On Friday, the Wimbledon junior champion - Ivan Ivanov, was awarded the Athlete No. 1 award for July. He spoke to the media at a press conference organized by the Bulgaria Press Club. The young tennis player has the same award in 2022, but then he never managed to receive it in person. He is the youngest athlete to win the prestigious press club poll.
Ivanov shared his goals for the foreseeable future and spoke again about his relationship with Rafael Nadal after preparing at the Matadora academy:
"The calendar is more loaded with more tournaments and we are moving to the men's. This is one of the hardest steps in tennis - moving from junior to men's tennis. It takes a lot of discipline and character.
I feel good. At the academy, we are building my physical abilities so that I feel even better on the court.
My elimination from the tournament in Sofia in the first round is a lesson that I can take for the next tournaments. There is still a lot to learn about men's tennis.
His last Grand Slam tournament will be the US Open, after which we will focus on men's tennis. I am impressed that Alexander and I played in the semifinals. I hope that we will repeat the ranking in the US. My goal is to feel my game even better.
Tactics are important, but with men it is different. It can the opponent controls the game, maybe the tactics will do a different job… If I step up the training, I think the results will be better.
Rafa has stopped training a long time ago and it's a joke that we will play… During my short week in Mallorca, we managed to see each other. His attitude – he congratulated me, the result is good and that can motivate you, but you shouldn't relax.
There is no right answer how long it will take me to break through in the men's. I hope that in a year or less I will be able to play comfortably and feel better.
I have trained with big tennis stars and it is a great privilege if you have the same manager. Playing with one of them is a big lesson, as well as having Rafa Nadal close to you – it is a good lesson.
There is anxiety when you play for Bulgaria. The tension comes from expectations. I hope this will be motivation and I will win the Davis Cup. |BGNES