Davis Cup: The elite players don’t look down on Zsombor Piros anymore

– Last Thursday, you said you could be 100 percent fit for your first Davis Cup match. Is this plan still realistic?
– I can say for sure that this will be the case – Zsombor Piros, 240^th in the world rankings, toldNemzeti Sportafter his training on Wednesday night. – We made the transition to the new time zone very smoothly. We all got used to fast courts quickly, and we train very well. I felt for the first time on Wednesday that I had reached my 100%. We played one and a half sets with Marci Fucsovics. I had a great time; all the elements of the game are going better than expected. I am confident, and I enjoy tennis. The conditions are good; if there are spectators, there's a stake with it, and if de Minaur is there, it'll boost me even more. I look forward to Friday. I have good memories of this continent. I like fast courts, but de Minaur would have had a lot more chances against me on the slow surface in Turin– of course, he's still the favorite, but he's a little less favored with the surface.

– How is your previous abdominal distention?
– It just occurred to me that it's been fine for a week. Two weeks ago, when I played in Forlì, I felt the pain 5% only, but knock on wood, it doesn't hurt at all at the moment. I have some muscle pain from training, and my right middle finger was inflamed. I peeled the skin, so I felt a lot of pain, my nail bed got inflamed and swollen. Fortunately, our physiotherapists solved the problem, so all is good. I am physically and mentally ready, so I am waiting for the strength tests!

– Can you talk more about the conditions in Sydney?
– The weather is unpleasant, humid, and it's been raining for four days. We haven't even seen the sun yet... We train in a semi-covered arena, and the heat is extraordinary. We all go off the court as if we had taken a shower, especially Peti Fajta. Other than these, everything is very professional, the ATP tournament in Sydney is also held in this stadium. It is another matter that, because of all the sweating, after each point, we wipe our sweatlike Rafael Nadal does...

– Is the rest of the team also in good shape? –Marci's toe used to be taped. He had a complaint, but luckily, hefully recovered now.What I've seenfrom hispractice on Wednesday is that he is insimilarly good shape as he was in Dubai, or maybe he's doing even better. The others, Fábián Marozsán, Máté Valkusz, and Peti Fajta participated in doubles training where it was good to watch them: they hit the serve with pure strength, and they return the ball well. Whichever one of them is going to pair up with Marci, they may be able to surprise the opponents, because doubles is basically made for Australians.

– If all goes according to plan, you'll start the competition with Alex de Minaur on Friday. What do you know about him? –I've been wanting to play against him for a long time. He's got a style similar to mine, so I can assess how I'm compared to the world elite. I love playing in the Davis Cup, probably more than any average tennis player. These moments are worth working for. Marci and I talked about de Minaur being a terribly tough rival: he doesn't get tired, he doesn't make errors,he attacks after his flat backhands, so it's hard to find a grip on him. He's one of the best hard-court players; he's won four 250s on this surface. His serve is a little better and his backhand is much more stable and harder than mine, his volley is better, he moves quite well to the net. However, I have a more massive forehand, and that could be my weapon. Basically, we both move, slide well, and we can reach everything, but I can't win if I go into a 60-stroke rally as my lungs cannot handle that. I have to play risky tennis, with bigger returnsand go up to the net several times, the latter of which I have already incorporated into my game this year and it worked at the challenger tours. We are working on me being able to physically cope with the long matches – I am improving in this area as well. I have to play tennis as I did in Bratislava last year. I have to hit the ball stronger and more flat, which went well during training here in Australia.

–Do expect to play against Alexei Popyrin orThanasi Kokkinakis on Saturday?
–I didn't even think of Popyrin. Kokkinakis is in better shape, but of course, the decision is incaptain Lleyton Hewitt's hand. Thoughit is 90 percent he'll choose him. He has a very strong serve, a hard forehand, but his backhand is a bit like Kyrgios': stable, but he prefers to use it as a shield and hit the ball back with it. His forehand and serve at the ATP 250 tournament in Adelaide worked very well, beating John Isner and Marin Cilic and winning the tournament. I think he's more vulnerable than de Minaur because he hits the ball on his worst days, he's not as stable as his world-class teammate. Fucsó and I have a more likable match against Kokkinakis, but we don't have to bury ourselves against de Minaur either.

– Is there any chance that, like in the match in Turin, you will play doubles?
– I have to say, I just wasn't born for doubles. I did very well with Fábián in Turin, but I hardly practice it. I play doubles in competitions just to practice my returns and serves in action before my first-round singles. If I had to stand there again, I would stand there and fight, I would be able to perform at a medium level, but it is better for the Hungarian team not to put me in doubles. In singles, however, I'm in the best shape now after Marci.For me, this year started better than any other year, so I feel great.

–You defeated both John Millman and MarinČilić in the Davis Cup final in November. Do you have the confidence to defeat any Australian on their home ground?
– Yes, these few victories in Turin helped me a lot, they gave me a huge mental boost. I don't stand on the court anymore as a little boy who is trying so hard. The elite players don't look down on me that much anymore, so I try to use that to my advantage. Although I can't always win, I can't achieve a feat, I expect myself to have a good match every time.

– Do you see any chance of advancing? Can this great feat be realistic?
– I can absolutely see it. I honestly think we have a 30-35 percent chance of winning this match. We're in good shape, so it could happen.

– Does your coach, Sándor Noszály, ever tell you about the Hungarian-Australian clash in 1995?– He used to talk about it a few times. At the time, maybe the surface and the domestic venue increased the chances for our national team. This time we don't even have as many chances as Sasa(SándorNoszály)and the others had 27 years ago. But he always says they didn't have much hope either. He asks us to believe in ourselvesbecause anything is possible; they have just two hands and two legs as well. We've seen the Australians train, there's not a huge difference in pace. If we believe in it, we can win, which would be fantastic after defeating a stronger team.