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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPSFebruary 25, 2014Malek JaziriDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES M. JAZIRI/I. Sijsling THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You saved five match points. How crazy was that? How nerve‑wracking was it for you? MALEK JAZIRI: First of all, I would like for the wildcard, the tournament and Duty Free, they give me the wildcard and they support me to be here. It means a lot for me. And after a lot of effort to come back, I mean, to play after injuries and you know and everything, so I like to thank all of them and Emirates Federation, too. Today was tough match, three sets in the beginning. I was not feeling good, not comfortable. Just arrive, you know, from long trip from Mexico, so it was 24 hours' flight, so it was not easy for me. I tried to recover, start to be calm in the match, start opportunity. Then I had a break in the beginning of the second set. I took the first chance that I had it, it was like a break. And then I won second set, and the third set I was a break down the beginning 1‑All, 2‑1. And 4‑1 down was tough to come back, for 5‑2 the same. I mean, 5‑4 he was serving for the match. I save a lot of match points. I think five or six match points. So I start to be calm at that point, to be like, to make the best serve that I can serve in my good zone. I did my best today, and I'm very happy to win. Q. This is like your fourth match this month that you have won 7‑6 in the third. Have you realized that? MALEK JAZIRI: Yeah, it's true. Like in States I was playing Rhyne Williams, 100s, so I save four match points and 6‑2 in the tiebreak. So it's good for confidence. Here it's a bigger tournament, you have more points and more chances like to improve the ranking. So I'm very happy to do that. Q. Did you sense that his body language like started getting very negative in the end? Did you feel he was tired? Because he wasn't playing very well in the end. Did you sense that or were you focused on your game and your serves? MALEK JAZIRI: No, I mean, like ‑‑I mean, I think at the beginning I didn't have a lot of freedom. I made a lot of mistakes. He just was like serving very well, and I was returning like make a lot of mistakes. In the beginning like first serve, like first serve of second game, I returned like two winners in the return, and I have a chance. So I surprised him in the beginning, you know? And then I let him more play and was a little bit more aggressive, and I think tactically in the end I was playing better. I made great shots in the important points, like tiebreak in the 4‑3, I pass him like in the backhand crosscourt, so it was good points on good moments. Q. Today you are a surprise, and the Indian player, Samdev. You're going to face the new player, another surprise player. How do you feel? MALEK JAZIRI: I mean, I just heard like I will play Samdev. It was a good match. He's in confidence. I mean, he just won a challenger last week. So tomorrow will be another match. I will try to recovery as I can for after long match today, more than two hours' match. I will try to be ready tomorrow, like I hope I will be in my best day and try to go to win more matches here. Q. My colleague wants you to speak about the state of Arab tennis right now and do you think enough development is being done? And what can be done to get more players in the top since you're the top‑ranked one? MALEK JAZIRI: A lot of work (smiling). I mean, they have to work on the base first, like the base, and start with the clubs and more clubs, more clubs, like improving more tennis, making more tournaments, big tournaments and small tournaments, too, futures, challengers, more challengers for the players, like they can play for the country, you know. Like North Africa, they can make circuit between like Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, or here between Qatar and Dubai, to help a lot of the players. They will not travel a lot, because it costs a lot, you know, tennis. They have the chance to play in the country there or close, and they don't spend a lot of money, because tennis is ‑‑it's money. I mean, if you don't have money to travel, you cannot play. So it's kind of ‑‑the sponsors, too, they have to follow, too, to help the players and give them more chances. And Arabic have to give more confidence to other players, too. It's very important. Q. You are seventh Arab players, and you go for round 2. How do you see this situation? Since 2009 you didn't have any top ranking Arab player. MALEK JAZIRI: Really, I don't think on that. I try to go to court and do all my best every time. My situation is not really easy like the people think. I mean, like I was many years without coach, and it was just like start with a new coach in the States right now, I mean like a month ago. So give me a lot of ‑‑I have a lot of work, I have a lot of objective for this season, so I will try to do my best here. I hope I will give my best here and try to go the maximum miles that I can. So I'm confident. I'm working hard, and I feel responsibility. So I hope to honor Tunisia, especially. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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