Two days out from the Australian Open main draw, and it was a day of press conferences at Melbourne Park.
Some of the world's best players were answering questions on topics from pre-season, on-court coaching, doping, and everything in between.
Nick Kyrgios says his body is feeling ok at the moment.
"This morning, [I] was out there feeling pretty good. I'm actually hitting again this afternoon to test it out a little bit and see how it feels," he said.
He also wasn’t afraid to admit that he thinks he brings plenty to the tour.
"Every time I step out on court, I don't know if I'm going to be super controversial in a good or bad way," said Kyrgios.
"Throughout my career, it hasn't always been good, but it's added a lot of excitement to the game. I think it's important. There are so many good players on the tour now. I think there's not so many contrasting personalities…. I think it's good to be back. I think it's important. I think the sport was getting a bit mundane."
Kyrgios however, wasn’t too keen to elaborate on his comments around Jannik Sinner, and the Italian was also playing a straight bat when pressed on how he blocks out the noise.
"In my mind, I know exactly what happened, and that's how I block it," Sinner explained.
"I haven't done anything wrong. That's why I'm still here. That's why I'm still playing. I don't want to respond on what Nick said or what other players say.
"I think the most important part is to have my people around me who I can trust, people [who] exactly know what happened. That's it."
The current Australian Open champion did elaborate a little more on what he’s been working on in the off-season though.
"On every shot slightly small, small changes…. trying to mix up the game a little bit more, trying to move forward a little bit. Service motion slightly different. Even if from outside you cannot see these changes, as a player you realise it."
Iga Świątek also had to field questions about her own doping scandal, which she discussed in some detail.
"I was the one that was the most surprised," she said.
"[The] first three weeks, I would say, were pretty chaotic. There was no way to have any answers to the questions. We just focused on finding the source.
"But I got to say, for sure it wasn't easy. It was probably the worst time in my life. And the fact that I had no control over this whole situation and I had no chance to avoid it, made it even worse because I'm a control freak a little bit.
"Just having the feeling that everything that I kind of built can be taken away so quickly because of something you have no control over, it was pretty crazy for me and really abstract.
"I'm happy that I'm kind of done with it and I can play tennis and be here. I had no idea that this can even happen to me."
The women’s defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, was asked about her mindset change after winning her first Slam.
"I think mindset changed a lot. Approach to the Slams is different. Priorities are different. I would say that mentally I changed a lot. I have that understanding that, 'Okay, I got it, I know how to do that. I know how to separate on-court and off-court life'. Before an extra day off would be too much for me because I would overthink the upcoming match," she said.
"Nowadays, I really play my match, I do my best, and I try to forget about tennis. The next day I just have my hit. The rest of the day I try to go for a good dinner, relax, not really thinking about tennis."
There was also discussion about late-night matches at Melbourne Park, with Daniil Medvedev asked about it following last year’s early morning finishes.
"I probably like to play more at night than in the morning…. I'm okay to play second after 7:00," the three-time Australian Open finalist confessed.
"Personally, I think the night session should start at 6:00 so we don't have this problem. Then I would not finish at 3:30 but 2:30, and it's a big difference. It's okay. I don't want to request. I don't want to play at 11:00. I would rather play at night."
Coco Gauff was also asked about the night session.
"I love night because [of] the energy of the crowd. I mean, I love day 'cause I feel like I can handle the heat just being from Florida," the 2023 US Open winner said.
"Obviously no one likes to play after the men the second night match. You never know how long they're going to go. I prefer not that. If I have to be up late, I'm ready…. I like the nighttime."
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Last year’s finalist Qinwen Zheng discussed how she can improve and go one step further than last year.
"I am a boss in my team, I think I am a tough boss for them. I've been pushing everyone. I always feel like my practice is not good enough. I always feel there is something I could do better," she said.
"I need to have this mentality to be a better player. I'm right now top-five, but still far away from my goal."
Discussing recent injuries, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu have confirmed they will be ready to play round-one.
Osaka commented: "I mean, the MRI, it wasn't fantastic but it wasn't bad at the same time. So saying all that, I'm pretty optimistic about playing my match. I mean, for sure I'm going to play my match.
"I've been practicing pretty well for the two days that I've been here, so... seems to be going good."
While Raducanu was even more confident.
"Now I'm feeling good, and I feel like I can give it my best here, do the good training and continue with that," the former world No.10 explained. "I've been putting in really good work. This week, I've been playing sets with top players. I'm feeling like I'm holding my own more than okay in those instances and practices."
Last year's semi-finalist Alexander Zverev appears full of confidence, as he tries to claim his maiden Grand Slam title.
"I want to win the tournament. That's how my mindset is," an honest Zverev said.
He was also pressed on his thoughts around the on-court coaching rule.
"At the beginning, I was not a big fan of that rule. I always thought tennis is an individual sport where you kind of have to figure things out on your own in a way. That was always something that I believed in," he said.
Zverev’s press conference had a special guest, as Novak Djokovic decided to drop by and take a journalistic role, asking Zverev about his fascination with the universe, and whether he thinks the answer to winning a Slam lies in space.
"I think the answer [to] winning a Grand Slam is you letting me win one," Zverev replied.
For his part, Djokovic was also asked about the coaching situation.
"I think it's great that [the] Australian Open introduced the coaching box on the court at the same level in the corner. I think it's great. That's where Andy [Murray] and the coaching staff will sit. I'm excited," he said.
Australia’s No.1 player, Alex de Minaur, opened up about handling the pressure of a home Slam.
"My job is to walk on court and do my best to win tennis matches essentially. I still have the same prep. Nothing really changes," he said.
"There's always going to be a lot of outside noise, but I'm very fortunate that I have a great team around me that we can kind of focus on our own little bubble. We've got kind of this tunnel vision going into these types of tournaments, Slams."
Compatriot Jordan Thompson spoke up about de Minaur’s chances of winning the title.
"He's constantly improving. He works so hard. He's very professional," the Australian Open No.27 seed said.
"Guys in the locker room know it's going to take a big effort for them to beat him. His movement is unreal. I said at the US Open when I lost to him that he doesn't really have a weakness. It is really hard to hurt him on the court because of his speed."
While Australia’s other seeded male, Alexei Popyrin, gushed about playing in front of a home crowd.
"For me, nothing beats playing in front of a home crowd, especially out on John Cain Arena. That's the epitome of tennis there — and a home crowd. That's as loud as [a] home crowd can get," he said.
"I experienced that against [Taylor] Fritz a few years ago. That was just unbelievable. It's probably still to date the best memory and interaction I've had with the crowd. That is definitely what brings the best out of me, is trying to put on a show for the home crowd."
While Taylor Fritz answered the big question in tennis at the moment… What’s going on with the 'cold' handshakes post-match lately?
"To be honest, I think everyone looks good shaking hands when you're the winner. Everyone is graceful when they win," the American said.
"I think it says the most about people of how they react in a loss. I think that's when you get to see the most about people."
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