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U.S. OPENSeptember 6, 2012Janko TipsarevicNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK D. FERRER/J. Tipsarevic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Bad luck, Janko. That was a fantastic match. How much did the fall affect it? Did it affect the fifth set? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I don't think in that, even though it's really painful right now. When I cooled off, I don't think that I got ‑‑I don't want to blame the fall, the fact that I got broken on 4‑2. When I rewind the film in my head, I think he played a really good game on 4‑2. He was defensive but able to pass me every single time when I went to the net. If I remember correctly, I think I even put every single first serve in and he managed to return, so I definitely don't want to blame the fall. Even though it's really painful, I don't want to blame that on the loss today. Q. What did you do exactly? Pull a muscle? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: The fall on 4‑1 was just a fall. I'm feeling pain on my left hip now. But the 4‑All I think when I asked for a medical timeout I actually don't know. I don't feel the muscle right now walking. I'm going to do a treatment with my physio afterwards and see what is going on. My legs are definitely feeling pain right now. Q. How would you characterize the level of tennis that you and David played? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I think it was high. I think it was a high, intense match with not too many ups and downs, you know, apart from my bad tennis in the middle of the first set where I lost I think four games in a row. I don't think that there was any other part of the match where either of us played really bad. I think it was high, intense match, something which I predicted. I said after my last match victory both of us are baseline players, both of us I guess are big fighters on court, so something like that, something like this was only expected. Q. How exhausting is it to play against him at least mentally, and obviously physically for sure? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: It really is, but I think he improved his game so much. Two facts of his game which he really improved on is his first serve and his return. He's returning really amazing. My first serve is one of my biggest weapons, and I wasn't able to get as many free points as I was maybe expecting today. But you don't think, when you play against a player like David or Rafa or Andy or somebody who is extremely fit, you don't think how long is the actual match. You just think of what's going on currently on the court. Because if you start thinking that they might be fitter than you, if the match goes longer then they're the favorites to win, these are thoughts which shouldn't enter your mind at any time of the match. Q. David just said that he offered very high praise of your game today. He said it felt like a game that was a shame there had to be a loser in that, you know, it came down to a lottery of a tiebreak. Do you feel that way? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I think I played well. The one point which I felt I was unlucky was at 1‑4, Love‑30, second serve, challenge serve, which was by two millimeters touching the line. I could see that he was feeling the pressure. I remember his ball toss was horrible for that second serve, and it was just ‑‑the ball slided into my body. I felt like maybe if I won that point maybe the match would really go in my favor. Both of us returned pretty well. One break of serve doesn't mean a lot; but then on the other hand, he had three break points in the second set to win the set. Then on 4‑All he had I think 15‑40 with me coming from a medical timeout, so both of us had chances. I really don't feel that‑‑ especially because he played a very good game on 4‑2, I don't really feel that I screwed up in any way, that I played bad, I mishit, or I double faulted or anything like that. I'm just feeling really sad that I'm not on the other side of the net like a victor. Q. You are obviously in pain; you feel sad; you're physically beat up. You go through a wringer when you play David. Was there anything about that match or any point where you were enjoying yourself, or is it just work? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I was enjoying myself, because in the overall picture I needed to play what I like. It was very simple. In my mind and my box was always supporting and telling me this, to try and stay close to the line. I like staying close to the line. I like hitting winners. Even though I had to do it in my previous matches, I don't like grinding. I don't feel comfortable three or four meters behind the baseline. So it is work, but it's not something that I didn't enjoy even though I lost. You know, I think I had 50, 60 winners in the match. I was trying to play aggressive. I wish I had made him play more balls in the decisive tiebreak just to see how he feels, even though I think he missed maybe one ball. I needed to play my best tennis staying close to the line. When that was going, I really enjoyed myself. Q. Did you look up at all right before the tiebreak started in the fifth set to see the standing ovation? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I didn't look, but I heard it. I would like to thank the crowd in New York, which was amazing. You know, it's not maybe a quarterfinal which they wanted to see without Rafa being there or whatever, but I think David and me ‑ and not trying to overexaggerate anything ‑ played, until now at least, the best match of the tournament. I'm happy that the crowd appreciate that coming into the fifth set tiebreak. Q. How do you assess your year? It looks like obviously without Rafa and if Del Potro comes through this, it will be the first time in ten years that four different players have a chance to win a Grand Slam. Where do you view the men's game and where do you see yourself in terms of that gap closing between you at 8 and then coming even closer? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I feel I'm improving. I'm honestly really sad because I didn't clinch my chance to be the last four of a Grand Slam, which would really help me not just stay where I am, but hopefully attack the world No. 5, which was my goal at the beginning of the year. If you look at points purely, I am playing better this year than I was playing last year. It's, in my opinion, if not the toughest one, one of the toughest years for a professional player to just defend his status as a top‑10 player. I think I did not a bad job at least this year. There are still two months to go, but I'm feeling sad because I didn't clinch the chance to attack the top 5. Q. You seem to be pretty much at ease or calm with your game today. You certainly played very well. When you go home, do you ever replay matches in your head, something like this where it's a five‑‑ set tiebreak where you find X, Y, Z... JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I don't replay them in my head. I watch them on video. (Laughter.) Q.You wake up in the middle of the night and... JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yeah, and even though it's painful to watch, I look at it as homework. This is one of the things which made me a better player in the last couple of years, just watching constantly videos of my matches when I play good and when I play horrible. Because I think if you do your homework in the right way, this will help improve your game. Q. Obviously Rafa is not here and Federer loses last night a little earlier than everyone expected. Do you in any way sense that the top 3, even Murray, the stranglehold on the top is breaking in any way, or are people sensing that perhaps this is an opportunity that is arising, or just this one tournament? JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I honestly don't know this. The one, I mean, players get injured. That's normal. I saw the match yesterday night. Tomas played flawless tennis. If I remember the statistics, last couple of matches he beat Roger. So it is surprising, but in a way, it's not really surprising. I mean, I guess it's good news for the rest of us. We're trying to hopefully one day be in a position to win a Grand Slam tournament, but I honestly don't ‑‑it's just one tournament. I don't really know. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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