“I will move onto the ATP Challenger Tour now” – Samir Banerjee (USA)
Following his dominant performance at the ITF M25 tournament in Argentina, where he captured both the singles and doubles titles, 21-year-old American talent Samir Banerjee spoke about his victory, the keys to his success, and his plans to transition to the ATP Challenger Tour.
Interviewer: Congratulations on a phenomenal week, Samir, winning both the singles and doubles titles. What are your immediate thoughts after that impressive win in the singles final?
Samir Banerjee: Thank you. Yeah, I’m very happy. I knew it was a big match. My opponent is a good player, so I wanted to come out here and give my best effort and try to stay focused on every point. I love the atmosphere here; it was a really nice crowd. So I’m just happy I was able to play well and win.
Interviewer: You seemed to be in complete control today. What aspects of your game do you feel were crucial for the victory?
Samir Banerjee: I think I served very well today. My first serve percentage was very high, and I used that to win a lot of points. I think I was very comfortable from the back, especially with my backhand. And my mentality—just focusing on every point, making sure that I’m intense with my feet, with my strokes, everything, every single point. I think that was very important.
Interviewer: This victory provides a significant boost to your ranking. What’s next for you? What does your upcoming schedule look like?
Samir Banerjee: I go back to the US to train for a week, and then I’ll play some of the Challengers there. There’s a bunch of ATP Challenger tournaments. I think it’s good to kind of rise up the ranks, play some Futures, but also move up to Challengers. So that’s what I’m going to be doing and see how I do against higher-ranked players.
Interviewer: And finally, how has your overall experience been here in Argentina this week?
Samir Banerjee: I love Argentina. It’s great. I have had a great experience here. I really like the city; it’s very nice. The people are very nice and the food is great. I love the coffee. The empanadas are amazing, amazing.
