Tomas Machac has huge respect for World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, however that doesn’t imply the Czech fears his second-round opponent on the BNP Paribas Open.
“I feel this I why I took up this sport. For positive we’re taking part in tennis for cash, factors and to be higher within the rankings. However I feel an important factor on this sport is that this achievement,” Machac advised ATPTour.com. “You qualify, you win the primary spherical and play in opposition to the primary on this planet. That is the current we’re doing this sport for.
“I’m actually excited. I’m actually trying ahead to it. I’ll go to the match not simply to combat or benefit from the second, however I’ll combat to win the match.”
It will likely be the largest match of the 21-year-old’s profession. No. 158 within the ATP Rankings, he’ll attempt to declare his first Prime 10 victory on Saturday.
“His achievements and his profession have been unbelievable. I’m not the man who will let you know that I’ll win the match,” Machac stated. “However I had just a few experiences taking part in in opposition to the perfect gamers, Berrettini, Schwartzman twice. I had these experiences having fun with the match and now I feel I’ve the expertise to combat for the win in opposition to such participant.”
The great factor for the Czech is that he’s aware of Medvedev. Earlier than the second spherical of this yr’s Australian Open, the pair skilled collectively at Melbourne Park. That helped him achieve an appreciation for the World No. 1’s recreation.
“I feel his recreation is with none errors. He’s taking part in very well from the baseline, he serves like a beast and he has actually good returns with none errors,” Machac stated. “It will likely be actually robust to win the match. However I feel I’ll do my greatest to be near the win.”
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It has been an fascinating journey for Machac, who turned concerned within the sport due to his sister, Katerina. When Tomas was 4, Katerina, then a teen, fell in love with the game.
“She was taking part in a number of tournaments within the Czech Republic, probably not within the good ones, however she was taking part in quite a bit. She was actually a fan of it,” Machac stated. “I used to be travelling along with her and with my household and I used to be taking part in in opposition to the wall each time. I used to be taking part in for instance six hours per day on the wall, as a result of I didn’t wish to be bored watching the tennis, so I performed a number of tennis.”
Machac cherished tennis till he was 11, however from then on it was not all the time within the entrance of his thoughts. It was not till he was 18 that he totally focussed on pursuing tennis for a residing.
“I realised I’m good within the sport,” Machac stated. “I [knew I] need to combat, enhance myself and that’s the way it went.”
Machac is a three-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist. Photograph Credit score: Mike Owen/Getty Photos.
Should you noticed the Beroun native strolling across the Indian Wells Tennis Backyard after he defeated Alexei Popyrin on Thursday, you’d have seen he was carrying a Los Angeles Lakers sweatshirt. Machac is an enormous basketball fan, who particularly likes Michael Jordan. The NBA megastar retired earlier than the Czech was born. Machac’s intriguing love of the previous Chicago Bulls legend stems from watching a documentary sequence on him titled The Final Dance.
“It’s loopy what this man did in his profession. His achievements, the moments he had have been unbelievable,” Machac stated. “I realized [from watching that] some days should you don’t really feel nicely or are sick or one thing goes mistaken, you’ll be able to nonetheless combat, you’ll be able to nonetheless make your self snug in that second and enhance one thing in your recreation. That’s what he did. I improved quite a bit in that case.”
Though Machac’s big-match expertise remains to be comparatively restricted, he’ll have the ability to ask WTA star Katerina Siniakova, his girlfriend, for recommendation. Siniakova has received two singles titles and is the No. 1 doubles participant on this planet.
“She’s a extremely good participant. She’s had an unbelievable profession. She’s first within the doubles, No. 55 within the singles, so I’m studying quite a bit from her,” Machac stated. “She’s a fighter, and she or he by no means leaves any level within the recreation. She performs each level.”
Machac will attempt to do the identical in opposition to Medvedev.
