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MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAÃº

March 26, 2016

Damir Dzumhur

Miami, Florida

D. DZUMHUR/R. Nadal

2-6, 6-4, 3-0 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. About the match, congrats, although it wasn't like the way that you I guess would like it to end. How was it for you, the match, with all the circumstances, and how was the end of the match for you?
DAMIR DZUMHUR: Definitely not the way I wanted to finish. It was really tough to play today. I felt also really like tired, heavy, in some moments dizzy on the court. In the first set we played very long second game. After that game I felt like I cannot run that well.

In the first set I really didn't have chances. Between the first and second set I call medical. I was thinking really about retirement, but just said to myself, I'm playing big Rafa. I'm not having a chance to play every day these big guys. I want to enjoy this moment. So I tried to continue.

I felt a little bit better after I started to run better, move better on the court, to play better shots. I had some chances. I used it in the second set.

The third set, very important game was the first game in the third set. He was 40-Love up. I broke him. After that I guess he was not feeling the best. He probably felt the way I felt in the first set. Unfortunately he retired.

But anyway, that was a big moment for me, that at least I could play with Rafa, and in the end, not the way I wanted, but I won.

Q. Last week in Indian Wells you lost early in the first round. When you came here and saw you were playing Rafael Nadal, what were your thoughts?
DAMIR DZUMHUR: Well, in Indian Wells I always said I love that tournament but I never win a match there. I just don't like the conditions there. Opposite I love conditions here in Miami. Even though it's really tough to play, I like it much more than Indian Wells.

First round I was playing with Leonardo Mayer, probably one of the best players not seeded. So I had to play him, and I knew it's going to be a tough draw. I didn't think really so much about match against Rafa because I first had to win a great player.

I did it, and then I saw I'm playing Rafa. I was happy, because last year I had a chance to play Federer and now Rafa, which is big in any of the tennis players' careers.

I just wanted to really enjoy on the court. It was really good to play the full center court. I enjoyed it. In the end, it was good for me.

Q. In the end when you did win, one of the biggest win of your career, if not the biggest, how tough was it not to the celebrate when the another guy retired?
DAMIR DZUMHUR: I tried to keep the celebration in me because I didn't want anybody to see that I'm celebrating when somebody retired.

But inside of me I felt really proud after everything. I think all the fighting that I had through all the years back and today that I didn't want to retire and I wanted to fight, that paid off.

Q. Just real quick, you're from Bosnia and you started playing tennis there. I read somewhere you were a child actor. Tell me about that and how you ended up choosing tennis professionally.
DAMIR DZUMHUR: Yeah, I was acting in two movies. I had chances to be in some more in period after that, but I was already traveling the world with tennis. I was 14 when I was acting in the first movie. Tennis was already No. 1 for me, so I never was choosing between acting and tennis.

But that was really fun for me. First money that I earned was from acting and I real liked it. I hope that after my tennis career I'm going to have some chances to be in a movie again.

Q. I don't know if you did saw your phone, but how are your parents and friends reacting to this?
DAMIR DZUMHUR: Well, in Bosnia really everybody is crazy now. I mean, even though they knew that I'm playing Rafa, that was big for them, but now it's even bigger.

After I won this match I got tons of messages from all over Bosnia Herzegovina. Of course called first my mom and dad. So happy.

Really happy that I could give them probably the best gift for them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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