Interviewers - black
Goran - sage.
Goran, before we get to tennis: you are very smart with your military haircut these days. Why do you have to have the thing around your head?
I don't know. Just, I start to play with the contact lenses, so that's why; it keeps sweat coming to my eyes too much.
I see. It's not a fashion statement or anything?
No, no. Just, I try it and it's better, you know. If I don't have it, it's too much sweating. All this is keeping me more open. I can see better.
Goran, we lost Andre before the tournament started with an injury; other people are dropping out with injuries. How are you managing to keep going with your serious problem?
I have a problem with my shoulder. It's not good, you know. It hurts, but I mean I'm playing till I feel like I cannot play any more, you know. So I had a tough match today, three hours, and in the beginning was very, very sore, very slow. But after was getting better, so I can't - when I start to play I don't complain any more, you know. I finish the match, doesn't matter how, and hopefully is going to survive, you know.
In Auckland I think you said that the problem is one day you can send down 30 aces and the next day it's really sore. Well, you served 30 aces today; so what does that mean for you?
That means tomorrow is going to be sore, but tomorrow I don't play, which is good, so it gives me - tomorrow I am just going to have a little hit, half an hour hit, couple of serves, and because serve is working fine, and then Wednesday is going to be okay, hopefully, because Wednesday I have to serve very good if I want to beat Golmard.
Are you almost helped by having something that ails you, because you can have lapses? If you have a bit of adversity, does that almost help you in a way to focus?
Like what do you mean? In which way?
Well, having something that makes you very much focus on the match, if you have an injury, do you actually respond well to that?
No, I don't think. As soon as I step on the court I know it's sore. It cannot be not sore, you know. I know it is already - I decide not to have surgery, so I know I'm going to struggle this year. But as soon as I step on the court I just try to play tennis and don't find excuses I lost because my arm was sore, and all of this. You know, I just lost because I lost.
Goran, can you remember what you were doing on Day 1 proper of the Australian Open last year? Were you flying home or were you already home?
I was long time home on Day 1. It was Monday so - I left Friday; I was home Saturday.
So you were in Split?
I was actually in Zagreb - yes, I was actually in Zagreb preparing for a Challenger. And I make big progress, you know. last year first of all I play on Court 15, which I didn't find for ten minutes, I was looking for. It was the furthest court you can imagine. It is no more and is - you go on the railway station, so it's no, nothing there. And this year, you know, progress: I play on Centre Court. It's huge, so next year maybe on MCG I'm going to play. I don't know. It's nice, you know.
Goran, do you keep on pinching yourself about everything we talk when we come to the stands, and after Wimbledon it's still so good, it's still feeling so good. Are you still able to take so much from it?
It's great, a great feeling, you know, still a great feeling, you know. Still find, you know, probably after - it gives me more confident I could maybe win this match which I won today if I win Wimbledon, if I get back into the track of winning and playing good tennis, you know.
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Source: ausopen.org