Malek Jaziri – Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you think you did particularly well this evening?

MALEK JAZIRI: Great feeling today, first of all, to win my first top 5. I am really happy for that. I tried to fight every point since the beginning. Was so tight. Every time was longer on the court, so I was playing better, feeling more comfortable on court.

I was really aggressive today. I tried hard to keep the ball in, tried hard to attack him, to make a lot of variety in the game today. This is most important.

Q. They often say when a lower-ranked player plays against a top-ranked player, they come out swinging. How do you go into a match like that?

MALEK JAZIRI: It’s not easy (smiling). It’s not easy to finish a match like against top players. He get tight, as well, when you play lower ranking than him. Another guy, you have to finish the match. You have to know how to act on the court, you have to be patient, not to be nervous, all these things to finish the game.

Maybe he’s top 5, but maybe before he was 50 or something, so he had the same feelings like everyone, so…

Q. What went through your mind when you saved the match points on his serve? How did you stay composed?

MALEK JAZIRI: Yeah, tried to keep going, to encourage myself, saying, It’s okay, next game is my serve. Most important is to keep winning my serve. It was the objective in the third set.

I breaked him. I tried to be more aggressive when he was serving. I was up a break, so I have nothing, only to go forward, to attack him, to make him make more unforced errors. Made it good. I had two match points. I didn’t make them. He make two big serves.

I tried to keep calm on court, not to be nervous in these important moments.

Q. Many players in the tennis world have their home tournaments, like Americans, New York, whatever. What is your home tournament?

MALEK JAZIRI: Everywhere is home for me (smiling).

No, I think I feel so good here in Dubai. They give me a lot of opportunities in the past, like with wild cards. I got a lot of experience to playing top guys here in Dubai. I play last year Murray, the year before Novak, for or five years ago I play Federer as well. Dubai, it make me only to play top seeded.

But I knew one day it would happen. You know, I play good game against Roger, most of the guys last year as well against Murray. I keep working. I had so tough year since last year. I’m having tough years. So I went out of top 100. I’m 160 right now. I passed through tough moments last year, end of the year. This year a big year as well. I passed first time ever in Australia.

I was working with my coach a lot of new things in my game to improve. It was not easy to keep winning some matches with a few changes. Hopefully I will continue to work hard and I will make better results.

Q. This is also your first top-10 win?

MALEK JAZIRI: No, third. I beat Goffin.

Q. How does it feel to get a milestone when you’re 34 years old? What kind of message does that give to others?

MALEK JAZIRI: I mean, I am an experience. Every time I get older, every time I play better, make bigger results.

I think on my opinion, you know, I take my experience from many tournaments every year. I learn every day. I try to learn from the best players, from better than me, to improve every day. This is my objective, to keep learning every day. I keep learning.

Even I beat top 5 guys, but I keep learning to improve my game, to improve my attitude on the court is most important, to act against all these top guys, how to be calm to win these kind of matches.

Q. The bad thing after such a win is you have to play tomorrow. Is it bad or good?

MALEK JAZIRI: We will see tomorrow how it feels (smiling).

Q. Robin Haase tomorrow, 9:00.

MALEK JAZIRI: Tomorrow 9:00 in the morning (laughter)?

Q. How do you see that match with Robin tomorrow?

MALEK JAZIRI: I mean, first of all, I will try now to relax a little bit, enjoy good dinner with my team, enjoy this win. Most important. Long time I didn’t win lot of matches. This is good win for me.

After that I will start to think about Robin, to prepare the match with my team, hopefully to get ready physically tomorrow. This is most important. Robin is good player, so it will be tough match, as well.