00:00Nowak, welcome back to the Australian Open. We just had an interview where they reminded
00:10you that 20 years ago it was your first time here. How does it feel to be back with 10
00:15titles?
00:16Yeah, it's a 20-year anniversary, I guess, this year, and it's a nice number of years
00:22that I've been coming to Australia, the place where I had the greatest Grand Slam success.
00:31Back in 2005, it was the first time I qualified for any Grand Slam and played Marat Safin
00:36on the centre court, and it was a pretty quick match for me. He later on won the tournament,
00:44but it was a very unique experience that allowed me to dream big and keep on believing
00:53that I can one day win a Slam. Three years later, I won my first Slam on the same court,
01:00so just lovely memories. I always try to relive those moments, and it's a pleasure to be back.
01:10Nowak, Danish media here. In a couple of weeks, you're going to Denmark to Copenhagen with
01:16the Davis Cup team to play Hulk Aruna and the other Danish player. It's obviously a
01:22very big deal in Denmark. We don't have any ATP tournaments, and you are becoming one
01:26of the world's biggest stars. How much do you look forward to going to Copenhagen and
01:30to play that Davis Cup tie against Denmark?
01:32Well, I hope I'll be there. The plan is now I'm in the team, but because it's only a few
01:38days after the Australian Open finals, we have to see how I play here, how I feel. Hopefully,
01:44I can be available to our captain and play. Holger and I get along very well off the court.
01:54We played against each other quite a few times in different tournaments. Obviously, it's
02:02great for Denmark sport and for Denmark tennis that Holger is there and is doing well the
02:09last few years. He's climbing up the rankings and working his way to have an even better
02:16career in the future. He actually sent me a photo of the arena because he was playing
02:21with Ruud in one of the exhibition matches a few weeks ago. Once the draw came out, he
02:26was actually there training in the arena, so he sent me a photo and said,
02:30we're waiting for you here at the end of January, beginning of March. That would be amazing
02:38if we get a chance to face each other there.
02:45The new coaching partnership between Andy Murray and yourself took the tennis world
02:49by storm. What do you expect or see such an accomplished player and former rival bring
02:54to your game as a coach?
02:57Well, it's a pleasure and honor to have Andy as a coach. I was thinking about the names
03:06that I would like to have next to me for this season. I wanted to have somebody that won
03:17multiple slams and the list is not that long. Somebody that really understands what it means
03:24to win a slam, what it means to face the adversity, the pressure, the expectations.
03:34Andy just finished his playing career six months ago, so it was somewhat of a surprise
03:42for him when I called him. But I think his tennis IQ is very high, we all know that.
03:51He has done an incredible job, particularly after he got the surgery and his artificial
03:59hip and winning tournaments after that. Playing on a challenger level, someone that is a legend
04:07of the sport and just showing everyone what it means to be a champion in the real sense
04:11of that word. So he really has inspired myself and a lot of people around the world.
04:21And I think that his unique perspective on my game is the fact that he has played me
04:27for 25 years. The first time we faced each other was when we were 12 years old, so he
04:36knows the evolution of my game, the weaknesses and strengths of my game. He also knows the
04:46tennis game of the biggest players in the world right now, because he has just recently
04:51retired as a player. So he was practicing and also playing against all the best guys
04:59in the world up to recently, so he's up to speed with what's happening on the tour.
05:08We're just still getting to know each other on the court. We spent eight days in the pre-season
05:14period and now the last four days here in Melbourne. He gives me motivation, inspires
05:24me really to be spending time on the court. We communicate a lot, we talk about a lot
05:31of different things. He's trying to understand me on different levels, speaking to other
05:36team members that know me better. So he's very meticulous, he's very dedicated, professional.
05:47So far I've been enjoying this collaboration.
05:52I'm Jackson from Tennis Australia. You've obviously had so much success here, it goes
05:57without saying. I'm going to ask one of those cliché questions, but if you had to pick
06:03one moment over your 20-year time here, what would be your best memory or your favourite
06:10memory here at Melbourne Park?
06:15I guess the first time is always the most special one, so winning 2008, my first slam
06:22here overall, first slam in my career and first slam here in Australia. And then probably
06:29the last slam I won here in 2023. Each win is special and unique in its own way, so it's
06:39kind of hard for me to pick, but if I have to it will be the first and the last one.
06:44You had a teenager last year in the first round, Dino. He was a tough opponent, he gave
06:50you a tough challenge. You are up against another teenager this year, Nishesh. Any comments
06:57on how you see him as an opponent?
07:02To be honest, I don't know much about him. I watched him play in the Premier League,
07:07I think he's playing semi-finals of the New Zealand tournament now, so I saw that he's
07:13very quick, he's a very talented player, he's got great hands, he's very dynamic, he can
07:20serve well in his spots and just a very completed game overall.
07:29I mean, I don't know. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know
07:34what to say. It's going to be his first time in the main draw of the Grand Slam, white
07:45cards, playing on the centre court, so not much to lose. I'm sure that he is going to
07:50be really pumped to make a statement. I have to obviously approach that match very seriously
07:57like any other and do my best to get a win and also in the process enjoy the nice moment
08:04of sharing the court with him.
08:08You talk about still getting to know Andy now on a different level. Is there anything
08:13in particular you've learned about him that's new or anything that's surprised you about
08:18Andy as a coach?
08:20Well, I mean, we still are at the very beginning of the partnership as a coach-player, so we
08:31just spent 10-12 days together pre-season here in Melbourne. We still haven't had any
08:37official match where he's coaching me, so that's going to be... I mean, last night when
08:42I played Sascha it was interesting to see him in the coaching corner. Obviously it was
08:47an exhibition, so not the same, but still there was that little bit of an introduction
08:52to what's expecting us on Monday, you know, to that feeling. And I actually, as a side
08:58note, I think it's great that Australian Open introduced the coaching box on the court,
09:06on the same level, in the corner. I think it's great. That's where Andy and the coaching
09:14stuff will sit, so I'm excited to start a tournament with him. As I said a few minutes
09:23ago, there's a lot of communication about every shot in the game, my game, tactics,
09:35mental approach, communication on the court during matches, practice sessions. He's daily
09:43spending quite a bit of time with other team members and trying to get synchronised with
09:48them. So far it has been only positive experience for me, to be honest. I'm very pleasantly
09:58surprised with his dedication and professionalism, considering he's never had the experience
10:04of working as a tennis coach. But it comes natural to him. His IQ generally, and tennis
10:14IQ, is very high. So he observes and speaks when it's most important. I think he understands
10:29the moment when he needs to say something and what to say and what to ask. So far it
10:36has been great, really. As I said, we've been trying to blend in in the best and most
10:45effective way. Obviously doing it on the court in front of hundreds if not thousands of people
10:54who are watching practice sessions as well is a good way for us to prepare for the matches
11:01and him to see how I react in some practice matches. So I look forward. Let's see what
11:11will happen. I must say that at the beginning it was a bit of a strange feeling to be able
11:20to share the insights with him, not just about the game but about how I feel, about
11:27life in general. Not in a negative way, just in a way that I have never done that with
11:32him because he was always one of my greatest rivals. So we were always kind of hiding things
11:37from each other. But now all cards are open on the table and that's what he demands. I
11:46am 100 per cent supportive of that kind of communication method where you share everything
11:52because that's the best way for him to understand you and to actually help you in whatever way
11:57he can.
11:59We have time for one more question.
12:19I love Riley. I think he is such a great guy. I have actually appreciated a lot his support
12:28over the years. He has been saying a lot of nice things in the media about me and giving
12:34support on social media when I was facing some difficulties. So I try to be supportive
12:44of him and the couple of years of the injury struggles that he had. I love his personality
12:55and his interest for art and different things than just sports. I don't appreciate him beating
13:04me in Brisbane but he just played an amazing match and it was great to see him playing
13:10so well. I actually met him yesterday and asked him about his back because apparently
13:15that's bothering him now. It's not easy for a guy who is 6, 10, 11 to play every single
13:26day. I guess that's a lot of physical burden for him. Hopefully he can stay healthy and
13:32fit because we all know that his serve is lethal but I was very surprised with his movement
13:39and his game from back of the court. That's something that really surprised me and my
13:46team and everyone. He was able to rally and play with a lot of depth and not making too
13:53many errors. If he keeps going like that he is super dangerous like Isner was in his best
13:59days. He can beat anybody on any surface to be honest. It's so much pressure to play somebody
14:05who has such a dominant serve.
14:10Do you have any evidence linking your high heavy metal blood levels to the food you were
14:25served in hotel detention three years ago?
14:29The GQ article came out online yesterday and I think it's a February issue so it's coming
14:37out in print version. I've done that interview many months ago so I would appreciate not
14:43talking more in detail about that as I would like to focus on the tennis and why I'm here.
14:49If you want to see what I've said and get more info on that you can always revert to
14:55the article.
