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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 16, 2019

Fernando Verdasco

Rome, Italy

F. VERDASCO/K. Khachanov

7-5, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about what the last 48 hours have been like, long waiting yesterday, two matches today. I don't know if you're playing doubles or not.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Not today.

Q. What have the last two days been like?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, yesterday was a tough day. Obviously no one likes to wait so long, I mean, at the end don't play. Be at the club for eight hours, nine hours. But you can't do anything about it. For everybody is like that. I mean, you cannot do anything. We are kind of used to it. Sometimes something like this can happen. So yesterday that.

And today obviously it was a hard day at the office, but hard day in a really good way. I played six sets, but I won both matches. I won against Thiem, that is No. 4 in the world. For me, top three for sure on clay. Then Khachanov, he is also 11 or 12 or 13 in the world. Super tough player, too.

I'm so happy about it. I'm so happy about the level that I played today and how I performed today. Yeah, like I said, just so happy. Hard day but really, really nice day.

Now to enjoy, to try to rest obviously for tomorrow. Is going to be also a tough day even if it's just one singles, no matter what happens. But can be two doubles if win the first doubles tomorrow.

Yeah, after yesterday, everything is going to be more physical. Yeah, I mean, I can't complain. Obviously I'm so happy. I really want to enjoy these two victories of today because I think I don't even remember was the last time, maybe ever, I won two players as I been able to beat today. So happy for that.

Q. Do you have an explanation for that? Why are you playing so well? Maybe something happened that we don't know? What is your idea on which sort of excitement you are thinking that possibly you can play with Rafa?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, no, I mean, I played well in Madrid. I played well three matches. I think with Tsitsipas I didn't play as good, not because I lost, just talking about I think he played great. He's with a lot of confident. He was playing deep, not missing. But my legs were not so fresh, not as fresh as I needed to beat him, after the match with Khachanov the day before so late at night. I went to sleep at almost 4 a.m. Actually I felt it, that's the truth.

No complaints. I was really happy that I was able to win two matches in Madrid. To lose against Tsitsipas, and after he did finals, so you can just see that he's in an amazing level.

Then this week, at the beginning obviously it was not easy, I have to say. Coming from Madrid with the altitude, the ball runs much faster, bounces more. It feels that here is so slow. It's not the slowest, but feels slow compared to Madrid. It was hard to get in rhythm the first match. Actually I was a set down, 4-1 down with Edmund.

I was just confident and believing and fighting. I was able to come back and to win that match. Actually with Thiem and Khachanov today, I played really good. I didn't have anything to lose. I was playing loose. I was playing with confident. I played great both matches.

With Rafa, obviously if he wins, I don't want to say that before he wins, but obviously he's the favorite. But obviously is going to be a super difficult match. If I play Basilashvili, obviously is difficult also. But obviously Rafa is Rafa. He won here many times. He's the best in history on clay.

Obviously is another match that I'll have nothing to lose, against a Spanish player, against a partner in Davis Cup for many years, a friend, even we are not going for dinner every night, but I consider him a friend, when we are not obviously playing against each other.

Yeah, I mean, like I said before, just now time to enjoy and try to get ready for tomorrow physically as best as possible after playing six sets today.

Q. I don't know if you heard what Nick Kyrgios said about you, saying you were the most arrogant guy on the tour. I want your thoughts on what he said.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't want to get into that. I mean, I prefer to don't even say anything. Yeah, I prefer to skip it (smiling).

Q. Even if you prefer to skip it, when he said your backhand is an average backhand, today you beat two top players, so what do you think about your backhand? Is it, in your opinion, not that strong?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I mean, I don't know. I think after 15, 16 years, I lost the count, being a professional, I think everybody who follows tennis knows my game already. I think I don't really have to say anything about my backhand or my forehand or my serve or anything. I think whoever knows how I play and whoever follow tennis and saw me play, knows what is best, what is worst.

Like I said before, I don't have nothing to say about what he said about me, about Rafa, about Toni, about Novak. I just don't want to get into that.

Q. You weren't surprised?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Is not 'surprise'. It just like, I don't know, it doesn't matter.

Q. Coming back to your performance this year. Must be a reason. You did a better preparation, changed coach, change not wife, dangerous, cost too much? What happened? Something in your mind?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I mean, I think last year I played good, too. I did good weeks last year. I played really good in Vienna, losing 7-5 in the third with Anderson, but beating Monfils, beating Edmund, beating good guys, doing semifinals. I played good in US Open. I played good in other tournaments, too. Roland Garros last year, too, losing with Novak in fourth round. In Rio beating in quarterfinals Thiem that he was No. 1 and Fabio Fognini that he was also No. 3 or 4 in semifinals.

I had also good weeks, like I'm having this week. Obviously I been working hard. I said that already during the tournament in Madrid, I work really hard in between Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, Barcelona and Madrid. In Marrakesh and Monte-Carlo, to be honest, I felt myself out of rhythm after being five weeks off because of the born of my kid. When I came back after not playing Indian Wells and Miami expecting him to come to the world, in Marrakesh and Monte-Carlo, I felt myself out of rhythm, even if I was working on practicing.

I felt that I needed to work hard and spend many hours on court. Is what I did before Barcelona, between Barcelona and Madrid. In Madrid I played much better. Here I'm playing really good. I think that the work that I spend on court, in the gym and everything, is paying off.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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