MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 29, 2025

Francisco Cerundolo

Press Conference

F. CERUNDOLO/A. Zverev

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. You said on court that now you have the capacity to win matches when you're not playing good. Can you tell me a little bit how is that something that you can work on, why do you think you're able to do that now?

FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO: Yeah, I mean, it's super tough. I think the great champions, the best players have that capacity. I mean, you can play 10 matches, even the year, great tennis that you are feeling the ball amazing, and the rest of the matches you can play sometimes better, sometimes bad, or some parts of the match good and some parts bad.

But the champions always find a way to try to keep going, not to go down mentally, so I'm trying to do that as best as possible. Not to, how you say, to get mad when I'm not playing good and trying to find incredible solution, and just stay there and stay calm, and then in some games the tennis will arrive. So, I mean, I think I'm doing way better at that.

Q. Secondly, what was your day like yesterday, when did you get back to your hotel, were you able to have dinner, just what was the day like for you?

FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO: Well, it was a tough day, it was terrible. I was here at the club. I was, we lost connection with everyone, I mean, at around 1:00 p.m., I think. We finally went back to hotel around 7:00 p.m.

So we stay here, do nothing for six, seven hours, because our match was cancelled. I had a chance to practice a little bit, so that was the only thing that I did.

When we get to hotel, the light wasn't there, so we still didn't have the connection. I ate dinner around 10:00 p.m., but only a sandwich, that was the only thing that I ate yesterday.

Q. This year has felt a little bit more open in terms of the winners. We had Mensik and Draper win earlier in the year, obviously here Alcaraz is not playing, Djokovic is out. Do you feel yourself in the locker room that there's maybe more opportunities, and now you're in the quarterfinal, does that impact your mind at all, or do you kind of stay away from that?

FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO: Yeah, I was saying it in Spanish before, I'm seeing that the draw is wide open, I think, not this one, but every one. Probably Alcaraz and Sinner or Djokovic, those are the players that have been winning the most, but when they are not there I think that the draw is wide open, I mean, everyone can win.

Of course, every player is playing great. I mean, I think it's open, but more players are playing incredible tennis. So, I mean, the draws are super tough also, every match is a war, and you have to play good tennis to beat anyone.

So, yeah, we have more opportunities, but every match is really tough. So, I mean, yeah, everyone I think believes that they can win the tournament, or every match, and that's good for me and for all of us because you have faith to go as further as you can.