TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN – In an exclusive interview with our editor Ubaldo Scanagatta, Andreas Seppi’s coach, Massimo Sartori, talks about how they prepared the match against Nick Kyrgios. U.Scanagatta, translated by P.Sassoon
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Q. What do you remember of their encounter at the US Open last year? There was some friction between the two?
MASSIMO SARTORI: In that match last year at the US Open Andreas didn’t have the same quality he has now. He came from a difficult season where he never managed to win three matches in a row in the same tournament, he just could find continuity. We had some problems from the start of the season. Andreas even became ill and immediately it became an uphill struggle. In this moment he is in better form, he is concentrated and determined. Tennis is his only priority. Kyrgios deserved to win that match, he played well with serve and forehand. I hope that today’s match will be closer.
Q. But what happened, there was some trouble between them?
MASSIMO SARTORI: Andreas became nervous because Kyrgios never shuts up, he comments everything during the match. Be it the umpire, his mistake, a ball he doesn’t like, he has done it in this tournament as well. You sort of want to tell him, “you are twenty years old, play tennis and don’t comment on every point”. But he is young… Andreas thought he would have more space on the backhand, but the other played his forehand very well and started to push before Andreas. What I asked him to do today is to remain focused and determined on every point, like he did against Federer, to play fast to take the time away from his opponent, and to play the important games that will be the return games not his service games.
Q. How is today’s advice different?
MASSIMO SARTORI: He is Australian and he is laying at home, the pressure is on him. If Andreas plays every point he can force him to push too much. Maybe in a service game Andreas will not touch the ball, but eventually he is going to get a return in, the other makes a mistake, and then Kyrgios may lose his intensity.”
Q. But shouldn’t you play every point with the utmost attention
MASSIMO SARTORI: It is possible only when your head is ok, and it’s impossible to be that way the entire year. The Federers and Nadals have this capability. Andreas isn’t at his full potential yet, but this start of the season has shown him how much stronger he is compared to previous years. Technically he is playing much better, he is attempting new shots like the drop shot, he is serving better and in every corner and he is returning with his feet closer to the baseline.
