00:03Lerner, welcome to Paris.
00:05Just want to know how you're feeling after a great week in Geneva,
00:08both physically and mentally.
00:11Yeah, I feel pretty good in general.
00:13A lot more confidence for sure than I had a few weeks ago.
00:16And yeah, happy to be back in Paris and excited to get going tomorrow.
00:24Hey, congrats on the title.
00:27I know you have spoken in the past about how maybe clay wasn't necessarily something you had fully figured out.
00:32I'm just wondering if you can look into the details of what necessarily was the tricky part of it
00:38and what do you feel you're doing better now,
00:40especially that you really beat a lot of legitimate clay quarters in this past week.
00:46I would say a big part of it was confidence.
00:51I would say a big part of it was also the movement.
00:54I think I wasn't really used to, you know, the positioning and kind of what to expect
01:03from, you know, what I would receive off of a certain shot I would hit and stuff like that.
01:07I'd say a little bit of shot selection too.
01:09I'm still trying to figure that out.
01:11It's a work in progress.
01:12It's definitely improved.
01:14And I definitely see, you know, the improvements match to match.
01:19But I think it's all coming together.
01:21Still, you know, there are some moments where I kind of revert to what I'm used to,
01:25which isn't, you know, as effective on the clay sometimes.
01:28But it's definitely improved a lot.
01:38Just wondering, because there's a lot of stats now that you're the youngest since this.
01:43One of the stats is that you're the youngest since your coach to win a title on clay.
01:47I think we're an among us Americans to do that.
01:49Just wondering, do you look at these things?
01:51Does it mean anything to you?
01:52And just as a follow-up to that,
01:54is there anything in particular you feel that Michael Chang has helped you on the surface?
02:00I mean, his tournament was a bit bigger than mine and also a few years younger.
02:07But I think we've put in a lot of work on the clay the last couple months.
02:13I think he's really helped me see my game on the clay a lot better.
02:17And I've kind of been finding, you know, I'd say like my identity on the clay
02:22and, you know, my way to win.
02:24And I think last year especially, I was, you know,
02:27a bit unsure going on court of, you know, what my way of winning was.
02:32You know, on a hard court, I know what to do.
02:35I know how I win.
02:36And, you know, on clay last year, I was, you know, a bit lost in that aspect, I think.
02:41And I've really kind of discovered that a lot more this year with a lot of his help.
02:47Did you train already here in Paris, on clay of Paris?
02:50Because it seems it's very quick for the moment.
02:52Because of the weather, of course.
02:55Yeah, my first hit will be in like an hour.
02:58So I guess I'll see.
02:59I'll see then.
03:01But I've heard, I've watched a couple of matches
03:03and it definitely looks like things are moving quick.
03:08Can you tell just a few words about Rafa Jodar and Alexander Blox?
03:14Yeah, I think the last couple of months, last few tournaments,
03:18a lot of young guys have been coming up.
03:21I mean, I guess I wouldn't call them young, like young guys
03:25because they're around my age.
03:27But a lot of the, I'd say the quote-unquote next-gen players
03:32are really starting to come through.
03:36And, you know, it's good to see.
03:37I think a lot of new faces, new names are kind of showing they belong.
03:43And I think it's great.
03:45You know, a lot of these guys, I feel like,
03:49didn't even have much tour experience maybe three months ago.
03:52And a lot of them are making these deep runs at these Masters events
03:56and, you know, probably at this event as well.
03:58So I think it's great to see.
03:59And maybe you can say one thing on Rafa and one thing of Alex.
04:04Just a few words on each of them.
04:08Yeah, Alex, I've known for a while.
04:13I mean, ever since juniors, I think, like, when I played Le Petit,
04:16I think he played the same year as me.
04:18And he was already very good as a junior then.
04:20I think I lost him in Australia in the finals a few years ago.
04:25And, you know, I think it's taken him maybe a little longer to break through.
04:29But, obviously, he's shown he really belongs
04:31and he has the level to compete at these big events.
04:34And I think it's great to see.
04:36Rafa, he went to school.
04:39I think it's a little different than a lot of, you know, Europeans.
04:42I feel like it's more common for Americans to go the route of college.
04:46And I think it's great to see how quick he's kind of adapting
04:49and how he's doing.
04:52seems like he's just adapting very fast to, you know, tour life in general.
04:59And I think it's great to see these young guys kind of come out
05:02and kind of show they belong at a fast pace.
05:06Just wanted to ask you about the whole next-gen thing
05:09because it seems that the entire generation is really translating the results
05:14from, like, a good next-gen run to immediately do well on the tour,
05:19which isn't a guarantee, but it's kind of we're seeing people are adapting quicker.
05:23Are you getting that sense?
05:25And when you were in that phase of, you know, just stepping up to the tour,
05:29what sense of urgency did you have
05:31or were you not paying attention to that?
05:34Just wondering the mentality of that part.
05:38Do you know what I'm saying?
05:41I think it, I mean, I think it's a bit crazy, actually,
05:47just next-gen, the next-gen tournament from last year.
05:49I mean, so many of those, the player field has already, you know,
05:53done so well early in the year.
05:55And I think, I wouldn't say it's surprising
05:59because, you know, from when I've played them and, you know,
06:02from juniors, they've already been very good.
06:04And I think they've already shown very quickly that they can compete.
06:08I think a lot of these younger guys just have a lot of belief, I'd say,
06:12and they feel like they belong.
06:14And I think having that confidence and belief in yourself, you know,
06:18maybe when you don't quite yet have the wins or the results to back it up,
06:23I think it's very important because I think just having that confidence
06:26really helps you make that next step maybe a little bit easier
06:29than someone that doesn't really believe that they belong quite yet.
06:32and I think a lot of the guys that are kind of making that transition
06:36really have that belief in themselves that they're ready.
06:41Just one more from me.
06:43You had to win a title on the eve of a slam,
06:45which is not something that happens often.
06:47And I'm just wondering for you, how are you managing the turnaround?
06:52What are you feeling?
06:53Because you have a match tomorrow and I'm just, yeah,
06:55and you're going to hit for the first time today.
06:57So this is something relatively new, I guess.
06:59Just how are you managing that part?
07:02Yeah.
07:04A bit different than what I'm used to, I guess.
07:08I was fortunate it was like a three-hour train ride here,
07:10so it's not like I had to take a long flight to get here by any means.
07:13So I think that part is nice.
07:15Obviously, you know, you try to enjoy winning the tournament,
07:18maybe take the rest of the day just to not really think about Paris
07:22and just, you know, enjoy the week.
07:24And then, you know, the next day it's kind of on to the next
07:27and I have to prep for my next match,
07:30which I think I'd have three days, two, three days in between.
07:34So I think it's a balance of kind of enjoying the success I've had the week before
07:39and then still being able to refocus for my next match.
07:43Thank you.
07:44Thank you.
07:45Thank you.
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