This week on the ATP Tennis Podcast...

FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO ON HIS AMBITIONS – “The first thing I put on myself is to try to do as well as last year, to maintain Top 40, Top 30, but if I can say something I would like to reach The top 20 and reach the second week of a Grand Slam.”

BRAD STINE ON TOMMY PAUL’S RUN TO THE 2023 AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEMI-FINALS – “He did have a bit of a good draw. I want to see Tommy continue to beat the top guys, to get through and to make it to a semi with a draw that’s a tough draw. It was extremely satisfying, I don’t want to take anything away from it, but I do think we have to keep progressing and getting better so hopefully we can keep making firsts and they become the norm, not the firsts.”

BEN SHELTON ON HIS GAME STYLE – “It’s really important that I play an aggressive game style and find my way to net, incorporate the serve and volley, so that’s been something I’ve been focussing on and combine that with footwork and my return of serve and I would say they are the three areas I’m focussing on.”

ANDREY RUBLEV ON HIS BURNING DESIRE TO WIN – “It comes naturally since I was a kid, I always hated to lose no matter what I was doing, but now it is only with tennis, with the rest I don’t care, sometimes I lose on purpose to make others happy, but with tennis I still hate to lose.”

JUNCHENG SHANG ON WORKING WITH KEI NISHIKORI’S FORMER COACH DANTE BOTTINI – “He’s brought a lot of positive thinking. I’m a positive guy outside of the court but sometimes a little negative thinking about the bad side of my tennis, so he’s taught me how to think positive after each point, even when I’m down and not playing good.”

BJORN BORG ON NOVAK DJOKOVIC – “Novak I think he might win one or two more Grand Slam tournaments, who knows, but what he is doing for tennis in general is unbelievable. He’s still pushing the limits, he wants to be the greatest, win more tournaments and break all the records in tennis history, he’s a fantastic player.”

BJORN BORG ON HIS SON LEO – “I was hoping he’d pick another sport and he started to play soccer, but then he wanted to play tennis so whatever he wants to do. He’s playing tennis, he loves tennis, he has a big heart for tennis, he’s motivated, he’s nineteen so he has many more years. Sometimes I go to my son and I say to him that he can ask me if he has any questions about tennis and my son says I don’t know anything about tennis, so thank you very much!”

PLUS CASPER RUUD ANSWERS FANS QUESTIONS, COURTESY OF ATP UNCOVERED

- Podcast presented by Seb Lauzier
- Interviews by Ursin Caderas, Mike Cation, Nick McCarvel and Seb Lauzier
- Ruud feature by ATP Uncovered