Laslo Djere: Instead of congratulating me on title, Marco Cecchinato complained

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World No. 53 Laslo Djere is taking a few days off as he is preparing to make a switch from the clay surface to hard. Djere, who made the semifinal on the clay courts of Kitzbuhel last month, won it all on the clay courts of Sardinia last week without a dropped set.

"The game on hard is completely different compared to clay, so I have to change my approach and understanding of the game, to step out of the comfort zone. That means being closer to the baseline and playing more aggressively, to come to the net.

I think that tactically I need to make a change, but also to improve the shots, of course, above all the service. I think I'm doing well - I'd like it to go faster, but I'm on the right track," Djere exclusively told Sport Klub.

Djere has been working with coach Boris Conkic for the past two and a half years and he has nothing but good to say of his coach. "I am satisfied with him - he is hardworking, ambitious, young, wants to learn and believes in me.

These are the basic virtues that I look for in a coach, and it is important to me that the coach is a good person off the field. Boris certainly is," Djere said.

Djere wasn't congratulated by Marco Cecchinato

When asked about the experience from the Tour which he will never forget, Djere recalled: "Two years ago, I won the challenger in Milan on Sunday afternoon and I was supposed to play the first round of Wimbledon the next day.

I had a flight from Milan to London at six in the morning and I played the match around two in the afternoon. It was crazy." Djere beat home favorite Cecchinato 7-6 (3) 7-5 in the Sardinia final this past Sunday. While 6-5 down in the first set, Djere received a medical timeout and Cecchinato wasn't a fan of it.

"I raised the level of the game to another level in the key moments, I am very happy about that. Instead of congratulating me, Cecchinato told me ‘how bad this was today’ because I asked for that medical time-out before my serve in the first set.

He thinks he lost because of that, I guess, I have no idea ... It bothered me a little, but I say, I'm happy for the title in this madness of the year, I was a little surprised that I played the whole tournament at a high level," Djere said.