AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2026

James Duckworth

Press Conference

J. DUCKWORTH/D. Prizmic

7-6, 3-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: James, through to the second round. Congratulations. How are you feeling after that?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: Thanks. Yeah, really, really pumped. Yeah, I was in a bit of trouble there, two sets to one down. But yeah, really happy with how I turned it around. Yeah, excited to be, you know, in the second round.

Q. What was the experience like with the crowd going nuts out there?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, it was awesome. It was a great atmosphere. They helped me in back end of the fourth, the fifth. The atmosphere was awesome. Unbelievable. Something I'll remember forever.

Q. How is your body now?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: A bit stiff. I'll go get a massage, get physio, and do my best to recover.

Q. You joked on TV earlier, Court 6, Jannik Sinner. Did you mention something to Craig about that?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: I'll definitely tell Craig. He'll tell me where I can stick that idea. It will be a great challenge. Looking forward to it. Yeah, I'll prepare as well as I can and see how I go.

Q. You talked bet getting your body right for that. And he only had 68 minutes tonight. His opponent retired. A big advantage for him in that sense or something that can be overcome?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, I'd probably would say it is an advantage for him. It's just the way it is.

Q. What sort of chance do you give yourself against a guy like that?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: It will be tough. He's obviously playing pretty well. He's pretty good in Australia. But if I come out and play aggressive, I think I can cause him some problems. Yeah, I know it was a couple of years ago, but I beat him once before.

Q. The Aussie crowd as well could be pretty helpful I guess if you have 15,000 of them.

JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, hopefully they can get behind me.

Q. You've obviously got a bit of family history at the Australian Open. Knocking off Sinner on Rod Laver Arena, how would that compare to your grandmother's achievements?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: Probably not as good as her's. She won it. Yeah, it would be awesome. Yeah, I'll give it my best.

Q. How special is it to have these moments, playing Jannik probably on center court?

JAMES DUCKWORTH: Yeah, it is awesome. It's what you train for. It's what you put all the hours on the practice court, in the gym. And, yeah, it's why you play tennis to be in these situations. So yeah, it's really cool.