On the Australian Open
How do you see the tournament panning out? Who do you think will win the tournament? Who do you think the surprise package will be?
The Australian Open is probably the most open Slams we have because it’s at the beginning of the year and the players don’t have the same understanding of where they are physically as they do at the other Slams. However, we have quite a different approach this year with the ATP Cup. It’s a big change because the top players will be better prepared, they often enter the Australian Open without playing much competitive tennis, but now, most of them are playing in the ATP Cup but it’s also good for the other higher ranked players, because they’ll be getting good, competitive tennis too. In my opinion, Novak and Rafa will be the ones to beat at the Australian Open.

On the Next Generation
Will 2020 be the year we see the next generation come through in the Grand Slam?
I think it’s a good opportunity. Medvedev, Thiem, Tsitsipas are players that are going to be knocking on the door once again, because they were very close last year. We never know what is going to happen, I am very optimistic about what’s to come, I think some of the young players can do it, but of course Nadal, Djokovic and Federer will be favourites, but I think they will find it more and more difficult to win the Slams.

In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time, it has to be either this year or next year. These guys have been improving their game a lot. The reason Rafa, Roger and Novak have been so successful is because of the intensity they bring to the game and the new guys were not used to it, hanging with them for five sets, mentally or physically. Now they are more used to it in both areas, I think we might see a Grand Slam winner from the next generation this year, they don’t have to do anything different, just keep improving their games as they have been and get more and more experience. All four Slams are very similar, not one is easier than the other so I don’t think we can pinpoint a moment where it’s going to happen.

On Roger Federer
Is Roger Federer able to win one more Grand Slam?
We are talking about Roger Federer, that means you always give him the chance. Until he retires, he will have the chance to win a Grand Slam. We know, as time goes on, he will have less chances, but I cannot say I will be surprised if Roger Federer wins the Australian Open, because it could easily happen.

Do you think Roger Federer will suffer as a result of not playing at the ATP Cup?
Every player has their own approach. If Roger is not playing in the ATP Cup, it’s because he’s thinking that his preparation for Melbourne needs a different competition or a different set-up. He will be thinking about what’s going to be best for him to achieve his goal, and his goal will definitely be trying to win in Melbourne. I think the way Roger is playing, he doesn’t need these matches, Rafa and Novak probably feel like they need the matches after the pre-season. Of course, Roger has this magicians touch that once he gets in shape after the first couple of rounds, he’s going to feel perfect. At the end of the day, he will do whatever preparation he feels right with and I am sure he is going to be ready for the Australian Open, I am expecting him to have a good tournament.

On Rafa Nadal
Do you think Nadal will be favourite to win the Australian Open on the back of his Davis Cup winning performance?
Him and Novak (Djokovic) definitely are the favourites. I believe they will be the toughest guys to beat, and since I’ve seen Rafa playing at the ATP Cup, I think he’s in unbelievable shape and if he will be healthy form it will be such a difficult situation to beat him because he is playing very good tennis and I’ve seen him playing very well, very aggressive and I like the way he is playing very much. So, I consider Rafa… him and Novak will be the toughest guys to beat for sure.

With Rafa’s history of injury, do you think he will be cautious of such a competitive tournament so early in the season?
For Rafa, he played at the Davis Cup, then he had an exhibition match. Knowing Rafa, this would be his dream tournament, because it’s the beginning of the year, he will want to try things, he wants to get in to shape, he wants to play competitive. He’s also going to have a week before Melbourne starts. I am really confident with Rafa that he’s going to be in unbelievable shape coming in to Melbourne. Of course there are always worries with injuries with Rafa, but I think he is dealing with that very well and he knows what he is doing, he is approaching the calendar how he wants.

On the Grand Slam title record (Nadal, Federer and Djokovic)
Do you think Nadal being one Major away from Federer’s record will be a big motivation?
It’s a huge motivation, for sure. He is so conscious and so humble to go day-by-day – that’s the glory of Rafa. He is playing in the ATP Cup and he is winning and beating Cuevas (Pablo) easily the other day, and he still goes on day-by-day. He doesn’t care about the future, he only cares about the moment and I’m sure that for him in the back of his mind is that he has a great chance this year in the next four slams, if he is healthy, to go and tie Roger or even go ahead because last year he already won two slams. He reached finals in Australia, he reached the semis at Wimbledon and that means he’s going to be knocking on the door for, for sure, the next two or three years. I’m almost sure that he will tie Roger at some stage, and once he will get him he will probably pass him. But also it will depend if Roger wins one more and he will be a couple of slams behind. But I think Rafa, if he is healthy again, he’s going to be ready to pass Roger yes.

If Rafa does go past Roger, do you think that will be the record for many, many years? Do you think Novak could come and take over both of them?
It’s between those three; they are going to be the ones leading the slams, between Roger, Rafa and Novak. They are the ones who’ve put the bar so high that it’s going to be difficult to raise that level. I think it’s going to be very difficult for the coming generations to keep the same amount of commitment to hang in there. So, I think Novak and Rafa will have a good chance to raise the level of the slams. I think both of them can go over 20 for sure.

Rafa is just one Slam behind Federer now, will this be on his mind entering the tournament?
One thing about Rafa is that he’s very humble, he takes each day as it comes. He for sure will be thinking about it, he’s very ambitious, he’s currently in really good form, probably playing his best tennis of his life in the last month and from what I saw in the ATP Cup, he looks very fresh, moving very well. He probably doesn’t need to come out and say he’s looking forward to catching Roger, but knowing him, it’s obvious, he believes he can tie with Roger. He will definitely have the chance to tie Roger and this season, he might even overtake him.

Do you think Djokovic being only two Majors behind might be on Nadal’s mind?
I think all of them, to be so good it’s been about them first. Of course the conditions or the situation, they affect each other. If Roger would have won Wimbledon now we would say OK, Roger will have one more slam, would that affect Roger going to the US Open instead of Rafa winning. Maybe Roger would be in a better mood. Of course it affects, that’s here. It’s maybe difficult for them to talk about that because at the end of the day everything they say could be a big headline and it’s not easy. But, at the same time of course they play and they look at each other from the side – that’s obvious. When you’re trying to be the best in the history of tennis it is normal that you need to count on what is going on with the others too. But the good thing I like of them is that everyone has his own style, his own personality, and you can choose all of them. You can like the way Rafa plays, Roger plays or Novak plays. But at the end of the day you know that all of them are super special and that’s the good thing, we are living in an era where all of them are playing at the same time. When one adds one more slam the other is thinking ‘wow the next slam it has to be me’. So they are conscious of each other for sure.

On the men’s contenders
What about Zverev’s chances, what is going wrong for him?
He needs to recover a bit, get his confidence back, his rhythm back. He’s been there already for the last year and of course you come down on him, he’s only 23-years-old. He’s done already such great things and if he gets back a little bit of rhythm… I know he’s playing in the ATP Cup, maybe he’s not winning. I get it, with the ATP Cup, for Zverev it’s perfectly acceptable but this competition gives you the chance to go back and play again even if you’re not winning but you are playing, you’re learning from what’s going on. So, once Zverev feels relieved again and knows what he needs to do Zverev is a potential grand slam champion too. That’s for sure.

What do you make of Nick Kyrgios’ 2019 and his chances of kicking on this year?
The thing with Kyrgios, he’s got lots of expectations in Australia because he’s from there. But at the same time it’s not easy when you’re ranked around 29 or 30 in the world. He’s been playing well last year, he won some tournaments, but the slams are different because you play best-of-five, and you need to be physically very strong, and you need to be mentally very strong. And when you’re not used to doing that through the year it’s difficult to get like ‘OK – I’m ready to do it in the slams’. It’s not that easy and that’s the only thing maybe sometimes for Nick is a little bit difficult. But, I’ve seen I think he’s more involved now, committed and if he’s ready to do that he’s a tremendous player.

He’s such a talented player but again since September last year I think he’s played about two matches, three matches, I don’t know how many very easily. So then when you go to the slams and play best-of-five, the first two or three days are tough and then it’s difficult to recover mentally physically. So, he’s missing a bit of consistency at some points but you can see that he goes to Washington and wins the tournament but that’s not best-of-five. I think he’s a guy that at some point will do something big in a slam because he’s go the talent to do it.

What do you think of Casper Ruud’s start to the season, and how he will go this year? Can he still improve?
Casper is one of the guys that maybe in a couple more seasons might be ready to do something very big in the slams. He moved to Rafa’s academy and he is a very tough competitor and he’s been playing very well at the ATP cup. I saw that he lost to Medvedev but in a tight match too. I think Ruud can be… he’s very difficult because he’s very solid and he’s very mature for his age, and he’s one of those guys where you’ve got to be ready for a big battle because mentally he’s very strong and physically too. I think he’s also improving his game a lot, he’s more aggressive now and he seems to be very committed to tennis which is very important to become a very good player. 

Do you see Ruud winning an ATP tournament this season?
For sure. He will be that kind of player that you see him winning some ATP events, yeah for sure. A slam I think is still too early but an ATP event for sure he will win some of the tournaments that he will enter.

Marius Copil – what are your thought on him? Does he have a good hard court game?
He’s got a great serve, big forehand. He’s very tall, very aggressive – he’s a dangerous player. If he plays the qualifiers and qualifies he’s a very uncomfortable player to play because he hits a lot of big serves, he can cut down the rhythm a lot so it’s very annoying to play against him. I don’t know how far he can go but he can be an annoying player to face especially if he will come with rhythm. So, if he qualifies he’s one of the guys you don’t want to play because he’s a little bit unpredictable to play against.

How do you rate Hubert Hurkacz’s chances at the Australian Open?
He’s playing really well, very aggressive player. Hubert is the perfect example of someone who will be benefitting from the ATP Cup, he’s improved a lot over the last couple of years, but him playing in this competition, it gives him real belief that he can play the top players and even beat them. He will go in to the Australian Open as a dangerous player, because he’s not among the top-10, but he’s one of those players that you look for in the draw and you don’t want to play them because he’s a very talented guy, hits very hard and he’s getting stronger. I am really looking forward to watching him, I think he is someone to look out for. How far can he go? I really need to see him play again because I haven’t seen him since last year. Players like him, you need to see how they are feeling because it plays such a big part. The draw as well, he could get a really bad draw which means his tournament ends before it maybe should do.

Do you believe it’s possible for Jerzy Janowicz to come back after a three year break and play to the same level as before?
I still believe he can do something because he has an amazing serve, a really accurate backhand and forehand. His game was very impressive in his peak. If he is healthy, he can definitely come back and make the top-30 for sure. I liked him very much, it’s a pity he had to leave the game for so long but I am looking forward to his return.

What do you think of Joao Sousa? Have you seen any improvement in the last years to suggest he can go further than the top-50?
Joao is a Gladiator, a tremendous fighter. I know him very well, we live in the same little town just out side of Barcelona. When I see him, he is a very competitive player, he has very nice footwork, a great forehand, he’s improved his serve a lot, just a very solid player, always trying to improve as a player. I don’t think last season was easy for him but I know he is working hard to come back stronger. He’s one of those players that you will play in best of five sets, and you know it’s going to be very tough because he will fight until the end, and he’s always got a lot of energy. He used to practice a lot with Rafa as well in Mallorca, so he knows exactly what he needs to do to hurt the opponent. If I was playing on the Tour right now, Joao would be one of those players that I wouldn’t want to be facing because you know he’s going to have you on the court for at least four hours and it will take a lot of energy to beat him.

On Andy Murray
Do you think Andy Murray’s pelvic injury is a worrying sign that he won’t be able to compete at Grand Slam level again or was it a sensible decision to focus on the rest of the year?
He knows his body better than anyone and if he took that decision it’s because he knows he’s not 100% to compete. It’s obvious that if he’s healthy he will have the chance to compete at the highest level again but it will be very difficult for him because the injury he had is very complicated. He’s been giving 100% for 12-15 years already on tour and that means it’s not going to be any easier because when you are away for such a long time and you don’t play that many matches then start to play matches again it’s normal that some injuries come up from somewhere.

One day it can be something that’s not related to the real injury but is another one because your body is not used to that. So, when you’re talking about special people like Andy is, like Roger, Rafa and Novak, you can always give the benefit of the doubt to say ‘of course they can do it again.’ But in the case of Andy, I think it will take him a while to compete at best-of-five for 14 days in a slam, and to maybe reach the final rounds again because he’s been away for such a long time. Last year, he wasn’t sure if he was able to continue playing tennis so I think it was a smart decision if he feels like he’s not 100%. But he will need time to… he will need more matches. He will need to well in Miami, and then play a good clay-court season, and maybe by Wimbledon he’ll be at his top form again.

Do you think Andy Murray’s is focusing on Wimbledon, having one eye on making sure he’s at peak fitness for then?
He’s won slams, he’s been number one etc. So, he needs to prepare his season focusing on which things he really wants to achieve. You cannot focus a season thinking I’m going win four or five matches here or there. He needs to be ready for what he wants to achieve and I think in five or six months’ time which is Wimbledon, I think he will have enough time to be ready for when Wimbledon comes and the US Open or the Olympics. That will be the period where I believe he will be in his best shape. For that, he needs to play matches before and also in the clay-court season.

On the women’s contenders
Can Simona Halep win another final in Melbourne and win a third slam?
She came back with Darren Cahill. I think it’s big news because they know each other very well and I think it can be a very nice decision for Simona too. From what I saw, what she’s been doing, she’s very focused on the season and she’s a player that when she’s got experience, she knows she’s been number one, she already won the slams. So that always gives you the relax to know they’re not going to ask her again ‘are you going to win a slam?’ Last year was unbelievable, she had a great season. So, I don’t think Simona is one of those that players like to play against here because they know that she’s very smart, she’s such a great competitor. She fights a lot, she’s more aggressive than she used to be, so she’s solid but at the same time can be aggressive and that’s a big combination.

Do you think Gabrine Muguruza can make a rise through the ranking, working together with Conchita Martinez?
I think it’s going to be a good season for Gabrine yes. I spoke with her a month ago and we had a good chat. She was feeling very focused and very happy to have Conchita on her side. I think Conchita will help her a lot to achieve her goals. And since last year it wasn’t great for her I think this year, once she gets a lot of rhythm in this tournament at the beginning of the year, I think she is going to be in a good mood to do well and I’m really looking forward to it because she’s a very aggressive player, very exciting to see her play. So, it’s going to be a good season for Gabrine and again she knows what it takes to win a slam, what it takes to be number one, and that’s something very important once you want to do it again.

How do you Serena Williams’ prospects of winning a 24th Grand Slam?
Serena is a little bit like Roger, you need to count on her. She can do well and what I saw from social media she’s been doing totally different things, she’s been working hard, she’s been having fun also during the off-season which is very important if you want to improve your game and she did it very well and if she feels healthy and she feels fresh she’s always very difficult to beat. She has an amazing serve, she has a big forehand, big backhand. So, I think Serena this year can be a good season for her if she’s ready for it which I think she is.

Do you think Ash Barty can keep up last season’s form?
I love so much the way she plays, she’s very smart and she mixes up very well the game. She moves well, she plays with a slice, good forehand, she has drop shots. She’s very clever when she plays so I think it’s going to be very good for the Aussie Open. Last year she did play very well but I think this year she’s going to be more ready. She will have experience from last year and hopefully she can deal very well with the pressure. But I think she seems calm, you don’t see her very stressful. When she talks she’s very humble. I really like her.

On the ATP Cup
What’s the general feeling about the new ATP Cup and new format of the Davis Cup?
As far as I know, the ATP Cup is seen a great competition. It’s a very important one, at the start of the year and it’s the perfect combination, players can play in different cities, they can play in different venues, they are already in Australia, they get used to the time and the conditions. I think it’s a great idea. Obviously, they used to have a number of different competitions in Brisbane, Hopman Cup etc, but now they’ve combined and I think it’s spectacular, only positive things. I think the players will be happy because they get to compete for their countries and they can also win some points and at the same time, they can get ready for the big tournament in Melbourne, players will be more prepared than ever.

It also gives an opportunity to the lesser-ranked players to come up against the bigger names in the sport and get used to playing in these types of matches. It’s also good for the guys who are ranked 20-30, because they can see how they match-up against the top players, get in to their rhythm and at the same time, they can experiment in that situation, lose the fear a little bit. Sometimes when you play against a top-10 player, you enter the match nervous, so having this chance to play against them just weeks before the Australian Open, it gives you some confidence. I think this tournament will raise the level of the Tour in general.