THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2025

Karen Khachanov

Press Conference

K. KHACHANOV/K. Majchrzak

6-4, 6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Karen, congratulations on your win this afternoon. If you could just sum up the match quickly for us, please.

KAREN KHACHANOV: Yeah, look, today, to be honest, if I describe quickly, very great performance, good quality from the beginning until the end.

If I can rate my game today, it was really, really - I don't know - it's a 9 out of 10 I would say in all aspects of the game. Yeah, really pleased with that performance.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've now reached your second quarterfinal here at Wimbledon. You've had fairly even results across the four slams. Which slam do you feel the most confident at?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Yeah, it's tough to say, to be honest. It's great that I achieved these results in all Grand Slams. At the same time, yeah, in French Open I did it twice. Now here it's twice. To be honest, I'm not thinking about that.

It's great that I managed to be, again, back in quarterfinals. Extremely happy, you know. After 2024 that I didn't manage to go further, you know, for second week in the slam, so now again back. That's why I'm really pleased with that, yeah.

Q. How do you feel you're doing in terms of returning serve? Is there anything you would do differently when you come to grass that getting serves back and getting serves in play requires here versus elsewhere?

KAREN KHACHANOV: I'm not sure if I do something different because especially on grass, the serve actually I would say is more dominant in general, right?

If the guy serves really precise in the line, so sometimes the line also makes a lot of difference because the line stops the ball. Sometimes the bounce is not perfect.

On grass you just try to make as many possible in the play. You just try sometimes to guess. Depends on the server. You just try to guess sometimes. You try sometimes to just block the serve, especially the first serve. On the second you mostly try to take the lead if you can. That's what I do at least.

Q. I would like to ask a pretty different question, if I could. Tennis is such a mental game, and you have a great sense of the game. My question is, of the players that you've talked to in the locker room or you've played against, who do you think the two or three smartest players who have the greatest sense of the game are?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Smartest of the game or mentally strong?

Q. Who has a sense of the game, a deep knowledge.

KAREN KHACHANOV: Okay. Obviously, you know, I'm not going to talk about the big three. There is only Novak left right now, you know, who is still playing with us.

I would say definitely Carlos. He has all kind of shots. And once he knows how to use it and when, it's just incredible because he has all arsenal. I'm sure he has a great knowledge of the game because he knows when to put slice, when to do drop shot. You know, he feels those moments.

I would say, okay, obviously Jannik also. I think he's more like a machine, let's say. He practices to hit the ball in the right spots, and he does it with a high intensity and high speed.

At the same time, I would say Musetti. I would say Musetti is a very, very uncomfortable player to play with because he has those kind of shots. He knows how to change the trajectories of the game.

On grass it's not as much of a spin, but at the same time, slice, you know, short slice. Sometimes he uses opponent's speed to counterattack. He really knows where to stay in the court.

So I would say those three I go for.

Q. When it's been several years since you've faced somebody, do you think at all or look back at those previous matches against that player, or are you sort of starting over with your preparation?

KAREN KHACHANOV: You mean against who? Face somebody.

Q. Well, in general, I guess. With Fritz it's been about five years.

KAREN KHACHANOV: With Fritz it was only one meeting, I think, in Shanghai, if I'm right. It was 2018 or '19. I don't remember exactly. We played just one time.

It's actually interesting fact because last time with Cerundolo we played five times in one year, and sometimes you don't face one player in six years. I don't know. Either we lose earlier, either we're not in the draw together.

So, yeah, it will be different matchup, definitely, from many years back because, first of all, we are both different players right now. Second of all, we play on different surface, which is on grass court. Third, it's the best of five. Grand Slam quarterfinals. Much more at stake.

That's why it's like a new match completely, yeah.

Q. Following up on that, how would you describe what's different about you, what's different about him, and what the similarities and differences are between the two of you?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Okay, first of all, we are both tall. At least these are the similarities, I would say (smiling).

We have big serve also. I would say the difference right now, you know, he came back to top 10. He played last year first time slam final, which is already a huge step forward for him, I would say.

That was the same for me when I reached the quarterfinals and I played two semifinals in a row in a Grand Slam. I think those are the mental aspects of the game that you not only understand, but you really go through and you do it.

One thing you understand, Oh, okay, I have confidence, I can do it. Another thing you really come out and show and do it.

So I think he love to play on grass, or he showed it. He won two titles just now a few weeks ago. So he's one of the guys, really one of the dangerous players. He faced dangerous players in the first two rounds. That's why he played best of five sets. That's it. I mean, that much I can say.

Q. I was just wondering before such important matches, how much do you adjust your preparation depending on the opponents? You haven't played Taylor for quite a long time. Are you going to prepare this quarterfinal any differently than the one you played in 2021 in Wimbledon?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Yeah, first of all I played against Shapovalov, who is lefty. So definitely it's another player. Second of all, yeah, you know, it's about tactics, obviously, but at the same time it's all about your game.

You know, everybody, I'm sure they are thinking about their A-game, how you have to play. Then according to your game, you adjust your game to the opponent's one knowing what kind of weaknesses let's say he has, where you can push more.

But at the same time it's all about mentally to stay there, focused, determined, and calm. You know, it's like you need to play confident, at the same time controlling situation, be patient. It's all that.

This is basically mental aspect of the game, I would say. You know, everybody knows how to hit forehand and backhand. But in important moments, that's about decisions, which decisions you take, to go for it or to stay in the rally, and put the pressure on the opponent. That's what each player has their own feeling in those moments especially.

Q. Fitness-wise, did you recover that brutal third round because towards the end, there were brutal exchanges? It was a long match. You have a fairly new physical trainer. Where do you stand now? What did he bring new to you?

KAREN KHACHANOV: Yeah, to be honest, nothing to complain. Physically I felt really good today. So during yesterday, I had one day between matches. I recovered pretty well with my fitness coach and my physio obviously doing necessary work, what we had to do. Yeah, I'm in a good place, to be honest.

Today I played three sets. But even if we would go for a long match, I think I would be able to stay physically fit. So that's really important.

I think, like you mentioned, my new fitness coach, since we started from April, I'm really happy. We are doing good work. Still, we didn't have too many, you know, practice weeks like between the tournaments because the schedule was very packed. I also added a few tournaments on clay, like Geneva and, let's say, 's-Hertogenbosch on grass, like extra tournaments where you could actually take those weeks to practice and to develop something.

But at the same time we try to find this time on tournaments, before tournaments. So far we are doing good with work, yeah.