You designed a signature performance shoe with Lacoste – the AG-LT21 Ultra. Can you tell us about it?
We worked really closely together and tried to make the best shoe possible, and it’s really amazing to be honest. It’s all about how fast you can be on the court and winning those matches!
Do you feel in a way that you channel Lacoste founder Rene Lacoste?
Totally, but it’s also not for me to decide. I feel like I have a great connection with the entire Lacoste family and I’m really proud to be a part of it.
What an amazing year 2021 has been for you. The Australian Open finals, you just won in Marseilles and now you are #2 in the world. Can you describe how you feel in this moment?
Thank you it’s a huge achievement first of all… even winning a grand slam is not enough to climb up the rankings anymore. I managed to do it and achieved some great results. Im really happy about it. I played some great monsters: Rafa, Roger. They are just unbelievable and I am always looking forward. When you achieve something you never had before, you just want to keep going and not stop – I just want to see my limits.
You broke through and made a name for yourself as a maverick underdog disruptor. How would you like to be seen now?
To be honest I never really thought about how I like to be seen. I just try to be myself. The higher you go, especially as you can see with the big three, do you have people who love you, people who admire you, who adore you and who can’t live without you. But you also have haters. It’s just normal. I just want to be myself and let the people decide. If someone thinks I am boring or if my style is boring; I can’t change for those people. I’ll just let those people decide.