Vitaliy SACHKO: “Desire weighs heavily on me”

Ukrainian Vitaliy Sachko (335 ATP) admitted that he did not have his best season, but said that he plans to improve his results and his position in the world rankings in the new season.

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– This season cannot be called successful for you. You started in the Australian Open qualifiers and finished in the middle of the fourth hundred, losing more games than winning. What is your resume for the season and what do you see as the main reasons for worsening results compared to last year?

– Yeah, it really wasn’t the best season. There were many problems, I often got sick. It was very difficult to play psychologically at the beginning of the year, then when I returned to normal psychologically, physical problems started, then I got sick, then injuries. So a little bit of everything accumulated and the season was unsuccessful. Now I’m getting in shape and I want to participate in tournaments from the beginning of the year and try to fix this situation.

– You tried your luck on the ATP Tour this year, went to the base of the tournament in Kitzbühel as the “lucky loser” and lost to Dusan Lajovic in a fairly even match. You played against Dominic Thiem in Vienna before. It’s clear that there aren’t many games at this level yet, but can you still compare the level of play in Challengers and ATP? For a player who’s been boiling in the “Challengers” cauldron for a long time, isn’t there a psychological fear that the ATP round is already something else, unattainable?

– To be honest, it seems to me that everyone plays the same plus or minus. A lot depends on the form and mental state of a player coming into the tournament. For example, you might run into a guy who won the championship last week and beat him just because he was tired.

Speaking of myself, I am more attracted to the desire to earn more points, more cash prizes and rise in the rankings as soon as possible. This is the most psychological barrier for me. And so you go out on the field – the same opponents play the same.

What are your plans for the new season now?

– The main thing is to get a place in the qualifications of the Slams. Return to the top 300 to start, then the top 200. I will try to fulfill this task.

As you know, Vitaliy Sachko will train with the old fifth racket of the world in the new season.