[Season 3] (Day 15) x.doublea- Belgian Tennis Federation

x.doublea · [Season 3] (Day 15) x.doublea- Belgian Tennis Federation

BTF: Another amazing run on clay x.doublea! This is rather like a fairytale, true grasscourter transforms his game and plays the best tennis of his life on a new territory. How do you feel right now, pretty confident I should imagine?

x.doublea: Yes, definitely. I really never feel as comfortable on clay as on a grass court or a hard court, because it's slower and suites the so-called sluggers more. But, I think the important thing is get all the things you hate about the surface out of the mind, and then work out how one can turn so-called forbidden strategy on a particular surface, in this case, the serve and volley, and turn it into a strength on the surface. I think I have done this pretty successfully during the clay-court season.

BTF: Do you think you have really proven NEA and other doubters wrong? NEA in particular was completely displeased at his loss to you on clay but right now you have outperformed him on his "own" surface, did his comments give you any extra incentive to go out there and win?

x.doublea: Not really. I think, if you take a very valid comment like what N_E_A to heart, you don't get an incentive to win, but an incentive to win with his style, just to prove that you can do what they can do. My strengths certainly are not slugging it out from the baseline for four-and-a-half hours. I have to play within myself. Obviously, I really, really want to win, but my goal this claycourt season was to play within myself. But certainly, I think I've proven that I'm not too bad on clay afterall. Wink

BTF: Thank you, x.doublea, and good luck at the French Open!