Marcos was involved in a thrilling first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday night, edging Spain’s Albert Ramos 6-7(0), 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in four hours and 15 minutes. It gave him a 9-1 record in five-set matches at the Australian Open, but Marcos joked he would welcome some easier contests.
"I like [the five-set matches in Melbourne], but actually I'm fed up of them!" he laughed. "[The atmosphere is] nice, it's lovely, but it's tough to start with a match like that. Physically I gave a lot; it was a really tough match. I think the most important thing is to save energy in the early rounds and I didn't. I spent a lot of energy on the court and I was very lucky to win.”
Reflecting on the match itself, Marcos credited his opponent for a fearsome forehand that caused him no end of trouble. “I was surprised from Ramos,” admitted Marcos. “I thought he was more of a clay-court player, more defensive, and playing on the baseline.
“I started defensively and from there it's difficult to change back to aggressive play. He was very aggressive, hitting great forehands. I was running all over court. It’s tough to feel balls and get back to be aggressive on the court. The conditions were difficult. It was cold and the balls were much, much slower than during the day. I hadn’t practised yet at night, so it was a very tough match.”
Marcos goes onto face Japan’s Tatsuma Ito, who was also involved in a five-set match as he defeated Australia’s John Millman. Marcos has never played the No. 84-ranked Ito before, but is aware of the 5’11” right-hander’s quality.
“He can play really well. He’s a good player. He plays well from the baseline, hits the ball flat, tries to play fast. If I feel fit and good, I must play more aggressively than in my first match.”
To read more about the recent rise in Japanese tennis, check out this article in DEUCE Magazine.
The match is scheduled for third on Hisense Arena, with play beginning at 11am local time (GMT +11hrs). Live streaming is available in some territories via this link.
Check out the full schedule here.
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Go, Marcos!
