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APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEYJanuary 8, 2014Juan Martin Del PotroSYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES J. DEL POTRO/N. Mahut THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. When you won, you blew a kiss to the heavens. Is that because you were greatly relieved or someone special up there? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: It's something special about me, about my family, and I did every match after the victory. Q. And this was just your first match here for the tournament. Give us your impressions of the court and the conditions. Not probably as hot as you would have liked. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, I think to be my first match after two months it was okay. The court and the balls are really fast and it's tough to play long rallies. And also Mahut serves really well, and he played a lot of slices and volleys. It's tough to feel the ball on the baseline. In the end I broke his serve in the third set, only once, and that was enough to close the match. Q. How about your racquet? Last year you had two left. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I'm still having the same racquets. I was trying a different racquet during the off‑season. I was close to change, but I'm not feeling 100% at the moment. Hopefully me and Wilson, whatever, we want to change really close and really soon. I need to change racquets, too, because I use it a lot. I think the other guys, they have advantage to me when they play with six or eight racquets in one match. Q. So you're going into the Australian Open with two racquets only? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: If you have one to me... (Smiling.) Yeah. Q. You said you tested another one. What kind of racquet? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Wilson. I just test Wilson racquets. I think we are close. I don't know which tournament or when, but I would like to change; they would like to change my racquet, too. We are working really hard to find a good racquet for me. Q. Did you change anything after the first set in terms of how you played, or do you think it was more a matter of Mahut's level dropping? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I think in the second I serve much better. I only broke his serve twice in the match and that's it. When the courts are really fast and the balls are faster like here, it's tough to feel good, to feel the ball like I want before the match. I was trying to find a way of his serves, and then putting the ball into the court and try to don't make any effort, any easy effort for me. I think I was playing better and better with the games. I served really, really good in the last two games of my service game. Q. Have you ever asked Wilson just to make you the same racquet that you already have? They must have the mould for it, no? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, but as you know, it's not easy to change racquet. You can see what's happen with Roger last year. He try to change and he lost confidence with his game. And also, we don't have too much time to try racquets, to change, because every tournament are very important for us. I mean, if I change the racquet during the off‑season, then I came here to play a Grand Slam and I don't feel 100%. Your mind is start to working in the negative position. It's not easy for the players change the racquet. But I'm proud to have Wilson behind me, because I know they are working really hard. And I'm still exciting to find a racquet with them. I think we are closer. Q. Some players have told me they feel like they can play with a lot of racquets; other players are very, very specific. Do you feel like you're maybe too specific in the racquet? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yes, I think so. Every player has different feelings with the racquets, but I feel like it's the most important what we have. I mean, the racquet is our life. If I don't feel good with my racquet, my game could be changed a lot. I'm very specific with my details of the racquets. We are close. I'm very positive with Wilson, too, to change the racquets very soon. Q. So just one more: If you break both of those racquets at the Australian Open, you must have something else to back that up? Or you just say, Okay, I'm done with the tournament? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I already asked Roger to give some racquets to me. He plays with Wilson, too. (Laughter.) Maybe I can play better than him also. Q. Just thoughts on your next match with Radek. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: He's a really tough opponent. They won the Davis Cup, so he must feel confidence playing in this surface. He has experience. He's doing really well in doubles matches, too. We play many times.  Every match was close. I need to improve a little bit my game basically when I start the match and then see what's happen. I'm glad to be in quarterfinals here once again, and I am looking forward to go far in this tournament. Q. Next month you're playing in Rotterdam. You're probably the first seed. How do you look forward to that? Do you think you're the favorite over there? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I don't know. I had good memories from Rotterdam. I reach finals and then I won the title there last year. The fans are great with me. I think the worst part of the tournament is the weather condition because it's too cold. We play indoors. The facilities for the players are amazing. We have a good hotel, good transportation, and good food, and also Maxima is living there close to us, so it's a nice tournament to enjoy. Q. Do you already know if you play Davis Cup this year? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, no, I already say I'm not playing. I'm not playing against Italy the first one. Q. For the whole year or only Italy? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I only decide for don't play against Italy at the moment. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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