Arthur Cazaux is not fazed by any pressure as he became the first wildcard since Lleyton Hewitt to reach the second week of the Australian Open.
The Frenchman’s incredible run in Melbourne continued after he cruised past 28th seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 6-3 6-1 in 1 hour and 48 minutes.
An incredible performance from the wildcard as he backed up his win over Holger Rune in style.
It’s a win that means Cazaux is the first wildcard since Lleyton Hewitt to reach the last 16 at the Australian Open.
Although the achievement sounds great, it’s not something the Frenchman is thinking about too much as he admitted he was confident of reaching the second week, “No, it sound great. Sound great, of course. But yeah, you know, I’m focused on the next. I hope the tournament will continue for me. I’m not fixing any limits, and I will see what’s gonna happen,” Cazaux said in his press conference.
“Yes, I know I could play this kind of level, but I never prove it, you know, in a real match. So yeah, in me I was confident, but, you know, to prove it in the first round gave me more confident, and yes, now I know I can beat this kind of player during real match.
“And now, you know, I’m gonna repeat, but I was ready for everyone and even more ready now in my head and in my game.”
An incredible mindset for Cazaux who is only 21 years of age and is looking to continue making history in Melbourne.
Being so young can result maybe players putting pressure on themselves like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner did to ensure that they get to the top of the game as quickly as possible.
However this is not the case for Cazaux who is playing without pressure at the moment, “Not really, not really. No, because I work very hard in my head, in my mental, and like I said before, I’m ready to fight everyone. I’m ready to fight in every match,” the Frenchman explained.
“You know, I’m here to give everything on court. I can play sometimes I play bad; sometimes I play good. You know, it doesn’t matter. You know, the only thing important is to give everything on court. That’s my rules. Now I’m not feeling any pressure.”
Cazaux will now play ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
