Any match you face, you know, you can be nervous.
I try and focus on the youth coming up, and I think tennis is a great sport regardless of how far you make it: just, obviously, a lot of good life lessons.
The more mental strength you have, the better. If you look at some of the best players that we have seen over the years and that I have been playing with, mentally they are the best competitors as well, something I have worked hard on.
It's funny because, growing up, I found inspiration from watching Steffi Graf and Amanda Coetzer, a South African who was in the top 10 for many years. Oh, and then there's someone I've gotten to know over the last few years: Martina Navratilova.
South Africa is a very pro-sporting country.
A lot of guys sometimes, you know, you might see them get angry at a line call, and suddenly they start playing better tennis.
Sometimes in a match, when things get tight, you want to feel like you can swing out on the ball and still have control.
I actually tried quite a few racquets in college before I turned pro.
2015 was obviously a great year. I achieved a few of my long-standing goals, which is very rewarding. I'm still working hard to achieve some of my other goals, like reaching the top 5 in the world rankings and qualifying for the World Tour Finals.
By giving myself the freedom to lose, I actually began to play much better.
Fortunately, the way I play tennis, I don't have to spend too much time analyzing or worrying about my opponents. I typically try to focus on my own game, and I know if I do that and execute, I can beat anyone.
