“On October 28, Carlos unexpectedly lost to Cameron Norrie in the 1/16 finals of the competition”, — write: sport.ua
– What do you think were the key factors in the match?
– Today I just didn’t feel well. A lot of mistakes. I did not feel – I did not feel anything at all. I think Norrie played really well today. A very stable match. I think this became the key factor.
– You have been training here for several days. Why did it happen?
– I don’t know. Yes, I really trained a lot here. I felt great – I moved well, I hit the ball well. Everything was clear in my head, all goals were clear.
But in this match – even in the first set, which I won – I felt that I could play much better. In the second set, he tried to add, but it turned out the other way around – it got even worse.
I think I have to give credit to Cam – he didn’t let me stay in the match or get back into the game. I had a few breakpoints that could have helped me, but I didn’t use them because of some easy mistakes. Very disappointed with my level today… But it is what it is.
– Do you think you will be able to recover before the last tournaments of the season, if you are not physically in the best shape now?
– I don’t know. I will try to prepare as best as possible – for Turin (Final), for the Davis Cup – these are very important tournaments that are ahead of me.
Now I just want to go home – and we’ll see what to do there. Of course, I will train, prepare and, of course, try not to let this happen again.
– You have a difficult history with this tournament. How do you explain it? Maybe the thing is that it takes place at the end of the season, when you already have less energy?
– I don’t know. I arrived here in good condition, with a lot of energy. I thought that I would be able to show a good result, because I really showed excellent tennis.
This season for me is the best in terms of playing at the end of the year. I talked about it with other players, with my team – I feel great. In past years, I felt fatigue, burnout – both physical and mental. And this year everything is the opposite – I’m fine.
I missed Shanghai, spent quite a lot of time at home, was able to relax, “recharge my batteries”. So I don’t know what went wrong here.
But yes, this tournament is always difficult for me for some reason. I’ll deal with it and definitely show some great tennis here one day, that’s for sure.
– Can you remember the last time you had a match like today – when you didn’t feel the ball, couldn’t win without any clear reason?
– I don’t know… There were several of them (smiles). But now I don’t remember. It definitely wasn’t this year, but I think it was in one of the past seasons. I don’t remember who I lost to then, but one defeat last year was definitely in a similar state – when I didn’t feel anything at all.
– Maybe it was in Miami?
– Maybe in Miami, but then it was more physical, and not in terms of hitting the ball. So that’s a little different. But, yes, maybe that case.
