“22 aces, a victory in three straight sets: did everything work against Beibit Zhukayev (6-3, 6-4, 6-4)?
Everything went my way today (Thursday). I think he didn’t play a very good match. I had a lot of relatively easy service games. He’s not the kind of guy who, at 30-0 or 40-0, is going to try to come back… Overall, I served well. I managed a break at the very beginning of the match, that got me going. He didn’t have many chances. I returned better than him, I hit better than him. It was a relatively easy match where I didn’t scare myself.
“My level of play is really good. It’s been a long time since I felt this good so it’s cool.”
What does it mean to you to get out of qualifying for a Grand Slam?
This is not trivial. At Roland Garros, I didn’t succeed. It’s always very hard, especially here in three winning sets. You have to be ready. Today it was windy, it was a little colder, the conditions were different from yesterday (Wednesday). I’m really satisfied. My level of play is really good. I haven’t felt this good in a long time so it’s cool. And it’s cool to go back to Wim! That was the goal. First part of the contract completed. We will try to prepare well and go for a little more next week.
And winning three matches in a row, that hasn’t happened to you often this season…
It’s never insignificant to win three matches in a row. In Grand Slam qualifiers, all the guys are good. It feels good. Beyond Wim, for the upcoming season. To prove to myself that what I do in training also works in matches. We know that in sport, it’s not because you work hard that you’re necessarily rewarded. But I’m playing well, I feel good. I have a very positive attitude. It reinforces my idea that by staying good at what I do, by keeping this common thread, I can get back to a good ranking quickly.”
