- How is the preparation process for Roland Garros going?
- I have not yet healed a back injury, so I started training just the other day. I hope everything goes well for the tournament. Morally, I am ready for him, it remains to finally recover.
- What is the task for the tournament?
- This is one of the most important competitions of the year. A big helmet is a big helmet. But somehow I can not distinguish it from other major tournaments. However, Roland Garros does not cause any negative emotions, although I have not shown good results in France. Well, once everything happens for the first time. If the back allows, I can perform quite well. But the main thing is to show the level of the game that was reached this year.
- Are there any rivals you would like to avoid meetings with?
- There are no such concerns. But it would be nice in the first two circles did not come across strong tennis players.
“You have not won the Grand Slam yet ...”
- You know, if I say that I am ready to win, these will be unsubstantiated words. One semi-final of the Grand Slam in his career is not enough to say that he is ripe for victory. Therefore, I will not guess.
- How would you rate the shape and chances of other Russian tennis players?
- A lot will depend on the grid. I don’t know what form they are in, how they are prepared. You can not play all year, but at the Grand Slam tournament you can compete successfully. If a player briskly passes the first pair of circles, he will gain form and will be able to reach serious stages.
- Who is the main favorite of the tournament?
- Nadal. And only after him Federer. The defeat of Nadal from Federer in Hamburg with a large score did not quite reflect what was happening on the court. When you do not lose 81 matches on the ground, once you have to concede: it so happened that the defeat was in the match with Federer. Personally, the Swiss game is closer and more interesting to me. Although Nadal is on the ground, you know, the best in the world. But on other surfaces he plays worse.
- You already had to beat Rafa, although not on the ground.
- You have to be ready for one hundred percent, then you can try to do it. On the ground, Nadal has enough time to keep up with all the balls and not be mistaken. When the speed of the rebound increases (for example, on hard), the Spaniard no longer has time to play as reliably.
“Have you watched the Battle of Coatings?”
- Not. I don’t think such a show will take root. Although one or two times can be held - it is still a spectacular event. I myself would have played - a couple of matches, nothing more.
- What do you think about the chances of our tennis players?
- I do not very closely follow women's tennis. I know the results, but this is not enough to make predictions. Sveta Kuznetsova recently seems to have been playing stably at a good level, but she has something with health there, so I won’t dare to judge.
- What did you feel when you flew out of the top ten of the championship race?
“What am I now?”
- The twelfth.
- At the beginning of the year you need to play, and not look at the rating. There is not much difference - you are the eighth, the thirteenth or the tenth.
- Which indicator is more objective - championship race or ATP rating?
- For me, rating is more important, because thanks to it you get to the number of seeded. It’s good that I will be seeded in France. Although the situation in Australia will not be repeated when I was in great shape, but in the third round I got on Federer.
- You are a fan of football CSKA. How would you rate the start of the team in the championship of Russia?
- Only a third of the championship has passed, so there is nothing to worry about behind two points. This year I saw a few matches, but so far the team has played moments. Probably, the players have not yet fully gained shape. However, this is fixable, and Gazzaev is progressing as a coach. I am impressed by his ambitiousness. He can make players, change the course of the match in his own words, behavior.
- Recently, Akinfeev received a serious injury. Is this a strong blow to CSKA?
- It's a shame, of course, yet Igor is the best goalkeeper in Russia. But it seems to me that Mandrykin will add from match to match. We don’t need a new goalkeeper - I believe in Benjamin.
- CSKA will win the championship?
- This season will be much more difficult than in the previous one. The main competitors are Spartak, Zenit and Lokomotiv. “Moscow”, as it seems to me, will not sustain the pace taken. And the three named teams, despite injuries, will show a high level of play.
- How do you feel about tennis blogs? Tursunov's diary is very popular. Have you ever read it?
- I read a couple of times. It was exciting at times. But when the diary is kept on an ongoing basis - less and less interesting. However, the fans like this.
- Would you like to start a blog yourself?
- If they asked me, they would refuse. After all, blogs are kept in English. To clearly express your thoughts, you need not only to know the language, but to think in it. Mitya lived in America for a long time, it is easy for him to write. I wouldn’t be able to. But getting off with on-duty phrases is not for me.