American Taylor Fritz shared his expectations for the ATP St. Petersburg Open tournament.
– How did you manage to recover so quickly from meniscus surgery and show such results as reaching the semifinals at the Indian Wells tournament?
– Both before and after that my season was not bad. After the result shown in Indian Wells, I am more confident than ever. I was lucky with the operation, the doctors did an excellent job. But I prepared very hard. I wanted to play at Wimbledon three weeks after this intervention – in my head there was an understanding that this was possible. So I was completely focused on this, underwent physiotherapy courses, did special exercises on the knee, and in general, everything in order to have time to recover, I devoted several hours a day to this.
– How do you like the court in St. Petersburg? What can you say about the bounce of the ball?
– In fact, I love the rebound a little higher than here. But in general I like the court because it is slow enough, which means that I will have time to attack as I like.
– You have already said that you really like the hotel in St. Petersburg. Did you manage to see the city?
– Last year it was impossible to leave the hotel – these were the conditions of the tournament. This time I just did not have time to go somewhere yet, but I will definitely take the chance to see the sights of St. Petersburg.
– This will be the first tournament in the hall. How difficult is the transition?
– It is much easier to switch from outdoor tournaments to indoor tournaments than vice versa. I switch immediately.
– Did you have enough time for acclimatization?
– Yes, I flew from Dubai – it's only an hour difference, there are no problems with jet lag. I have already practiced twice and I feel good, I am ready to start at the tournament.
– This is your second time in St. Petersburg, I would like to ask you about Russian cuisine. Did you like something? Maybe some soups?
– Usually I prefer not to experiment with food and continue to eat what I'm used to. I am very conservative with steaks, chicken, rice and pasta on my menu. So I haven't even tried anything, ”Fritz said.
The ATP St. Petersburg Open tournament runs from 25 to 31 October. Fritz received the 5th seed from the organizers.
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