speaker-0: Yeah, I'm doing all the next gen stuff this year for ⁓ yeah? So I'm sure we'll be speaking throughout the year. And things get... Well yeah, just for five minutes or so. We'll start on grass. What's it like being back on grass, you know, hitting here this morning and playing this event?

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah, of course. Yeah, I mean obviously ⁓ I'm super you know excited to be back on grass. Haven't played in three years since the juniors but I felt, you know, super well on the grass back then. So ⁓ I'm also feeling super well here so you know just just excited ⁓ to get going and you know, just just play here.

speaker-0: What's the biggest adjustment you have to make when you've come from clay? Is it little movements, footsteps?

speaker-1: Obviously your feet you have to be way lower, ⁓ you need to move your your feet faster and the cord is way way quicker and bounces super super low. So you just you know you just have to stay super super low, be super aggressive as as soon as you have time, just you know, try to try to find ⁓ a winner or something. So so yeah, it's definitely different but I would say the main thing is movement.

speaker-0: Yeah, and our podcast that we do separately from ATP is about backstage behind the tour. We've had a lot of players talking about different experiences at events. You obviously played at Roland Garros Qualifying last week. What's that like to be at a major on site around the best players? know you're going to hopefully be right at the top one day.

speaker-1: Yeah, I mean obviously it was I felt like was a different feeling 'cause I actually played US Oban last year but it was a wild card. But it was French Oban was, you know, the the first time I actually entered a men's men's grand style with my own rankings, so it was a different different feeling for sure. I was ⁓ it felt super, super nice and also winning two matches there felt felt really nice. So, you know, it was definitely a a big step in motivation for me and you know, I just wanna keep going.

speaker-0: Yeah and then obviously you've been asked about it before but Madrid you played Rafa what was that week like and when you knew you were going to be playing Rafael Nadal on clay in Spain what can you remember from all

speaker-1: Yeah, I just know it's the most chaotic week of my life for sure. I was actually ⁓ yeah, I was super, super nervous. ⁓ it was a lot of a lot of, you know, things were going on and I was actually after the match I was I was sick for for a whole week of all the all the nerves I was feeling during those days. ⁓ but you know, obviously I'm super happy I I gotta play against him. You know, he's he's obviously one of the best players of of tennis in in history and it's it's it's an honor that I gotta play against him, you know, obviously and Yeah, it was just I just remember it was really chaotic, but it it was fun, it was fun.

speaker-0: When you have a big match like that against a massive player, you say you're so nervous going on to the tour, competing week in week out, do you now feel like that's helped you with those kind

speaker-1: Yeah definitely I would say that that definitely helped me a lot and it was ⁓ obviously a super super new and big experience for me but at the same time it's definitely gonna help for for me fr t from now on ⁓ when I play on play on the bigger bigger players, bigger stages and it's definitely gonna it definitely helped me to learn from that match. Yeah.

speaker-0: you've that much of Rafa aside, are there any other top players that you've obviously practiced with in the past? Any standout in terms of how they are on court in a practice session with you or what their personalities are like?

speaker-1: Yeah, mean I would I would definitely say, ⁓ I mean I practice a lot with Alcaraz, ⁓ but the one that really stood out for me was Novak. ⁓ we trained in US Open a few years ago and he definitely you know, he was his level of concentration every single rally was was elite. I've never seen something like that and ⁓ he was literally taking every rally as a point. ⁓ every t like so it was he was like very, very into it and that obviously shows what he's done in the sport. It obviously shows ⁓ how he trains, how how how engaged he is and And yeah.

speaker-0: calm in that moment because we spoke to Charlie Robertson who plays college tennis and stuff and he he's hit with Andy Murray quite a lot being Scottish and that link he said he I think he missed the first two feeds he said or shanked the ball back fence did you feel any nerves when you hit with Rafa with Novak in that moment or with Carlo

speaker-1: Alcraz. Yeah, I mean obviously with with Novak I was super super nervous. at the at the very start, you know, I was missing ⁓ a little bit and people had told me that, you know, he gets a little upset when you miss a bit, so I got even more nervous. ⁓ but yeah, I was definitely nervous with him. ⁓ but also with Alcraz, I feel like it was only at the the the first sessions, but over time we practiced and saw each other every day for like three years, so I f over time I g I kinda got used to it, so I wasn't really nervous to train with Alcraz anymore. ⁓ but but definitely with Novac since it was like very new and it was the first and only time it was you know, it was definitely nerve wracking.

speaker-0: Yeah, just two more. was going ask about American tennis at the moment. Obviously, we've got Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz at the top, Tommy Paul, Francis Diapo. What's your relationship with those guys? Did you lean on them for advice at times? Did speak to them much? Were you quite separate? How does it work?

speaker-1: No, I'm obviously I know all of them ⁓ personally but I feel like, you know, out out of them the the closest one I'm with with Ben. ⁓ I've known him, you know, for longer, ever since he was in in college and we've gone and, you know, told we look alike a lot. ⁓ we've talked about it. but yeah, it's ⁓ also been times that, you know, I kinda they Ben mostly in in the locker room or before matches he congratulates me or he motivates me. ⁓ you know, he said just go out there and play and He he definitely you know, there's there's times that he's he's he's supported me in a before or after matches, so so it's good.

speaker-0: Yeah, just one on next gen as well, the finals. that a goal for you? Loads of players have played that in the past who are now in the top 20. It's a real barometer, guess. And Jerome and I have been lucky enough to cover that event on site quite a few times. It's a great vibe. Is that an aim or is that something you're not thinking too much about?

speaker-1: Yeah, it definitely is a is a big goal for for me and my team th this year. We we spoke about it already. ⁓ obviously it's every tournament counts for that 'cause you know it's definitely the most ⁓ whoever has the most points. But at the same time every match I try to not really think about it, just you know, focus week by week or match by match. But at the same time it's also hard to not really think about it 'cause it's it's definitely the biggest one of the biggest goals of the year. ⁓ so yeah, I just wanna go match by match but yeah, it would be really nice to play there. Happened.

speaker-0: It'll just brilliant.