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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 18, 2019

Filip Polasek

Cincinnati, Ohio

DODIG-POLASEK/Cabal-Farah

4-6, 6-4, 10-6

Q. Congratulations. Your first Masters final and your first Masters title, if I'm correct. How are you feeling?
FILIP POLASEK: Yes, you are correct. It was even the first Masters quarterfinals. Since then I never been this far.

Yeah, the feeling is amazing. I mean, it's just unbelievable story. I mean, I'm just enjoying as much as I can, because the run in last two-and-a-half months is just amazing.

Q. Now, I think everybody knows a little bit about your story, so if you could just give us an idea of what you've been through over the past five years. You came back. You told me that coaching maybe gave you some extra perspective?
FILIP POLASEK: Yeah, that's true. The coaching helps me, but it was a bit longer time than I would wish. I had the nerves problem, and my left leg didn't really work properly. Now it's getting better, and I decide to go for one more shot and try to come back middle of the last year, in July of last year. It works out unbelievable. I mean, since June this year it's just amazing.

Q. Just tell us a little bit about how this tournament went for you. You guys are playing for a few months together now, so you're clicking well, I would imagine. You had some tough matches.
FILIP POLASEK: Yeah, I mean, the tournament was unbelievable. We were just talking in the locker room with Thomas Johansson, David Goffin's coach, where we played the first round. He was, like, Yeah, you played even the first round really impressive.

From first almost point on, we felt great on the court. We had the great chemistry from beginning when we start playing together. This tournament, I mean, second round we played unbelievable against Bryans. Then we beat Kubot-Melo second seed. Then beating Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in the semis, Grand Slam champion. Then in the final meeting, the Grand Slam champion from Wimbledon, World No. 1. I mean, we couldn't ask for any better final and any better results. I mean, that's the best what you can achieve.

Q. Looking forward to the US Open, obviously you have set the stage for, you know, some expectations. Do you feel any pressure, or are you still playing free because you're just happy to be on tour?
FILIP POLASEK: No, I think we play really free, because my goal is not to expect it. I learn from the past, and I'm not expecting any results at any tournament.

I always come to every tournament, always go to every match you will not win. You will not win every tournament. You will not win every match. If that's not happen, then it's better to stop. But I have no expectation. My only expectation or my only hope is to play as good as we can, and if we play good, we see the results are going to be great.

But we need to just worry about our game, if we're gonna be ready, if we are gonna be shape, if we are gonna be fit. And if all those things happen and the guys just gonna be better than us and they beat us, okay, just shake hands and tell them it was great match.

But we have to be ready. And once we are ready, we are really tough opponents for any team in the world at the moment. We are just hoping to stay healthy and play as best that we can.

Q. You're a pro tennis player but also a tennis coach. What's your No. 1 tip that maybe you took from your own years of coaching that you're using now?
FILIP POLASEK: As I said, I mean, this is probably the biggest difference to really to just try to focus on everyday work. When you come on court, just practice 100%. Don't give it up just 50 or 60. It's not enough.

I mean, these guys on tour, every single one of them is giving 100%. And once you cheat, you're not gonna deserve. It's that close these days. Then you always have to practice and whatever you do. If you stretch, be there and stretch. If you go, you have to go massage.

I mean, we were just talking with the fitness coach what I brought here. For him is like the first kind of the big stages, and he's just amazed. Like, we stretch pretty much every day at 9:00 AM we come here, and we are leaving between 6:00 till 11:00 p.m. Depends what time we were scheduled. Even we are scheduled at 12:00, we gonna leave here from 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.

It's all about this. Be there for 100%, don't cheat, and the results will pay off.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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