My Influences: Gaubas opens up on 'amazing' Alcaraz experience

pA smile appeared across the face of #NextGenATP Lithuanian a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/vilius-gaubas/g0fw/overview'Vilius Gaubas/a in New York, where the 19-year-old recalled the memorable time he has spent with World No. 3 a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/carlos-alcaraz/a0e2/overview'Carlos Alcaraz/a./p

pThe Lithuanian has practised with the Spaniard on various occasions in the past year and after time, mustered up the confidence to ask the four-time major winner for advice./p

pSpeaking to ATPTour.com as part of our Next Gen Influences Series, Gaubas discusses his conversations with the former a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/next-gen-atp-finals/7696/overview'Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF/a champion Alcaraz and opens up on his biggest idols in tennis, including countryman a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/ricardas-berankis/be90/overview'Ricardas Berankis/a, who reached a career-high No. 50 in 2016./p

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pstrongWhich former a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/next-gen-atp-finals/7696/overview'Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF/a champion do you identify with?/strongbr /

I like a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/carlos-alcaraz/a0e2/overview'Carlos Alcaraz/a. I practised this year with him a few times, and seeing him doing so well and getting a chance to practice with him was cool. He is so humble. So that's the way it will be for me/p

pstrongDid you get to have any conversations with him? Where were you when you practised with him?/strongbr /

We practised in Spain at the start of the season. I think it was January and we had a few practice sessions and it was really high intensity, and was really, really fun./p

pstrongDid you ask him any questions?/strongbr /

I was a little bit too shy, but he was really humble. He asked me a few questions, so we had a few conversations that was really fun. He asked me, lsquo;What's my next tournament?, How am I doing', and all those kinds of things. He was, at that time, World No. 1. It was amazing and to be able to speak with him like a normal conversation meant a lot./p

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pstrongWho were your first tennis idols when growing up?/strongbr /

My idols since I was young were a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/dominic-thiem/tb69/overview'Dominic Thiem/a and a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/casper-ruud/rh16/overview'Casper Ruud/a. It was their style, how they play, especially the intensity on the forehand. They have really big shots and that's what amazed me. When I saw Dominic, when he entered the Top 10, he was doing really well. I saw his matches and every practise, I tried to copy what he did. I remember the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/us-open/560/overview'US Open/a final where there were no people watching as it was during Covid and the match was incredible, five sets, and the intensity of the match was incredible./p

pstrongHow much influence did a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/ricardas-berankis/be90/overview'Ricardas Berankis/a have on you?/strongbr /

He has a really big influence on all the younger kids in Lithuania who play tennis. I think he really motivated us. We had a photo when I was seven years old. I was a ball boy for him in a Davis Cup match. And it was one year ago that I showed him a photo and it was really funny, because now we're on the same team, playing, so that's really, really nice./p

pstrongWhat was it about him that inspired you when you were a kid?/strongbr /

How serious he is on court and off court as well. He is still really focused on the things that he's doing. So that's an inspiration./p

pstrongWho are your other biggest influences?/strongbr /

I would say my mother. She's a really strong person. She fights for everything and she really works hard. That is a big inspiration too. Our family was always involved in sport. Especially my father, he was really sporty and I think that is where I got it from./p

pemem style="color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Ahead of this year's a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/next-gen-atp-finals/7696/overview'Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF/a, ATPTour.com is running an Influences series with the #NextGenATP stars in contention to qualify for the 20-and-under event in Jeddah. Look out for next week's feature with Chengdu champion Shang Juncheng/spanspan data-preserver-spaces="true" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;".../span/em/em/p

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