Evgeny Tiurnev: “It’s all in my head”

– Last year you made your debut at the St. Petersburg Open thanks to a wild card, this time around you made it to the finals of qualifications. So you play here at this tournament for the second time. Is there any difference emotionally between being on the court then and now?

– Sure. This time I got in a better shape before the tournament. I lost 10 kilograms of extra weight. And now I’m moving much better on the court. I stick to a certain diet. Also I was doing more cardio training, but mostly running.

– After last year’s loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber, you said that you wanted to win too much and that was your biggest mistake. Have you been working precisely on controlling your emotions ever since?

– Obviously, when you feel better physically, you are for sure much better prepared emotionally. Of course, when you have enough stamina, it is mentally easier to play a match. But today I believe it turned out not a very successful one for me.

– What went wrong in your opinion? Any tactical mistakes? It was clear you could read the game of your opponent. Many times Ivashka couldn’t deal with your serves.

– I still think it is all in my head. This is the reason for today’s loss.