NOVAK DJOKOVIC – ON IF HE FEELS HE IS BECOMING INVINCIBLE AGAIN
I never had an invincibility, although I thank you for the compliment. Nobody is invincible. I never thought of myself as a superior player on the court, even though of course at times I was very confident, I was winning a lot of matches.
But, you know, knowing how it feels on the court, if you get overconfident, that's why I don't want to get into that kind of state of mind. I still want to put myself in a position where I'm quite even to other players, fight for this trophy as anybody else, even though I'm defending champion.
The fact that I've done so well in Melbourne Park the last 10 years of my career basically, it's been the most successful Grand Slam that I've had, of course gives me a lot of thrill, a lot of confidence and excitement to approach it.
SERENA WILLIAMS – ON HOW MUCH SHE WILL PLAY THIS YEAR
I definitely don't want to play a lot, but I don't think I've played a ton throughout the past. I've played a lot. I've always been super consistent the past five, six years. I definitely want to play probably around... Maybe not as many events.
If I can keep my consistency, that's all.
I think actually last year's schedule would be perfect for me. But I was injured a lot last year, especially after Wimbledon. My year basically ended after that, so... If I could have played the tournaments that I would have played, I think that would have an ideal, perfect schedule for me.
ROGER FEDERER – ON HANDLING FOUR OR FIVE SETTERS
I guess it's slightly the unknown. You could then argue that it's the same for everybody. We don't play four-setters, five-setters every single week. You only play them in Davis Cup now and in Grand Slam play. I went through a year where I didn't play any five-setters, an entire year.
You could think that's a good thing for longevity, but it's not a good thing because you don't know how it feels to play a five-setter anymore. Yeah, a lot of guys haven't played four-setters or five-setters in a long time, or never in their life. From that standpoint, I don't feel like it's a huge advantage or disadvantage for them.
I trained as hard as I possibly could, so I will be ready for it. I did numerous sessions where I trained over two and a half, three hours. I feel I'm ready.
But, like I said, it is the unknown. It's the part that I can only once I've been there.
ANGIE KERBER – ON EXPECTATIONS
To be honest, I think it's the same feeling than when I won the Australian Open last year and I came to Paris and everything was new. Now that it's just I'm the No. 1. It's new as well, but I think the same situation.
For me, I'm expecting the same what I was expecting the years before from me: going out there, trying my best, fighting till the last point. This is always how I'm playing, how I am. This will be not changing because this is why I'm here. This is what I'm expecting from me: just going out there and trying playing good because I know that I'm ready, I had a great pre-season, and this is for me everything what counts right now.
STAN WAWRINKA – RETURNING AS MOST RECENT MAJOR WINNER
I'm happy to be back, like every player probably. I think I'm work well in the off-season. Started well in Brisbane. I think my level is there. I'm ready to start the tournament. Excited to start the first Grand Slam of the year, first one against Klizan, a tough player that I played only a few years ago, but is a really dangerous player.
GARBINE MUGURUZA – ON CHALLENGES OF PLAYING THE AUSSIE OPEN
I usually fight with the heat. I mean, I think not only me, everybody fights against the heat. Sometimes is very tough. I know when you play in the beautiful centre courts, there's air-conditioning. But we all started in the outside courts, you know, where you have to fight. It's 40 degrees. You're exhausted.
So I think that's the most harder. But I think there's a lot of good things here. I think I feel when I come to Australia there is like a tennis month. It's like crazy. I'm okay, tennis month. I put the TV, everybody is watching tennis. The fans, they're so involved in this month because of the tennis.
ANDY MURRAY – ON IF HE HAS TO WORK HARDER BEING NO.1
I hope not. I hope not. Well, yeah, I mean, I do think it is a mindset thing, because I think it could be quite easy that once you get to No. 1 that you think, Well, actually, I just need to keep doing what I doing.
The reality is, in sport, that things obviously keep moving on, the game will get better, I'll obviously get older, the young guys will continue to improve, and also Novak and Roger and Stan and Rafa and all the guys at the top are still going to be wanting to get there. So that's why having someone like Ivan on my team who has been in that position before and knows what that's like has been important. I need to continue to improve. I for sure need to keep working hard.
I don't think necessarily working harder than I have in the past, but just having the mindset I need to keep getting better and try to improve my game. Any weaknesses that are in my game, to try to get rid of them.
So, yeah, that's how I feel about it.
NICK KYRGIOS – ON IF HE IS A DIFFERENT PLAYER THIS YEAR
Yeah. I feel like last year I was an established top-hundred player. I hadn't beat top guys on a consistent basis. I feel like now I know what I can do on the court. Last year I was pretty consistent throughout the year. Won three titles. Got to 13. I feel more comfortable on the court. I know what my game is, I know how to play it. I know I can beat anyone on the day.
