03.06.2013 20:45:13 | The German Florian Mayer defends his title at the UniCredit Czech Open, he beat Jan Hájek in the finals last year, this year he won over Jimmy Wang from Taiwan. He came to Prostějov after an annulled first round match at French Open. "I had suffered an injury during a match against Murray in Madrid and French Open was too early. I, however, wanted to try and see if I can manage. In the end, I was worried that I get injured again, therefore I scratched the match after three sets. It is getting better since then, though, and I feel stronger each day. Today I feel almost hundred per cent."
What was the first big match like after your injury? "It was cold all day, the clay was soaked with water, slippery, and I was slightly nervous about the match because of my recent injury. It was basically my first real match since my injury and in my opinion it was a good start of the tournament. As for the match, I must say that my opponent made it a little bit easy for me. My impression was that he was not feeling very well. The match was therefore relatively easy for me; I also had a good serve, that makes everything much easier."
Is it difficult for the first-seeded player to concentrate on a match against a player ranking 149 on the ATP ranking list? "Today, everybody can play tennis, it is more in the head. To play against a player who has nothing to lose, is sometimes very hard which was the case today."
You are last year's winner, how do you feel about defending the title? I want to achieve the best possible result and stay in the tournament as long as possible with regard to my injury. It is, however, a very good quality tournament with many top opponents. From the local Hájek, Štěpánek, Rosol through to Montanes, Garcia-Lopez and Ramos and I could continue further. They also have high motivation to win the tournament and the path to a complete victory is very difficult."
The complete victory means five matches in six days. Are you afraid that you will renew your injury? "I believe it will be OK. It was very important for me that I played the first round today; that will give me all of tomorrow for regeneration and training. I did not have much time for training during the past few weeks due to an injury and weather in Munich."
You are here for the third time. How do you feel about the courts and what do you think of the quality of the tournament? "The competition is very tough, as usual, all players put a lot of effort in the game. I also play the extra league here in Prostějov, I feel very well in this club."
