Whether they won or lost, players told the media exactly how they felt on a variety of on and off court questions during the eighth day of the Australian Open. Here’s a quick sampling of their best, candid, and most eyebrow raising comments.
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Q. Are you feeling fortunate? Given your first-round match you had a match point against yourself, are you feeling fortunate you have been able to go this far and possibly go further?
- Angelique Kerber, “Yeah, of course. I was actually with one leg on the plane back home, but I won the first match with the match point down. The first matches are always tough in the Grand Slams. We saw that many seeded player lost in the first few rounds. So, yeah, and then after I was playing much better. I'm feeling good, and right now I will try to take my next match and, yeah, and play again good tennis.”
Q. When is the last time you went loco watching a tennis match?
- Victoria Azarenka: “Tennis match? Probably when I watch Gaël play because I know how good he is. When he starts doing some Gaël stuff, it hits me in my heart, really, like I'm emotional.”
Q. What's the craziest thing you have seen Gaël do?
- Victoria Azarenka: “That's off the court.”(Laughter.)
Q. When you make shots like the dive that you did today, how painful was that?
- Gael Monfils: “It's very painful. I cannot even grip anything right now. I have a deep cut. That's nothing. But I have a bruise. I'm lucky to do not have fracture. During the point, I feel that I can have it. So I just do it because I think I have the ability to do it. But you know, I'm not a rock.”
Q. Based on what you said you've learned during your injuries, the last nine months, were they a good thing for your career?
- Milos Raonic: “No, because, trust me, I was very depressed a lot of the time being hurt. Yeah, there was positives to take from it. If I was playing healthy maybe I'd be further along in the progress that I'd like to be, but I just try to make the most of the situation. There's cards you're dealt with in certain situations, and you just try to take it for what it's worth and see if you can, in certain aspects, get a lot out of yourself, try to find other ways where you can make some progress. For me, every single day is about getting better, even if it's sleeping or whatever, it's about getting better.”
Q. In some ways did what occurred (with Nigel Sears) put things in perspective in terms of your playing the sport and the game? And how is Kim doing?
- Andy Murray: “Yeah, it does put things in perspective, for sure. I'm not going into how everyone's dealing with it and stuff. I mean, yeah, it was just a tough, emotional few days at a difficult time, as well. For sure when things like that happen, it does put things in perspective. But everyone's just very happy that Nige is doing well, yeah, that he can be back home with his friends and family, be with Kim, as well, at this time. It will be nice for her, I'm sure.”
Q. What is your secret? You're not super young anymore. You're 34 this year. This tournament, not a single set lost, super focused.
- David Ferrer: “Every year I try improve my game and myself. I think that I didn't have important injuries in my career. My fitness for now, it's good. And I am still enjoying playing tennis.Well, I have fun playing tennis.”
Q. It's a remarkable run you're on. We think of it as having started in Eastbourne. Where do you feel this surge of form started for you?
- Johanna Konta: “This journey started when I was about eight years old, so we're coming up to 18 years now. I've always said I do not believe in kind of a light switch moment. Everything happens for a reason. My journey has been the way it has been for a reason. That's to accumulate the experiences that I've had. I cannot give you a moment where I said, Oh, yeah, that's where it started, because it's been ongoing ever since I started playing.”