Pablo Andujar: Local Crowd Understands Tennis

06.06.2019 19:39:54 | Benjamin Hassan of Germany (No. 349th in ATP) was only able to win three games against the third-seeded Pablo Andujar of Spain who is currently the world’s No. 93 in ATP ranking. He has already played the final in Marrakesh, won challengers in Alicante and Marbelle this year. How did Pablo Andujar comment on his advance to the semifinal?

The Spaniard is to meet the top seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the semi-final. What does he expect from the match? “Casper has played wonderful tennis here. He’s an upcoming star and I don’t think we’ll see him in challengers anymore. He’ll definitely be a tough opponent. I’ll play like I’ve played so far: I’ll try to be aggressive and play my game. I hope I’ll get a change to beat him.”

Considering the rather equal-level player field, did he expect he would get so far in the tournament in the beginning? “I didn’t have any expectations. I just go match by match. Every player is different and there’re no easy opponents. As far as the ranking is concerned, we both belong to the semis. However, the ranking doesn’t matter once you get onto the court. I try to focus on every single match, every set, every ball. This is what I’ve been doing all my career.”

How does Pablo Andujar like the tournament so far? “It’s sure very accommodating here. I can tell the local crowd understands tennis. They always try to support those players who need and, as a result, they can feel at home here. There are great players this year and it feels like an ATP 250 tournament rather than a challenger.”