MODERATOR: Sascha, welcome back to Montreal. Can you believe it's already nine years since you won here the first time. And we heard you had a special practice yesterday on ice. Can you tell us about that?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah. You heard. Right? You just heard about it?
Yeah. It's been a long time since I won here, but I'm obviously very happy to be back in Montreal. I do enjoy this city. I do enjoy the place.
Yeah, nine years, I think it was my second Masters. So it's been a long time on tour, but I'm happy to still be here.
MODERATOR: And yesterday's practice?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: It was great. Very well organized.
MODERATOR: Any questions?
Q. You won the French Open two months ago now. So with the perspective you have now, did it taste as good as you thought when you dreamed of it?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think -- I've talked about it a lot -- it's a satisfaction, for sure. I mean, I've waited for that Grand Slam title a very long time, in a way, and, of course, I'm very happy that it came. But the work continues since we have three Masters tournaments here in North America, and that's what the focus is on.
Q. There have been a lot of debate about the fact that there are a lot of Masters 1000 and that they are longer and longer, and some players decide not to play all of them. You don't seem to have any problems playing all of them and you get to the end. Do you have a secret? Are you simply more accustomed to it? Is it a specific choice?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No. Look, I think to be in very good form, for some players they need to play more tournaments, and some players need to play less tournaments.
I'm definitely somebody that needs competition, and that's why I play.
But I think that's referring to the pull-outs here, and I think it's the second or third year in a row that there's no Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic. I think that's just a result of the two-week Masters event. I think it's just too long for some players, too much before the US Open.
I also used to play more tournaments. I used to play more 500 events, 250 events when the Masters were shorter, but now I don't do that anymore just because of time spent away and time spent on tournaments.
But, yeah, I mean, I need to play matches. I need to play tournaments.
I don't think maybe I'll play my best tennis here, but the result of me playing here, I think I'll play better in Cincinnati and then hopefully my best tennis in New York.
Q. The Wimbledon final was a good match. After that, looking back, did you switch your thoughts in your head or did you think again about the match?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No. I think the period of the two months that I had was fantastic. Of course, I wanted to in Wimbledon, I wanted to win the final, but at the end of the day I played an opponent who also knows how to play in these moments, and he played a phenomenal match, and it was a great match, which could have gone a bit longer. I feel like it could have gone in the fifth set.
Overall it was a good tournament, and I played a lot of tennis in that period. So I went on holidays for a week and then after started practicing and preparing myself the best I can for this swing.
Q. Considering that Jannik has beaten you I think it's five times, either in final or semifinal, are you happy that he's not here this time around in Montreal?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No. I think you want to be competing against the best, especially before the US Open.
I understand it, though. I mean, we had a thought also of maybe skipping Montreal this year, but then we decided to play it.
But, yeah, I mean, I think we've played each other the most out of anybody on tour, but because I feel like we've gotten to each other more times than not this year, which is also positive.
Of course, it's not a positive that I keep losing to the same guy, or I have lost to the same guy multiple times, but I think it definitely shows that we were probably the two most stable players on tour this year, and that's a positive, I think.
Q. So it is not too big for you, but now that you are a Grand Slam champion, is the main priority for you to become No. 1?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, of course, that's a goal. That's definitely a goal of mine.
I think still playing the best tennis possible, I think that should be always the number one goal because then the results will follow. Winning tournaments will follow. Rankings will follow.
So as long as you focus on improving yourself and improving your game and trying to play your best, I think that everything else is just something that will follow after that.
Q. Alex, just regarding the participation to Masters 1000, the tournament director here was talking about maybe having consequences or bonuses if player participates in those events. What are your thoughts on that? Could that be something that you see in the future?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: If they don't participate?
Q. Participate or not. Like a bonus if you do or a penalty if you don't.
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: That's the way it is right now. I mean, it's not rocket science. We get bonuses at the end of the year if we play all nine Masters.
Q. Something bigger maybe, something more important so that players actually care, like Novak would come?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: You think Novak will care if he gets a bigger bonus? I think the guy has -- I mean, if I would have to guess, the guy is north of 400 million in his bank account, and so I'm not sure he would care about 50,000 more or less.
Q. What if his ranking is hurt?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I don't think he cares about his ranking either. I honestly don't think so.
But what do you want? Do you want us to drop in rankings if we don't play? Honestly, if everything goes to the old and we would play one-week Masters events, yeah, we can talk about it, but if you're forcing us to be away for two and a half, three weeks during Grand Slams and the same then goes for Masters events, you can't force us to play. Sorry, that's nonsense.
At the end of the day, if you play all nine Masters, you get a bonus at the end of the year. So there is that to it as well.
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