Marcos Giron: American Professional, ATP #69 [Arizona Tennis Classic | RD16 Preview Interview]

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Match toughness before the start of Miami will just about all of them are here competing in Phoenix this week and thus it's just awesome to have a front row seat to the action once again of course in my capacity as MC I get the opportunity to interact with so many of these athletes competing here this week I have the opportunity to set up subsequent interviews with them.

Those interviews are what we want to share on the cracked interviews podcast here this week it's what we call another de facto press row segment where I will try my best to sit down with as many of our players in the main draw of both singles in doubles here this week in Phoenix and get the scoop what's going down in their respective careers what do they hope to accomplish here in this 2026 season again I'm going to try my best to speak with every player still around here in the draw we're going to try our best to post all those conversations.

As videos available to be watched over on the cracked rackets YouTube channel so if you prefer watching to listening to these videos make sure you go check out that platform of course we will try our best to get these interviews out to you as quickly as possible here on this cracked interviews podcast feed as well so again another week of press row content here on this cracked interviews podcast it's our experience live at the 2026 Arizona tennis classic.

Joining us here at the Arizona tennis classic and old friend of ours here at cracked rackets of course he's your number seven seat he earned a dominant six love six one victory to advance to round number two yesterday it's her old friend Marcos get around joining us Marcos first of all it is always good to see your

smiling face a quick story for you before we start nice where I'm going to let you speak yeah promise my friend Cincinnati 2019 you did one of the nicest things any human has ever done for me and sometimes the tour can be a little bit protective of players they were that particular event I had to bag to get an interview with you you come out you go grusskin what's up and the guy the rest of the way is like okay so who are you like you so shout out to you how you doing my friend

no it's going to be here come on they drive me here so it's good to see him and honestly like for me it's just if people love tennis and good energy I enjoy being around him yeah well I appreciate you saying that obviously good energy brought last night certainly that's one way to start a tournament talk to me what it means to get a win like that to kick off an event does it ever get old

margins are small man yeah and I think this score it was yeah it was a pretty solid score line but it could have gone I mean I'm a break one oh down break points hold for you know three oh down break or no four one down break points hold yeah

and so margins are small and everyone's so good and so yeah I know that uh yeah if I could do that again I would love to

yeah yeah yeah yeah it's certainly an ideal start and I feel like more broadly this 2026 and certainly those

first two weeks I call the honeymoon period you're laughing at everything back to back semi-sports what sort of tone

does that set for your season what didn't mean to have that sort of success no that's great I mean

on the tour level everyone's so good yeah and so to win I mean of course I want to try and win as much I

don't like losing I think everyone here the nobody here wants to lose and so uh no it was good last

year honestly was a bit disappointing like I didn't make semis of any tournaments I had some good you

know third round of Australia around the 16 Indian Wells which was awesome but to then go and start the

year you always you never know how it is how are you going to be and so I played great overall I mean I

played really solid um had a tough five set against the learner and in uh Australia but I also played

really well in February lost six and a third to Fritz then they made finals and then lost a Casper and

served in the same um and so saying uh to you know to get himself out of trouble and so yeah overall

honestly I'm really happy with my level this year I've been playing really well like every match and so

but you know when I'm all in which sucks and I try and do anything to not to to do that so

no it makes a lot of sense to me yeah I'm curious are you better at the offseason now than you were

early in your career like how how do you approach December at this point of your career what did that

yeah I feel it yeah it's that's crazy but um yeah it's different like I think it's now I'm

able to be a little bit more precise with what I'm doing a little more selective I think at first

yeah leaving college you're kind of like okay what you you gotta be pro you gotta do everything

you gotta do everything all the time and and I think there's been times where I've kind of

burnt myself out a little bit even though I love playing I love training but you still gotta be

ready you none of it matters until you step on the match court and so it's not the uh burnt

top by the time you start playing and so I think I'm learning to be really focused and like really

um yeah just more just more intense when I'm on court and maybe a little less time I think a

lot of people say that but it's hard to actually do yeah yeah honest it makes a lot of sense to me

because the idea of getting more efficient as your career goes along I mean I'm sure that's the

ideal everyone is striding for exactly do you think that's the thing you've improved on most throughout

the course of your career like what is what is the biggest leap you have taken during your time on

the interview you know I think it's I it's one when you first start you you hey can you can you

make it can you make it top 100 yeah sure yeah and so uh yeah I think uh yeah so yeah yeah exactly

two two hips later it's still hobbling along yeah no sorry one is like can I first make it and then

two okay can I actually stay here can I three can I okay but I think I've always done a good job

improving honestly I think there's if I look back at my game 10 years ago it's so much it's

it's still the it's still me yeah but it's all everything's a lot more is a lot better I think

yeah that my game's well-rounded and I think that's really what it is I think that I'm I've gotten

better in all facets yeah and yeah no it's it's fun you say it's so yeah yeah I saw the video

collect post-it-view of like the ISC champion like oh my goodness yeah where you were the guy that

spring and it was that way you said that's did it a couple years later like you know that it

what is an ISC than Easter bowl it's that one yeah yeah one three it was uh yeah like yeah yeah

Claremont Carson Easter bowl yeah then one oh high men's open I was on a crazy heater

dude that's my mark oh yeah let's go yeah we have a lot of you I've got you but that that is always

the thing like how do you prevent stagnation in this sport because that's I'm just so curious how

10 years 15 years or in this case I'm sure 25 years into your tennis career that's great you can

still have this sort of energy I suppose yeah that's yeah it's a it's a it's a humbling sport man

it's uh yeah like one guy wins each week which is great you know and it that's hard when

you first go pro is learning it you only one guy wins and everyone's damn good you know it's

and so yeah ultimately I lost a lot and so when you lose you you better learn or else you're

gonna keep losing then yeah um instead of a few times but yeah honestly yeah I'm competitive and I

yeah and so and I feel like and I had the belief like I my game is I've got game and so it's

yeah and so yeah that's it ever get old hitting the on the run forehand like because that you

can do that since you were like 12 like I swear to God is that is that still like the money maker

you're still like damn that felt good oh it's it's yeah that one's that sometimes you're like oh I

got a run for a man it's a it's a far ball so I know that's like that's literally what I'm asking

so I'm like is there ever a power just like God like I'm sorry I'm gonna swear again I'm so

fucking dependent on this shit god with this dude honestly the ball goes there and like

okay opera you got it let me at least finish the point yeah no that yeah I'm like I feel like

something was like a dog I see the ball and I got her chase after her man but it's opportunity

oh hell it's working so it's a credit to you my last two questions for no in a your game what

is the thing you are focused on specifically right now to continue to sustain this level at this

point of your career every shot is an opportunity man okay I think so honestly like I think

it's tough because it's every there's a lot but I feel like there's a lot of just on every shot

I have an opportunity to do it I think I was I was always an aggressive player but I think I'm

more aggressive than ever before and I think it's just that's on on everything he returns if a guy

misses a spot if I'm in control I'm on defense just to everything to try and get a little bit more

out of it yeah I like that you know if that makes sense no absolutely I'm curious I'm bonus one

more time spent for you what's more important the time in the gym at the time on court at this point

I'm sure you've got to know it's honestly both it's one doesn't it's a yeah what they're doing

together like there's a there's a line it's like is it more mental is it more physical it's

a hundred percent it's a hundred percent mental is a hundred percent it's it's both yeah I know like

yeah without the physicality of being able to do it I can't so yeah I spent a lot of time

yeah but it's just matter how physical you are if you can't do it yeah but no no no I yeah but

also if I miss a week off tennis I'm not I'm not gonna forget it but it's always kind of brewing

still even though yeah yeah makes a lot of sense to me with my last question just goals what are

you trying to accomplish here in 2026 what would you leave it to December just so you know if that

was a damn good year you know honestly yeah well it's tough because it's one I mean one yeah you

want to be playing second week of sland you want to be playing titles and but but honestly I

want to like play each point well like I want to enjoy you know what I mean you know I want to enjoy

the you know I don't want to feel like crazy over pressure I want to be able to kind of just be

in the moment and enjoy it and play each point from start to finish and yeah make yeah I would love

to do that and and give a hundred percent on every point that I'm playing well also finishing one

in the world yeah you why not why not you know exactly well finished one and dollars another

match yeah that's great good it's right I appreciate well again as I started one of the OG guys

you're at crack-crackets without whom again we wouldn't be where we are today tolerance of our

nonsense and even all these like a long grass and let's go man I appreciate it oh no Marcos

get around thank you as always I appreciate it always fun to be with you

the maps app that came with your phone it's fine if you enjoy waiting and guessing and

inefficient routes or you could use map quest map quest is back with live directions real-time

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