Khachanov smiles again: "If you believe in yourself, everything can change"

Karen Khachanov achieved one of the toughest and most important victories of his career early this morning after coming back against Learner Tien and reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open after several months away from his best level. This result is a breath of fresh air for his aspirations and to get closer to the top of the ranking, something he analyzed after his victory.

Not long ago, the Russian tennis player was in the top 10, and in 2022 he achieved his best result in a Grand Slam at this very venue by reaching the semifinals. However, by 2026 he had dropped in the ranking, falling out of the top 50, although this result in New York will allow him to at least be the number 36 in the world. He spoke about this in a press conference and about the importance of continuing to believe in oneself no matter how things go for a while.

Khachanov talks about his incredible comeback against Tien

It was incredible, an incredible match overall in terms of physical and mental level. We pushed ourselves to the limit, let's say. Yes, I'm very happy to have progressed. Above all, I had some tough losses in five-set matches, so this one feels very special.

Key to the victory and what he told Tien at the net

We played against each other for the first time. In fact, we practiced together this week after our first-round matches, the first time we had to train together. The difference, in the end, is minimal, obviously. It’s always a gamble, where you risk more, or decide to play more cautiously and force the other to make mistakes. It’s always an unknown. I'm very happy I varied a lot. I tried to dominate from the start. I took risks. I aimed to play aggressively in my way. 

I believe that from my perspective, that was the difference towards the end of the match. I went for it more, let's say. But, of course, tennis is always against an opponent, so maybe he did something different or could have done better. Who knows? At the net, I simply told him it had been a great battle. He's a great competitor, a great athlete, and I wish him the best of luck in the upcoming tournaments. That’s what I told him.

What he likes about Tien's game

He's a guy with a lot of talent. He resisted many shots. We had that intensity throughout the match. Maybe in the fourth set, I felt he slowed down a bit, which is why I think I took it a bit easier. But, in all the sets, in every point, if you don't make the first serve or if the serve doesn't help, you have to play with precision to move him, push him, come to the net, fall back. There were many incredible rallies, which, in fact, I lost. 

Even though I lost them, I was upset, but at the same time, I enjoyed it, because I made the right play, but he just played better. He outperformed me several times. Incredible how he ran all over the court, returning extra balls. So yes, he has great potential, of course.

Khachanov reveals the importance of this result after a difficult phase in his career

Obviously, I’m here in the quarterfinals. What can I say? I think before the tournament I mentioned that it had been a somewhat complicated year because for all these years I have been consistently solid, you know, being among the top 10, getting into the top 10, being among the top 15, among the top 20 for a consistent period. Yes, there were some doubts. There were more ups and downs this season. 

But look, this is the beauty of tennis: if you put yourself in a good perspective, you believe in yourself. Everything can change in a week. You have to be ready for that. Obviously, it’s not a miracle. I worked to achieve it. I earned it, so that’s why I’m so happy to be playing another Grand Slam, let’s say, in later stages.

Next match against Blockx

We’ve already trained here twice. We haven’t played an official match. He is also young,
a promising player, having his best season so far. He is also on the rise. He has solid game with a powerful serve and consistent baseline play. I think he risks a little more, meaning he pushes harder with his forehand, tries to play aggressively whenever he can, and is in good physical shape. So yes, I think he’s a tough competitor, a difficult rival. He has had great victories in this Grand Slam and reached the quarterfinals for the first time. He’s a really nice guy off the court. We always support each other, so it will be an interesting match.

Mental boost to reverse his situation

No, it's definitely about building. Look, as I already mentioned, sometimes it's a matter of time, of a click. That’s where you win, and then you start to build shape, momentum, confidence, dynamics. So everything is connected, let's say. Everything is up in the air. You have to do it. You have to build it, you know? So it doesn’t just come out of nowhere. Well, it's not like I played incredibly poorly in all tournaments. So I’m just saying that, in my terms, at my level, let's say it was worse than before. But at the same time, there was a lot of room for improvement. That’s what I am trying to do.

Expectations for the rest of the tournament

Okay, you always think further ahead. Obviously, the further you advance, the more is at stake . The desire is greater. The will is stronger. At the same time, you can’t think too much about the future. First, you have to think about your next opponent. You can’t skip steps. So, without a doubt, you understand the moment. You appreciate the moment. You enjoy being out there on the court, winning those battles, those big rivals, those tough matches.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Khachanov vuelve a sonreír: "Si crees en ti mismo, todo puede cambiar"