Rob White: Congratulations on your win, David. Julian gave you all you could handle tonight.
David Palmer: Yeah, it was a pretty solid match. It wasn’t the best I ever played - wasn’t the worst. It was a good solid match and I did enough to win. I used my experience when I needed to and sort of felt I was in control of the match, and glad I was able to close it out in 3-0.
RW: Do you find that when you play the younger guys now, you rely more on your experience. Of course, you’re in great shape and you have great athleticism, but I assume you call on that experience more now during tough situations.
DP: To a degree, yes. Of course, I’m a bit smarter at this stage of my career, though not as fast and fit as I used to be. I’m 34, nearly 35, so, I have to be a bit smarter. But it frustrates me sometimes because I love to play fast, but I know to play my game I have to be more careful these days - I have to sort of pace myself. And I thought I did that tonight. In the past, I probably would’ve pulled away in the 2nd and won much easier, but I was just trying to pace myself tonight. And I know Julian’s a pretty fit guy, too. I saw him last week from two-love down and nearly beat Olli (Tuominen) in five, so I’m really happy to get through 3-0 and put myself in a good position going forward.
RW: You’re still in amazing shape, but how has your training regiment changed over the years?
DP Well, obviously I’m not working as hard. Body can’t take the amount of training that I used to do. (laugh) Obviously, I was one of the fittest guys for a long time. I still feel deep down I’ve got to be smart about my training, and look after the body – it’s more about trying to protect my body. It’s tougher because the game’s getting so much faster with guys like Ramy and all the young guys playing incredibly fast- it’s not easy. So, it’s about keeping my body strong and injury free, but still try to keep up with them. But I’m hanging in there.
RW: You reside in FL, but you spend quite a lot of time in New York City -
DP: Yes, I’m full time in Florida but I’m up here 4-5 times a year. I love New York City – it’s a fun place, and the tournament of Champions has always been one of my favorite tournaments.
RW: Do you find time to enjoy the city when you’re here or is it all business?
DP: Obviously, I’m a bit more relaxed than I used to be, so I do enjoy myself when I’m here. I have plenty of friends around that I see when I’m here, and I’ve got my two families that I coach up here this weekend – their kids who I coach are playing in the junior event, so we’ll be watching them obviously. I try to pick and choose my times to relax, but I try to socialize a bit more than I used to, but stilly try to make the most of what I have now in the tournament. And I’ll see how it goes on Sunday!
RW: Well, thanks for your time, David, and best of luck going forward.
DP: Thanks, been my pleasure.
these are great posts. nice to know what the players are thinking and feeling after their games. thanks Rob.
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