Which Masters 1000 would you most like to win?
Monte-Carlo is one at the top of my list. Of course, Indian Wells and Miami… if you play good in one, you are going to play good in the second. Those are the next ones that I would love to [win]. Cincinnati I won, so that is off the list. Any Masters 1000 event is pretty amazing. I always liked Canada as well, I like the courts there and the crowd has been great as well. I keep those ones on the top of my list.
What is it about Monte-Carlo?
There is such a history behind that tournament. It is not an easy tournament to win. Throughout the years, Rafa has been the guy that has been winning it the most, but it also shows how tough the competition is out there. You always have very different faces and new people coming into the later rounds every year. It is also very tough because it is the first [Masters 1000] tournament on clay, so it sets the tone for the rest of the clay-court season.
Which ATP Masters 1000 host city is your favourite and why?
I love the conditions in Cincinnati and I love that you can drive yourself to the courts. You have the amusement park on the side. Everything seems so easy. At Indian Wells everything is put together to an extent that you are like, ‘Wow. What is going on out here?’ They have all the great restaurants, the courts. How the whole tournament has developed [since] the early years [is great]. I have been there over 10 times and I have seen that every year you get new upgrades.
Monte-Carlo has also been one of my favourites. I have lived there for so long now [but], even without that, it has always had such an importance to me… Overall, all the Masters 1000s have put in such an amazing effort throughout the years to [make me] always feel very welcome. They upgrade things every year more and more and it helps the players a lot. I think it is a great battle every year.
Do you remember your Masters 1000 debut?
Miami was special for me because I played the juniors here a lot, so I felt like, ‘Oh, okay, the same thing I was doing in juniors is going to work the same in the seniors’. Guess what? I had to find out the hard way. I remember playing very tough rounds in qualifying, then the main draw was where things really started to heat up for me. I felt physically so tired. I remember after the tournament, I was so tired. I love the conditions. I love it when it is hot and humid, but it was always adding up and adding up. I was still very unprepared. I lost to Stakhovsky. A straight-sets loss. I think I was just tired. I was done. The excitement of being in Miami really got into me.
What do you consider to be your best Masters 1000 win?
I have really played excellent players all the time. For example, in Monte-Carlo, I remember losing to Rafa three times. In Madrid, I lost to Dominic [Thiem] in the third round. I had [five] match points in the third set… Rome has been very interesting all the time. I had to play Berdych in three sets, I played Fabio at home in Rome, which is never easy to play. [I have had] a lot of tricky opponents like that. Some of those matches were my most memorable ones.
What is your favourite off-court memory or activity at a Masters 1000?
Going to the amusement park. In Cincinnati, I was going every single day after my matches. I was so tired, but I said, ‘I just want to ride’. The tournament was setting it up for us, so I was just going in and out [for a] quick four rides and boom, straight back home. I love the tower, the big one that just drops you. I just love speed and I enjoy everything that leads to it. As soon as there is speed, I am good. In Indian Wells, I went to the racetrack a few times. I enjoy that a lot as well.
What is your dream match at a Masters 1000?
I would love to play Daniil Medvedev in the Miami final. I love a challenge like that. He is obviously a player that is doing absolutely amazing. Novak in Indian Wells. Those are the matches that you want to win.
Toughest match you’ve played at a Masters 1000?
I remember one, a very good one. I played David Ferrer. Oh man. When he was at his peak in Cincinnati. It was three sets and I just ran out of steam in the third set. This guy was just running me down. I was keeping up as much as I could and I was at the end of my powers.
Playing Rafa a few times in Monte-Carlo was the same. Three sets and, in the end, I just felt like I was playing against the wind the whole time. Nothing was happening. Nothing was working. In Indian Wells, I had a very nasty match against Jack Sock. We both played such an amazing match. He came out on top and saved two match points. We had a crazy battle out there and I am never going to forget the crowd erupting after every point.
Rome has been tremendous. You play against the Italians and oh man. With Fabio, the same thing. We played on Pietrangeli, it was just about to start raining in the third set, with those statues around and it felt like you were in Rome, in the Colosseum. That was fun.
Greatest match you’ve ever seen at a Masters 1000 event?
I remember Dominic and Roger played an insane match in [the 2019] Indian Wells [final]. Same thing with Roger and Del Potro [in the 2018 final]. Amazing matches. Rafa and Roger in Miami was pretty amazing to watch, when Roger beat Rafa 6-3, 6-4. Lights out. Not much to say. I even remember Rafa after the match saying, ‘There is not much to say.’ It is funny to see players like that not only admitting, but I like their ability to see the reality.
What is your favourite court at any of the Masters 1000 events?
I would say the Indian Wells Centre Court is a very tricky court to play on at different times of the day. I would say that this one is probably the top one, to perform at your best on that court. Even with some players, it depends on the temperature [and] wind. The court plays very differently. This court has always been a little bit trickier than any of the other courts I have played on. I think on every other court I can adjust very well and very quick… That one has always caused me a little bit of trouble. I love the challenge.
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