Pablo Andujar

Spaniard Pablo Andujar won his first ATP World Tour title at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca after posting a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win over Italian Potito Starace in the final. ATPWorldTour.com caught up with the newly crowned champion after the trophy presentation.

How does it feel to be holding your first ATP World Tour trophy? As a young player growing up, did you dream of a moment like this?
Of course I dreamt it. It was an amazing feeling in the court when I make the last point, the last of this match. Of course I dreamt it, but I felt it could be possible after my first defeat in [the] Bucharest [final] last year. But when I came here, I didn’t think I could win the tournament. I was feeling an unbelievable sensation like I cannot describe.

Did you think you would have won your first ATP title a bit earlier in your career?
No. It was a big experience for me to play [Juan Ignacio] Chela last year in the final. That made me mature a little bit. Today, in the final, I felt I could win and I had plenty of confidence in me and that made the difference. I think every player matures at a different age, so this was my age.

Did you feel different this time than you felt in Bucharest? Did you learn something from that experience?
Of course. I tried to be more calm every point. I took the match as a normal match, as a first round match, and that made me feel better. Although I had those normal nerves before the match and also during the match, I tried after my experience in Bucharest to manage better my feelings.

There have been so many great Spanish winners over the years on the ATP World Tour. How do you feel now that you are part of that group?
It’s really unbelievable for me. It’s very, very important for me to be one of those big Spanish players. I really don’t have words to describe what I feel right now to be one of those, and it’s unbelievable. For me, I didn’t think I could. Of course before here I felt I could win, but now that I’ve finished the match and I won the tournament, it’s really amazing for me.

You only lost one set on the way to the final. You defeated top-seeded Albert Montanes in the semi-finals. Did that give you extra confidence for today?
Of course. Montanes is a player I have a lot of respect for, because he’s 22 or 24 in the world. He’s a very good tennis player on clay courts, but I felt like I could beat him although he beat me twice or three times before this tournament. It was a very difficult match for me because I didn’t beat him before. It changed a little bit my mind to make the final.

What were you happy most with your game this week?
I think I was aggressive. I took the responsibility on the important points and I think that made me grow a little bit as a tennis player.

So far you made your best results on clay. What do you have to do to show better results on other surfaces?
It was a big surprise for me beating [Fernando] Verdasco, winning as well [against Bernard] Tomic was a big [win] on hard court. After playing there in Miami made me think to have a little bit more confidence in myself on hard court. Everybody told me I could play good, I could play great tennis on hard court, but I didn’t have the confidence in myself to make it happen. And I think after Miami, I hope I will improve my game and I will beat players on hard court.

Did that make a difference for you, getting on clay? You were really aggressive, coming to the net, attacking.
I think improving the game on hard court makes you improve the game as well on clay court. It gives you lots of things that maybe can make the difference in the match against such a solid player as Starace or Montanes.

What do you consider the best part of your game?
I think I’m solid. I have a solid game. I can come to the net. I try to be physically and mentally very, very focused and very good at it and try to imitate a little bit David Ferrer.

Last year you finished in the Top 100 for the first time at No. 71 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. Now with your first title what are some of the goals you set yourself?
Well, I don’t fix goal. I always try to make my game improve every practice and every match. I cannot fix a goal. I try to improve my game and listen to better players. We will see the finish at the end of this year, and then we will try to fix a goal.

Who influenced you to help you get where you are now?
For me it was a whole thing. It was a mix. My parents, my coaches, my situation and my [mentality]. I think I try to make the big step to be a better player with my new coach Jose Luis Aparisi, who’s got a lot of experience and I really have faith in what he says. He is a very important person for me.

Spain’s Pablo Andujar captured his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Grand Prix Hassan II with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Italian Potito Starace.

One day after knocking out top seed Albert Montanes, the 69th-ranked Andujar capitalised on four of eight break points and saved the two faced on serve to defeat Starace for the first time in three tour-level meetings.

“I was very confident before the match,” said Andujar. “I thought about winning and yesterday’s win gave me a lot of confidence. I played in a way that made him tired, being very aggressive and making him run a lot.”

Andujar was contesting his second ATP World Tour final, last year reaching this stage at the clay court tournament in Bucharest (l. to Chela), and takes home € 72,600 and 250 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points with his victory. “It wasn’t easy. I didn’t expect this title and it comes as a surprise for me,” he admitted.

The 25 year old has now won seven of his past eight matches to improve his season record to 10-7. Andujar recently posted his first Top 10 victory, defeating World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco in the second round of the Sony Ericson Open in Miami.

“Casablanca was a great preparation for me,” said Andujar. “The conditions are close to the ones in Europe and it’s only a two-hour flight from Valencia. This is a very good tournament to start the clay season.”

World No. 69 Pablo Andujar upset top seed and fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II 2011, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Casablanca, Morocco. Andujar advanced to his second ATP World Tour final (Bucharest 2010) with his ninth match win of the year, claiming his first win in three career meetings with World No. 24 Montanes, who reached the Casablanca final in 2007.

Both players struggled to hold serve, with Adujar facing 16 break points (saving 13) throughout the match, with Montanes conceding five of 13 break chances on his serve.

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Andujar, who is just two places below his career-high mark of No. 67 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, will play fifth-seeded Italian Potito Starace, who defeated eighth-seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-6(2).

"I played very well today. It was a difficult match since he knows exactly how to play against me," Andujar said.

About playing Starace in the final, Andujar said, "He is a great player who loves clay. It will be a hard match since I have never won against him. I went match by match during the whole week without ever thinking about the final. I have nothing to lose and I'm looking forward to the final."

Andujar won an all-Spanish contest against Pere Riba 6-2, 6-2 in 75 minutes. Andujar dropped 13 points on serve to improve to an 8-7 match record on the season. The 25 year old reached his first ATP World Tour singles final at the BCR Open Romania (l. to Chela) in September 2010.

Spaniard Pablo Andujar won his fourth clay-court match of the year on Monday after he beat 2009 runner-up Florent Serra 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 at the 27th edition of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca. Andujar hit three aces and converted five of eight break point opportunities for victory in 91 minutes. Frenchman Serra dropped to a 3-8 season record.

World No. 69 Andujar reached the Brasil Open quarter-finals at Costa do Sauipe (l. to R. Mello) in February. At his last ATP World Tour tournament, the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, he beat World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco en route to the third round (l. to Anderson).