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There is no Draw in Tennis: Melzer

DUBAI - Jurgen Melzer may not be the poster boy of tennis, but the 28-year-old Austrian asked questions many top players found difficult to answer in Dubai. The world number 31 played some of the best tennis of his life as he reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

After playing some sensational tennis against Australian Open semifinalist and world number 9 Marin Cilic on Thursday, he was superb again in the semifinals against Mikhail Youzhny.

Russian world number 15 Youzhny had to fight hard for his 7-5 7-6 victory on Friday. After his semifinal match, Melzer, who grew up admiring Stefan Edberg, spoke to Khaleej Times.

Q. Disappointed? It was a close match. Wasn’t it?

A. Well, of course, if you lose 7-5 7-6 it’s very disappointing. I had a set point in the first set. I had a couple of ‘break chances’ in the second set. I couldn’t convert those. It was a very tight match that could have gone either way. Unfortunately, it went his way.

Q. What made the difference?

A. I heard he made five more points than me. So you know it was that close. We both played very confidently. But I think it was a matter of luck at some crucial points. And at some other crucial points, he just came up with a better shot. So I can’t say now that I should have played that shot there, or he did that particularly better than me. It was just an open match. There is no draw in tennis.

Q. What went wrong in the tiebreak?

A. Well I think I just had one unforced error at the tiebreak. But that’s ok with me. If you lose with more mini break..if you lose serve just once in the tiebreak, there is a chance that you will win it.

Q. You turned back after playing a shot in the second set. Did you think the ball was going out?

A. Of yeah, when I hit it I knew it was out, but the wind took it and kept it in play (laughs). I didn’t hear any calls, so I turned around and played the point, and won it. Well, I think that was pure luck.

Q. You played Mikhail five times before, winning twice. But all those matches were on clay. Here you played on a hard court. What did you do differently?

A. Playing here and on clay is completely different story. Here the conditions are fast. I think the fast conditions really suit his game. He really likes it. If it’s fast and the bounce is low, that’s his favourite. I like a little higher bounce. So if we had played this match in Indian Wells, it would have been a completely different story. But you know there is always a next match and hopefully I can win that one.

Q. You reached the semifinals of one of the bigger ATP events. So how does it feel? What will you take back?

A. I take a lot of confidence back home. I mean I have played great matches, considering the conditions here. It’s very hot. It can be very windy. The ball was tough to control. So in such conditions beating Robredo and Cilic back to back, I can only be happy.

Of course I am a bit disappointed today. I lost the semis and I had the chance to make it to the finals. But now we have Davis Cup next, so I can draw lot of confidence from here.

Q. Did you enjoy playing in the Dubai tournament?

A. It’s a great venue. Lot of people come to watch the game. It’s nice to play here. Sometimes it’s little hot. But I like the tournament. I will be definitely back next year.

Q. What will be your goals for the season?

A. It’s just the start of the year. Hopefully I can stay healthy. If I can stay healthy, I will have very good chance to reach the top 20. So that has to be my goal for this year.

Q. You won the Vienna title in October and then reached the semis in Zagreb this year. Are you playing your best tennis now?

A. I think so. I have played my best tennis in the past couple of months. And hopefully I can continue. That’s the most important thing. I think I have put in lot of hard work. Also as I get older, I get more mature. Well, definitely I think I am playing my best tennis at the moment.

Q. Do you travel alone?

A. No. I travel with my coach, my physio and my fiancée.