00:00BNP Paribas, partenaire des plus belles histoires de Roland Garros, aux côtés des ramasseurs de balles depuis plus de 50 ans.
00:30Alex, you've been talking recently about how much more comfortable you are on the red clay compared to 12 months ago.
00:50Can you just run through what specifically you're feeling good about, what you still feel needs to be adjusted
00:58and really how comfortable are you?
01:02Yeah, I'm feeling very comfortable on the surface.
01:06Everything from my movement to my shape to my understanding of how to construct points
01:15and what is going to be effective for me on the surface.
01:21Now there's still plenty of areas that I need to get a little bit better
01:24and that's probably weight of shot.
01:28It doesn't come as natural to me to play with a lot of spin and heaviness
01:36and that's something that on the clay is obviously very effective and very important.
01:41So I have, over the years, gotten a lot better at that
01:45and probably to take the next step it's just getting a bit more comfortable with that
01:51and trying to break sidelines, I would say.
01:54I might just follow that up.
01:57When you're doing that, are you doing that anecdotally, your own feel,
02:00or are you taking in the numbers?
02:03Are you looking at the numbers for yourself and I suppose some of your rivals or your peers?
02:06No, I think over the course of my career I've been pretty good at feeling my game out
02:17and feeling the areas that I need to improve
02:19and it kind of goes based on the matches I play,
02:24the opponents I play against and, you know, sometimes match-ups, right?
02:29And over the years on the clay I definitely felt it was very easy for opponents to outpower me
02:39and kind of bully me around the court because I wasn't strong enough
02:43and thanks to getting five or six kilos more, getting a little bit stronger
02:48and also learning how to move a little bit better and more effectively on the clay,
02:55it's definitely helped me hold my own on the surface
02:59to the point where I'm comfortable enough to play against anyone on any given day.
03:06Alex, can I ask you about your feet?
03:09They were on camera quite a lot, weren't they?
03:11Oh, jeez. I'm sorry for everyone who had to see that.
03:14Talking about it not being pretty.
03:15Yeah.
03:17Problems there? Or was it OK, just running repairs?
03:20Yeah, it was nothing major.
03:24I often get my toes taped up before matches
03:29and actually one of the toes that wasn't taped up was rubbing against the tape
03:36so I just needed to get, there was nothing wrong on that toe
03:39but it just felt like it was rubbing
03:42and I thought, you know, since he went for a toilet break
03:46I might as well use this time to get that re-tape.
03:49But, yeah, I'm sorry for everyone who had to see my feet.
03:52That's not a pretty sight.
03:55Alex, can I just ask you how you found the conditions out there?
03:58I remember this time a year ago you were kind of wearing thermals
04:01and it was pouring with rain and you had to battle through that.
04:05Yeah, how different is it this year?
04:08Yeah, well, that, you know, I still remember that match like it was yesterday.
04:12It was one of the tougher matches I've played
04:17and the most proud I've been after because of exactly that.
04:23It was cold, it was drizzling, it was miserable out there.
04:28Today was still pretty cold, it was swirly,
04:32it wasn't easy conditions to play tennis
04:35but I remember from last year, you know,
04:37if you're able to hang around long enough,
04:40normally it clears up and the weather gets a little bit warmer
04:46and a little bit sunnier
04:47and that's what we're all kind of hoping to get to.
04:51Are those conditions that you described from a year ago,
04:53is that about as tough as it gets for a tennis player?
04:56Well, it kind of depends.
04:57It depends on every type of player
05:00and what are their likes and dislikes.
05:03I would say for me on a clay court,
05:05playing against a big hit at the time,
05:08which was Struffy,
05:09that was probably about as worse conditions
05:13as possibly it could get for me.
05:16So, on the clay, I always rather,
05:20when it's nice and warm
05:22and the ball's more on the livelier side, I would say.
05:27Alex, you talk about adding
05:29little pieces to your game.
05:31If you could borrow one element
05:34of another person's game on clay,
05:36what would it be?
05:39I mean,
05:40I wouldn't mind having some free points on surf,
05:44I'll tell you that.
05:45That's always,
05:47but I feel like that's a little bit of a cop-out answer
05:50because you'd probably use that on every other surface.
05:53but on the clay,
05:57probably, I would say,
06:00you know,
06:00like a heavier forehand.
06:04I would say maybe
06:05a Casper,
06:08Alcaraz type forehand
06:10where you can really get those revolutions,
06:13really hit,
06:15feel that weight of ball
06:16without feeling like you're going to miss
06:20and also
06:21being able to break sideline easily,
06:25which is,
06:25I think,
06:26very important on the clay.
06:27If you're able to
06:29break sideline
06:30and make your opponent
06:31get wider and wider,
06:33that's
06:34half
06:35the game here.
06:39Alex,
06:39another question
06:41about the clay.
06:42Could you go back
06:43to your junior days
06:45in Spain?
06:46Did you play a lot
06:47on clay
06:48during that years?
06:51Yeah,
06:52I played,
06:53I grew up
06:54a lot on clay
06:55even though
06:56when I
06:57turned pro
06:58I wasn't winning
07:00too many matches
07:01but I did
07:01in those days
07:02play a lot of tennis
07:04on clay
07:05but
07:05I was always
07:07not the traditional
07:09clay quarter
07:10I would say.
07:11My ground strokes
07:12were always
07:13a little flatter,
07:14I was always
07:15more on
07:16the aggressive side
07:17and
07:18yeah,
07:20even though I played
07:20many,
07:21many matches
07:22as a junior
07:23on the clay
07:24it was always
07:24a surface
07:25that I struggled
07:26to play
07:28a little bit more.
07:31Pat Cash
07:32had the
07:32checkered headband.
07:33I think Leighton
07:34had the
07:35come on range.
07:37Do you think
07:38you've got them
07:38covered with
07:39what you've got
07:39with the demon?
07:42And how did
07:43it come about?
07:44Ah,
07:45geez.
07:48Well,
07:49I think
07:50for me to
07:51have that
07:54on the same
07:54you know,
07:56to be mentioned
07:56in the same conversation
07:57I probably need
07:58to win a lot
07:59more matches
08:00like they did
08:01you know,
08:01and maybe a couple
08:02slams
08:02that might help
08:03a little bit
08:04as well.
08:04as for
08:07kind of
08:08this
08:09what I'm wearing
08:10right now
08:11it's been
08:11a long time
08:14in the works
08:14with ASICS
08:16and it's been
08:16something
08:17that I've
08:18been very
08:20passionate for
08:20for a very long
08:21time
08:22and along
08:23with my logo
08:23we've been able
08:24to incorporate
08:25it into
08:26the foundation
08:27and now
08:28to finally
08:29get
08:29you know
08:30some
08:30training kit
08:31which
08:32I think
08:33it's
08:33pretty cool
08:35so I'm
08:35very excited
08:36about this
08:37and it's
08:38you know
08:38only the beginning
08:39and hopefully
08:40I'm going to be
08:41able to
08:41you know
08:44as
08:44a lot of
08:45the
08:46the greats
08:47in this sport
08:48have
08:49you know
08:50some
08:50something else
08:51to be remembered
08:52by.
08:55As the kid
08:56from last year
08:57turned up
08:57he was in Paris
08:59in Bercy
08:59I didn't see
09:01if he was
09:01but
09:02did you make
09:03contact with him
09:04how did it work
09:04this time?
09:05Yeah Paul's here
09:06he made it
09:07he's got a
09:09very distinctive
09:10way of supporting
09:12me
09:13which
09:13even though
09:15I wasn't sure
09:16exactly where
09:17he was sitting
09:17I could definitely
09:18hear him
09:19and I made
09:19contact with him
09:21at the very
09:22end of the match
09:23but
09:25yeah
09:25he's
09:26it's great
09:28to have him
09:28around again
09:29hopefully
09:29we can
09:30we can have
09:32a blast
09:33again this year
09:34and
09:35yeah
09:36I mean
09:37as far as I know
09:38if he
09:39if he's available
09:40he'll be coming
09:41to
09:41to all of my
09:42matches
09:43I'll just ask
09:45about your next
09:46opponent
09:47Bublik
09:48He's one?
09:50Yeah
09:50he's just
09:51just beaten
09:51and you're talking
09:52about taking
09:53racket out of
09:54people's hands
09:55and having that
09:56weapon
09:56he served
09:5716 aces
09:5841 winners
09:59how much
10:01of a threat
10:01is he going
10:01to be?
10:02Yeah
10:03he's going
10:03to be
10:03extremely
10:04dangerous
10:04I think
10:06you know
10:07he went
10:08through
10:08a little bit
10:09of a rough
10:10patch
10:10probably at the
10:12start of the
10:13year
10:13and he's
10:13definitely
10:14found
10:14his game
10:15as of
10:17lately
10:17and
10:17it's going
10:19to be
10:19tough
10:20because
10:20exactly that
10:21he's
10:21unpredictable
10:21he takes
10:22the racket
10:23out of
10:23your hands
10:23he's
10:23obviously
10:24not going
10:25to want
10:26to hang
10:27in
10:27too many
10:28rallies
10:28and he's
10:29going to
10:29try and
10:29have short
10:31points
10:31and break
10:32the rhythm
10:33out
10:33so I've
10:34got to be
10:34both ready
10:36you know
10:38mentally
10:39right
10:40for
10:40to expect
10:42anything
10:42and everything
10:43and also
10:43make sure
10:44I'm ready
10:46physically
10:46from the
10:47very first
10:47point to
10:48the last
10:48because
10:48there's
10:49going to
10:49be a
10:50lot
10:50of
10:50ups
10:50and
10:50downs
10:51some
10:53good
10:53stuff
10:53some
10:54not
10:54so
10:54good
10:54stuff
10:55and
10:55hopefully
10:56I
10:56can
10:56maintain
10:57my
10:57level
10:57throughout
10:58the
10:58whole
10:58match
10:58and
10:59ultimately
11:00get ready
11:01for another
11:02battle
11:02in a very
11:03tricky
11:03match
