Fuente: © Australian Open
http://www.ausopen.org/

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Day 8: Interview with Dominik Hrbaty

/noticias.info/
N. DAVYDENKO/D. Hrbaty
4‑6, 4‑6, 6‑4, 6‑2, 6‑3

Q. Your fourth consecutive five‑setter. Did it just prove too much?

DOMINIK HRBATY: I don't know. I mean, I was tired already in the second five‑setter, so it was already quite enough.

Like I said yesterday, I would have to be really lucky to win the match. He was more fresh. I think you could see after the third set he was one step ahead of me. I was trying, but I didn't have enough power to run for all the balls. I mean, he played good angles. Then after he stopped missing, and that was tough.

Q. Serving for 5‑3 in the third set, did the body say, "We haven't gone five sets yet"?

DOMINIK HRBATY: No, I think he got very lucky. He hit a really lucky shot, lucky return from my first serve. He hit it on the line. I think, you know, that you cannot say in the tennis that you going to hit exactly on the spot 10 centimeters by 10 centimeters. I mean, it can be 10 centimeters or 20 centimeters longer or shorter.

Then he won another long rally where I was in offense, and he came with a really good shot down the line. And after that I think he started to run a lot more. He started to play more aggressive. His balls went in.

I don't feel like I made the mistakes to lose the match. I think he played well to beat me.

Q. After Saturday in the heat against Andreev, then doubles, what did you do yesterday?

DOMINIK HRBATY: At 4:00 in the morning, I was sitting in the bathroom having my feet in the water because I had so much pain that I couldn't sleep. I had a really bad blister on my feet.

Then all day I was basically taking care of my feet and went for a swimming pool, had a massage, was worrying if I will be even able to run on the court.

In the end, I was really happy the way I played. I mean, I had the pain, but I overcame it and I tried to fight to win the match.

Q. You felt constant discomfort and pain with the blisters?

DOMINIK HRBATY: Yeah, of course. I mean, if you don't sleep after the match like with Andreev, if you sleep maybe two or three hours, then you know that you have to play again another day, basically I couldn't put the shoe on, it was not easy.

And even before in the warm‑up in the morning, I was not sure about my game. But then I got into the match, so I forget about the pain. I was just playing the tennis.

Q. Is it just one foot?

DOMINIK HRBATY: Yeah, it's on the left foot.

Q. Do you think playing doubles with Mertinak made you far more exhausted than before today's match?
DOMINIK HRBATY: No. We played in the night. In doubles, you play every second match ‑‑ every second ball. You have only half court. I just tried to hit the serve and then Michal was trying to win the point at the net. So I didn't move too much. Anyway, we had the chances. For sure, it didn't take any power from me. notas_de_prensa_archivo