Karen Khachanov secured a hard-fought comeback victory over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp — 5:7, 6:4, 6:4 in 2.5 hours — becoming the first Russian man to reach the fourth round of the Rome Masters. In an interview, the Russian discussed how he felt during the battle, his thoughts on his next opponent who sensationally knocked Novak Djokovic out of the draw, and his stance on a potential boycott of Roland Garros.
— Karen, from the outside, the match looked dramatic. How did it feel from within?
— As I said, the most important thing is to stay mentally fully focused on your task — what I need to do. Despite some difficulties at the end of the first set, I didn’t have any chances on return. He was serving extremely well. I probably didn’t play my best. He had one good game in principle, and that’s why I lost the first set. But the key was that I stayed in the match and kept imposing my game. I felt I even raised my level a bit, which allowed me to turn the momentum. After battling and battling, I edged ahead in the second set and managed to hold that advantage to the end, and similarly in the third set. I’m glad I was able to outplay him mentally, physically, and in terms of the game after being down 0-1 in sets.
— I saw a graphic showing that your return position on his second serve was much closer to the baseline compared to your average on the ATP tour. Was that intentional or just how it worked out?
— Yes, I also decided in my first match against Alexander Shevchenko to step into the court more. It always depends on the opponent, the tournament, and the conditions. For example, in Madrid, I often returned second serves from the back, especially from the first square. In the second square, I almost always step in. The question is always about which rallies you win on first and second serves — whether you have the advantage and need to impose your initiative. My goal was to give him no time. I tried to return closer, denser, and harder, putting pressure on him from the second ball to execute my attack.
— You kept your emotions in check for a long time, but when you broke him in the second set, you let it all out with a roar. Did you feel like you had finally broken through at that moment?
— Yes, it’s instinctive. Sometimes you’re more focused, other times you feel you need to release emotions. We’ve talked about it — you live a small life through each match, through those moments. So you feel in the moment what you need more: to stay calm or to charge up with energy. I should mention that the support from the crowd here since the first match has been fantastic. It really helps me. I’ve said many times that I love full stands and a great atmosphere on court. They give me energy and extra motivation.
— Before the tournament, we spoke about the theoretical possibility of facing Novak Djokovic in the fourth round. But you’re here now, and instead of him, it’s Przyjemski. Were you surprised by that? What do you think of this player?
— Not entirely surprised. But when Novak loses at early stages — it happens very rarely and is surprising. However, I think Novak has had some issues, maybe physical ones that are starting to pile up. That’s why he didn’t play before — he began his clay season only now, in Rome. Normally…
