	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATP CUP

January 3, 2020

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

DIMITROV-LAZAROV/Murray-Salisbury

7-6, 6-7, 11-9

Team Bulgaria - 2

Team Great Britain - 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Is there any way to describe what you guys are feeling right now?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Talk, man, talk.

ALEXANDAR LAZAROV: It's a first for me, for sure. We missed our flights. I was flying with one of the other Bulgarians. We missed our flights. We couldn't get here in time. We practiced like two or three times.

So coming up to this match, I was extremely nervous and I didn't know what to expect. But the energy he brings to the court is just unbelievable. Right away, right from the start, I felt calm. I felt confident playing alongside with him. And it finally paid off. I mean, I think I played okay.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: You did, man.

Q. How proud are you of him? At the end, last few points there.
GRIGOR DIMITROV: I was just telling him now, you know, I mean, it's just nice when things happen, you know. I think clearly we also had a little bit of luck, few points here and there, no doubt about it.

But we worked for that luck. As I said, leading up to that week, all the boys, they were practicing really hard. It's been a great atmosphere throughout every single day. That really adds up, and when you get the result, it's even better for me.

But the best is when I looked at him clearly and all the boys in the team, and some of them were crying, actually. Those are the moments that I cherish, I remember. And also that's why we're here, to play for that, you know, for those special moments, for our country.

I'm just proud, honestly. I'm just proud. We never actually played doubles together, so that's the first. I mean, I don't think last. That's a good sign that we can produce some good tennis that way.

He was extremely, what can I say, composed today throughout the whole match. I was even a bit surprised at times, but I was very happy what I saw on my end. I knew exactly what I had to do. I knew there were things I had to work on throughout the match, and, yeah, things fell into the right places.

Q. Is it safe to say you'll never forget your first ATP Cup tie?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Zero chance. I was just telling them, Guys, this easily can be a historical moment for us. Just do it to remember. I don't know if in the history, per se, but I think it means a lot for the whole team.

That's why we're here. That's why we play. I think this event has been a great start for us, great start of the year, great start of the event. But all I can say is I'm just really proud of the boys.

As I said, everybody has been actually extremely professional and really being able to keep up, which is a good thing to see. Of course there is a lot of things to work on, but, you know, we also right now we don't need to be on such a high, but at the same time we really need to appreciate what we did today.

Q. Is it crazy to think all the hours ago that you started on the bench coaching and you're in this battle of singles and you're here at 3:05 a.m. now?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I'm done for the day (smiling). Great. I'm happy. Honestly, in that kind of situation, I'm always very -- I think I'm always very aware of what I have done I think in the past in a sense that the offseason, the hours I have put in on and off the court, so, you know, I can easily, like, look back and take something from my tank and be, like, You know what? I have been there, I have done that.

I was extremely focused throughout the whole time. After the first set of Miko, I really had to get out of the court because I knew I had to save a little bit of energy, but four-and-a-half hours of tennis for me and being on the bench for an hour, I think I'm good for tennis for the day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

ATP CUP

January 3, 2020

Grigor Dimitrov

Alexandar Lazarov