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AEGON INTERNATIONALJune 18, 2012Jamie BakerEASTBOURNE, ENGLAND J. BAKER/D. Young THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Well, how satisfying was that today under the circumstances? JAMIE BAKER: Yeah, it was good. Probably maybe a little bit of expectation on myself to, if not to win, but to play to a kind of similar level to last week. Although I lost 3 and 2 to Tsonga, I thought I actually, if you look at my level, I thought I played pretty well. He's obviously in a different class. I think I had a lot to build on from that. I don't know. You can see that I'm ranked 200. He's ranked ‑‑ is it 48 today, Donald Young? Q. Yeah. JAMIE BAKER: I mean, you can see it obviously isn't a huge difference and gulf, so I think a big word that I'm trying to use just now actually is "belief" when you go on to play guys like that. Because as you saw today, I think the grass court is definitely a leveler. Obviously it's windy out there, but, I mean, there's no reason why ‑‑well, I won 1 and 4. That's it. Q. So in terms of satisfying wins, where would that rank, do you think? JAMIE BAKER: Yeah, I mean, I think definitely in a competitive match, that's my best win in terms of ranking, no doubt about that. I beat Calleri in Argentina in a dead rubber. I think he was about the same, 42 or 48. But, yeah, that's definitely up there. Q. Talk about belief, is it also a belief you can get a similar ranking to the guy you have beaten out there today? JAMIE BAKER: Absolutely. I think there is a lot of stories. Actually, the guy that beat Tsonga after I played him last week, Dodig, you look at his ranking history, and he actually spent three or four or five years down in like 500, 400, 500, again. He's 27 now. His last three years have been 80‑something, 32, and now he's 60‑something again. So you look at a story like that, and actually nowadays in tennis there's more and more players like that. So, I mean, I'll be 26 on my birthday, but if I stay fit, there's no reason why I can't play for another eight years if I'm motivated. That's a lot of time to try and get into that position I'd be at. So the long‑winded answer is yes. Q. When you look out there, his attributes and where he's ranked and your attributes and where you're ranked, do you see that gap? Is it belief that separate you from a top 50 spot? JAMIE BAKER: Do I see a gap between him and me when I'm playing him? Q. Yeah. JAMIE BAKER: Well, the gap was I was better today. Q. So you're better today. But do you feel you have the credentials to hit that top 50? JAMIE BAKER: Absolutely, a step at a time. Like I say, the Dodig example is once you can get to ‑‑I mean, my next goal is to get to 150. If I can, ranked 200, beat a guy who's in the top 50, there's no reason why I can't, a step at a time, do the same thing. I think once you can have a bit of belief, I think you get on a bit of a roll about momentum, and confidence comes into play, as well. Suddenly, I mean, I walk onto the court whoever I play on Wednesday, and I know I've just beaten a top 50 player. If you can build on that, it just snowballs. You see that in a lot of sports. Q. You've stayed very loyal to Keith, haven't you, over the years as your coach. I suppose he could be perceived as a little bit of an outsider. Clearly what you and he have developed over the years has worked very well for you. Can you encapsulate what that relationship is like? JAMIE BAKER: Yeah. Well, it's evolved and changed actually over time. Probably from when I was like 19 to 23 we spent ‑‑ basically he was at almost every tournament with me. So we were sharing rooms, and we were in each other's pockets 30 to 35 weeks of the year, which when you consider the age gap that's pretty amazing that I was able to work for so long and be productive. Over the last few years, it's become a lot more of a kind of distant relationship where we'll ‑‑ the great thing about technology these days, you know, we are in touch almost daily when I'm away. We have a system where some of his coaching to me over e‑mails has been more effective than a lot of the stuff, say, that's happened in the past when he's been there on a day‑to‑day basis. I think now I would never ‑‑I wouldn't go back to having somebody in my ear kind of for that long. I like my own space. I think that in order for the stuff that he's saying to be at its most productive, I need to be listening, and I need to kind of choose the times when I'm listening. I think if you always have somebody there, he can be trying to get a message across and you're just so sick of hearing the voice, you're like, Come on, get away from me. Whereas the time that we actually spend together now, I've picked up the phone in advance and said, I actually want you here in my ear now. So I've already kind done it like that. So it has evolved and changed, but I think it's unique definitely within tennis to have such a kind of long‑standing relationship with somebody. It's great to have somebody who is so kind of just in my corner 100% kind of no matter what, you know. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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