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THE MODERATOR: Sascha, welcome back to Shanghai. You had a bit of a setback in not playing in Beijing, can you update us on how you're feeling ahead of the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I had a bit of a lung issue. I have an inflammation in my lung that's going to take a few months, it's going to take about two, three months to be completely gone. So, taking medication, but why I pulled out of Beijing was, I was quite sick, I had quite high fever during the Laver Cup and after the Laver Cup. I ended up in hospital. I didn't feel great, and also just didn't have the energy to play. I was on antibiotics for a week. I feel better now, but, of course, the issue with my lung is not gone, it's still there. I still have a feeling of maybe being a bit more tired than I'm used to, but it's either I'm going to take the whole season off now or I'm going to play the way I can play. It's nothing that will delay the recovery or will make it worse if I play, that's what the doctor said, and that's why I'm here, and I'm happy to give my 100 percent of what I have.
Q. Given you have had those health problems that you just described, it's been an incredible season for you, how do you sum it up, generally? ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I feel like my season was a bit in patches. I've had great moments, I've had very stable moments I think throughout the beginning of the season. You know, then, of course, the clay court season for me was great, winning Rome, making the finals of the French Open, of course a very bitter end to the end of the French Open, but that's how it goes. I felt I was playing the best tennis of my life on grass court this year during Wimbledon until I got hurt. I feel like after the Olympics maybe my level dropped a little bit, but again, I was physically struggling, I was not healthy. I didn't know what it was. I had a very bad cough for about two and a half months, which nobody knew where it came from, and now at least we have answers. We know what it was, we know where it came from, so I'm happy about that. I definitely had a little bit of a drop off in level after the Olympics maybe a little bit, so I'm hoping I can get back to top form again.
Q. How do you feel the weather and environment is in Shanghai? ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Oh, it's nice. It's a great tournament. I think the organization's doing everything they can to make the players feel extremely warm, extremely welcome. They're improving the site constantly, especially the players' area. The restaurant is amazing now. They improved the gym a lot since last year. They did a little bit of a mini-golf course outside, which is quite nice for us players as entertainment. So, yeah, there's nothing at all to complain about.
Q. You are a former finalist here. What is it about this tournament that brings out your best? ALEXANDER ZVEREV: It's actually changed a lot. When I played the finals here, what was it, five years ago, something like that? It seems like yesterday, but it was five years ago already. It was probably one of the fastest tournaments that we had. The courts were extremely fast. The balls were extremely fast. I feel like that has changed. The court has slowed down a little bit, but the biggest change are the balls. We're playing with these Wilson balls, which are a bit of a strange tennis ball in a way, because they feel a bit dead, to be honest. They feel like there's not much going on there. They don't get big, but they just feel like there's no air inside of them. I struggle with those tennis balls a little bit. I struggled with them at the US Open, I struggle with them here, but we'll see, I'll have to adjust and have to find a way.
Q. You obviously spent time on the tour through your family before you were actually playing tennis yourself. Did you come to Shanghai as part of that experience when you were younger? ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, I had never been to China before I played myself. First time I came to China was 2015, so before that I had never been, actually.
Q. And do you enjoy the city in particular? Do you get a chance to go out? ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, Shanghai I feel like is a very untypical Chinese city. I think it's very international. It's quite touristic as well. It's nice to see, it's nice to be here. It's just a very modern and very nice place to be, I think.
Q. Obviously you have some health concerns, but do you have any sort of late-season goals at this point? ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, for me personally it would be great especially to finish the year No. 2 in the world. I think the No. 1 spot is gone to Jannik, he made sure about it during the US Open. I think before the US Open it was quite open between Jannik, Carlos, and myself. So, yeah, I think finishing in the No. 2 spot and starting the year there would be amazing for me. Of course, I know Carlos is playing great tennis right now, he's in Beijing making up points, and I know that I have to be at my best to achieve that goal.
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