“What surprised you the most about Roman Safiullin’s game on Tuesday evening? He didn’t surprise me at all because I knew about his qualities. He has been playing at an excellent level in recent months, defeating top players and reaching finals. I knew he would perform at a very high level.”
“On a personal note, how do you feel after this defeat? You haven’t been playing at your best level lately. Is there a physical problem?” Not at all. Tonight (Tuesday), I didn’t feel good on the court. There are many things to improve, many things to work on. I didn’t feel well. In the game, I wasn’t moving well. I had good striking quality, but physically, in terms of movement, I really need to improve. I often felt slow.”
“After this defeat, I need to take a step back.”
“There is less than two weeks left before the Turin Masters. Do you think you can return to your best level by then?” I don’t know. I have time before the ATP Finals. There are still many training days to reach the level at which I want to play. But for me, it’s not the best time to talk. After this defeat, I need to take a step back before starting to think about the coming days and what I need to do or what I will do. We still have time before the Masters.”
