QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

March 12, 2021

Nikoloz Basilashvili

Press Conference

N. BASILASHVILI/T. Fritz

7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Another good performance. I'm just curious, what do you feel in your game is clicking so well right now?

NIKOLOZ BASILASHVILI: Probably nothing to lose at this point, because I had a pretty bad last eight months. I have zero expectations when I'm on court even though I'm playing. I'm feeling really well on court, feeling physically really well, feeling the ball, and I'm just a bit more relaxed than I usually am. That's why I think I'm playing really well this week.

Q. In the back of your mind, do you know that when you are playing well that you could play with anybody because of the firepower in your game?

NIKOLOZ BASILASHVILI: Well, that's the thing. Sometimes when you play or practicing really well and you're feeling good, expectations are coming, then you try on court to do something extra, then it's when not gonna work out as you think, then you get frustrated. Then when it gets frustrated you start losing. Then when you lose one, two, three matches, it's not good. Then you get a bit tight.

That's how I always played last, I don't know, last seven, eight tournaments. Super tight, super nervous before every match.

I came here with kind of zero expectations. That's why I think I'm playing good right now.

Q. Obviously in the final you have a very tough opponent, a guy you have played I think four times. What's so difficult about playing Roberto?

NIKOLOZ BASILASHVILI: He's very good player. He plays especially in Doha very well. He won this tournament.

He's very good baseline player and he doesn't have many errors, so it's going to be tough match for me. Will be at the same time very interesting. So really looking forward for tomorrow's match.

Q. Is there anything that you take from playing someone that many times, or is it just because you are as relaxed as you are this week you're just sort of going to try to play in the moment?

NIKOLOZ BASILASHVILI: I think I played to him different surfaces. I think every matches are different. We change strategy I think players against each other every time, and I think it's not going to be exactly similar match what we played before.

Yeah, as I said, he's very good player and I'm expecting a very tough match tomorrow.

Q. What would it mean after the sort of form you have had, as you said, over the past several months to win a title tomorrow?

NIKOLOZ BASILASHVILI: It means a lot. Yesterday's match already give me a lot of confidence. Today I was much more relaxed than I was, I don't know, last, so long time, last eight tournaments.

I think that's the most important thing, you know, to be relaxed and kind of be focused on what you want to do on court. Yeah, just play the game.

Q. You have mentioned a few times about how relaxed you have been. You also said it's just coming from nothing to lose. Is it just that, that you just sort of are going for it and enjoying it? Where has the relaxation come from?

NIKOLOZ BASILASHVILI: You know, I'm more relaxed than I used to be, but I'm not fully kind of fully -- nobody is fully relaxed on court, you know, so you cannot be fully relaxed.

There is some moments when you get nervous, but I'm managing a bit better right now and I have a bit less stress. Beating Roger yesterday gave me, as I said, a lot of confidence. I hope tomorrow I will just play the game and just play my game and be focused on what I have to do on court. If I can manage to do that, I think I can play really good.