G. MPETSHI PERRIC/F. Tiafoe
6-4, 7-6
(No audio for the beginning of the press conference.)
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: Honestly, I don't feel it about what they think about me. I'm just focused on me, on what I can improve, on what I can do better.
Yeah, just when I'm in front of the guy, I'm trying to beat him. I don't feel this kind of atmosphere.
Q. What about Mensik? Have you met before?
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: We met in 2023 in a challenger first round. It was a tough match, 7-6 in the third.
He's a good player, very young. Yeah, he can play some good tennis. I saw some matches last year in Doha, in Melbourne. Yeah, this is a player who is going to be really impressive for the next couple of years.
Yeah, he's going to be I think a nice match to play. Very excited to play against this kind of player. Of course, he have one of the best backhand I think for the under 21 years old.
I will do my best and try to get this match.
Q. When you look at the draw, do you look at Novak in the semis, that possibility of a matchup? What if that does happen?
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: I mean, if I can play Novak in the final, is always better (smiling).
Yeah, I mean, I saw I wasn't in his draw until the semis. I was like, Whew, okay. Yeah, I think it's going to be a good match if I'm playing against him. Right now I'm not very focused on if because 'if' does not exist. I will do my best to beat Mensik. Of course, Novak has to win two matches.
This matchup is only in some dream, but not in mind. Yeah, I am not yet in the semis. I will do my best in the quarters.
Q. Is that your mentality now? A lot of people would look at having Novak in their draw at all, might be scared. It sounds like, I wish I could have played him sooner. Do you feel like you can beat anyone with your game?
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: Yeah, I mean, on a lucky day, anyone can beat anyone.
I don't like this mentality to be scared or not scared. I'm just focused on what I can do. If I'm doing good, of course, I will be dangerous. If I'm doing bad, everybody can beat me.
Of course, Novak is one of the best player in the world. He was the best for couple of years. Yeah, I mean, it's always impressive to see him in the locker room or see him around.
If one day I can play against him, yeah, I have to put this part on the side and be focused on the game because overall it's just a tennis match.
Q. Last year you came to Australia ranked outside the top 200. In Melbourne you'll be a seed. What's changed compared to last year?
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: I mean, only my game, my mentality. I think a lot of thing are better now, of course. I am the same mentality to try to win some matches, try to do my best, try to play the best level I can.
It's going to be tough. There is some pressure. I don't know. I'll be excited to win some matches because every Grand Slam is very excited to play. Yeah, will be focused on me, not on the other thing.
Compared to last year, I said I wanted to get the main draw ticket, but I failed. Now I'm a seeded, so I will try to get my first round, then the second round, third round. If I'm the third round, let's see what happen.
Q. How did you develop your serve technique? With what coach?
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: I mean, I trying not really on the serve when I was young. I did some serve session, but most of the time it was not the main focus.
We try to add something, add some more thing to my game. Yeah, I was tall, so the movement was complicated when I was young. I was skinny. I didn't have this ability with my leg.
No, I mean, some of my coaches did some technical lesson with me, technical session on my serve. I would say until 15, 16 years old, I did a lot of serves, a lot of basket serve during the training.
I mean, we knew that it's going to be a good weapon in the future. We try to add some new thing, to get some advice from some people who can work on the technique. Yeah, now I think it's working.
I think I can do better, of course. I can put some speed on the second serve, to be more consistent, to get some new target when I hit the ball.
I think for the moment, I can be very happy and proud of myself what I did when I was young.
Q. At what point during the development did you realize you could hit your second serve so hard?
GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRIC: I would say it's brand-new. I did a lot of work on that during 2023 with my actual coach. It was one of the goal for me to be better on the second serve because I was hitting the ball 170, but I wasn't missing at all. He say, Can you push it a bit more, 10 kilometers, 15, 20, push to see your limit?
Now I think sometime my limit is 200, sometime is 190. It's how am I feeling on the court. But yeah, I don't know, in two, three years I can be 220 or this can be my maximum. I don't know. We will see.
Yeah, I think it's still a shot to improve.
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