three matches against him. Do you have something special in mind for him?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yeah, I think I won our first match in Sydney, then lost three straight matches.
Mardy is a really intelligent player. He's a typical example of an all-around player that can defend, stay back, be passive, but then on the other hand go to the net, play serve and volley and completely mix up the game.
The goal would be I guess to, of course, serve as I served today and to control his serve. I feel that I was returning extremely well today. The tricky part with Mardy is if he feels the other guy is putting a lot of balls back, he goes serve and volley and mixes up and changes the pace and the rhythm of the match which he did tremendously well today in the match against Wawrinka.
I'm going to focus on me and try to execute the serve and the return part as well as I did today, because the groundstrokes I'm feeling good for a while now. If I manage to do that, I feel that I have a chance to win.

Q. Since last year you changed a lot as a player. You became better, more focused, more determined. Also your game changed a lot. What is it you had to do to achieve that?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yeah, that's an interesting question.
I don't know what happened and I don't know why I didn't have this determination in earlier stages of my career. Before I was just playing the sport for the love of the game, just enjoying every match that I played, all that sort of stuff. But I realized that you cannot become better and you cannot push yourself, you cannot become a champion if you don't set up goals which you want to achieve.
In one way you need to be brave, to say to yourself that you did all you could, but at the end of the day it didn't happen for you. Not a lot of guys, but some guys on tour, including me a couple years back, I would say that I didn't have that fire in my eyes saying that I gave it all and then it didn't happen for me, you know, because I was afraid to be rejected if I did everything I could do.
I'm really feeling that I'm doing it this year. I didn't use a couple of chances at the beginning of the year. But here I am in the semis. I used my chance, my opening, that Rafa lost early in the draw. Let's see where this leads me.

Q. Any chance to see you in the finals?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: It all depends on how I'm performing tomorrow. I'm focused. I'm determined. Starting from my first round here, I'm really just focusing on winning the next match.
I'm aware that I'm a top-20 player now, but this doesn't change much. At the end of the day, that's just putting more unnecessary pressure on you at this point of the tournament.
When the tournament is finished, when the new rankings come out on Monday, I'll be more happy if I'm even higher ranked if I win the next match. So I'm just really focusing on beating Mardy Fish tomorrow. That's the only thing.

Q. Does it help you the fact that the No. 1 player in the world is from Serbia?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: It helps me tremendously. This is one of the things that I feel, not in a big way, but a small way, is pushing me to be better. Seeing Nenad also in doubles winning all these Grand Slams, and Novak, and Viktor being 12, almost top 10 in the summer. When you see other guys on tour doing that, it looks a little bit distant to you. But when you see these guys who are your out-of-the-court friends, life friends, doing what they're doing, you're watching it from a first-row seat, it really makes you think that, If Novak is No. 1, I can be top 10. Maybe I will not be top 10, but just having the desire to be top 10 really helps you become a better player at the end of the day.

Q. Does that create any rivalry between yourself and the other Serbian players?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yes, but I like to call it 'positive jealousy'. I was always saying this, and my father was saying this: there was enough points and money and fame for everyone on the ATP Tour. Of course at the end of the day it counts if you're 1, 2 or 3. But having this rivalry between us, in a bad way, you know. Of course, if I see Viktor winning, and I'm losing, I'm feeling, Why am I not him this week? This just creates a better desire to play and be better, but in a great spirit.
I talk to these guys once every three days when we're not on the same tournaments. We're great friends. Just having this together, at least I'm having this feeling, I don't know about the rest of them, but it really, really helps me at least become a better player.

Q. Do you feel you're gaining a lot of friends in MontrÃ©al?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: You know what, I honestly didn't have time. We were a little bit unlucky yesterday that we lost the doubles, so I didn't manage to see much of the city. But I would like to thank to the Serbian crowd especially who are tremendous, even if my first-round match when I played on Court No. 5.

Q. Do you feel this afternoon you're starting to gain some friends?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I feel that the crowd always likes the underdog. Tomas Berdych, he's a top-10 player, maybe he was expected to win this match. Seeing someone with a lower ranking fighting and challenging the top guys, it's always nice to see that.
Me, for myself, when I watch some other sports, if I see the underdog putting up a fight and playing and fighting, I'm always cheering for him.

Q. What is the last book that you read and how has it helped your game?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Books do not help my game. Books are a great way to, first of all, learn something, and second of all, kill time, because we spend a lot of time on the road.
Currently I'm reading a book called 'God Delusions' from Richard Duncan. It's not that great, it's not that bad, but I'm trying to power through the part that I don't like. Let's see. Maybe later in the book it's going to be more fun.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297