US OPEN

September 11, 2020

Pablo Carreno Busta

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/P. Carreno Busta

3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously you would have preferred to come through, but what positives are you able to take away from these couple weeks?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Well, is tough to say now, no, something positive after lose this match, after lose this opportunity.

But for sure these weeks were amazing, no? I play really good level. I won doubles in Cincinnati. I made a semifinals here. I know that is a good result, is a good performance, but now in this moment is tough to assimilate the opportunity that I lose today.

Q. At what point in the match did you feel things were turning the other way?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Well, is true that he plays better in the third set. He start to serve better, to don't make the mistakes. In this moment with two sets up is when you need to win the match, when you need to go for it to try to do it, to continue playing aggressive. Maybe I didn't do it. Was the problem for me.

Q. How do you feel about yourself as a player today in 2020 compared to how you were three years ago when you reached the semifinals here in 2017?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Today I feel worst, for sure. Three years ago was my first semifinals. I was very happy to do the semifinals. But I think that now it's not enough we do the semifinals again. It was a good opportunity to continue winning the matches, to try to win the title. With two sets to zero up, is tough to lose, no?

Of course, I need to continue. This is the way, no? I am playing good. I am feeling comfortable on court. I cannot stop now.

Q. Maybe it's hard to see now, but the fact that you're back here this deep, close to reaching the final, does it give you hope, I'm 29 years old, I have time to win a Grand Slam?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, of course I have time. Today is tough to think about it. Today is easier to think that I lose a big opportunity. I know that I need to continue, but maybe tomorrow I do it.

Q. It's hard to look ahead, but you will start on your favorite surface almost immediately. Talk about the transition you have to make, what you will do as you turn around and head to Rome, then to Roland Garros?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, well, we don't have enough time to now change the surface and play at 100% in Rome. But I will try to do it my best, no? Tomorrow we'll leave. We take the flight in the afternoon. We expect to arrive to Rome on Monday morning, I think, or Sunday morning.

We have to stay, like, 24 hours at the hotel in quarantine. We start to practice probably on Monday evening or Tuesday. I think that I have a bye on first round, so that's good news, to prepare the match probably on Wednesday or Thursday.

But is important that I make the semifinals here. That's why I don't have enough time to prepare Rome.

Q. Now that you've experienced living in the bubble in the US Open, would you have said to Rafa Nadal, You should have come here? Do you think he made the right decision to solely prepare for Roland Garros?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: He decide to don't come and prepare Rome and Roland Garros. Is good decision, no? If he take the decision to come here, also is a good decision.

I am not the person to say if is good or not to come here or not. I think for me was good decision to come to play to the U.S. because we know that there are risk, but we need to start in one moment.

Q. If you get behind a break with a guy who serves like that, how difficult is it to come back from that psychologically as well as physically?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Can you repeat it, please? Sorry.

Q. How difficult is it when you're down a break or more in a set to come back against a guy who is serving so big and can close out points with 125-mile-an-hour second serve?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, is tough. But you know that Sascha plays like this, no? He has really good serve. Sometime he made the double-fault, but normally he made also a good second serve.

I think the problem wasn't in the return, no? The first set and the second set I could return a lot of serves. Then is true that he start to serve better. Also in the fifth set he serves really good. But that's normal that he make a lot of points with his serve. Is his best weapon.

Q. Many people were just saying that the Medvedev-Thiem match is going to be the real final. What do you think about that, and what kind of chance do you give Alexander?

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Is in a Grand Slam final, he has chances, no? Maybe Dominic and Medvedev are playing very solid and very strong, but Sascha can do also a really good final, no?

If he serve like in the three sets, in the last three sets, he plays in like the three sets, probably he make a good final. You never know. The pressure for everybody is always tough.