Kohlschreiber: It's 'tough' to have 'very close friends' on tour

Tour veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber says that players can have friends on the professional circuit, even while being competitors.

“It's not about making friends, but if you spend so many years together—you have your practice partners over the years, people speaking the same language, so you talk, you practice, and play cards,” the German told reporters in Dubai. “[To] have very close friends ... I would say that's gonna be tough to have somebody on tour. But you have a lot of people with a great relationship, and kind of good friendship.”

Kohlschreiber—who lost a heartbreaking 6-7 (4), 7-6 (18), 6-1 match to world No. 1 Andy Murray in the Dubai quarterfinals—says that while he travels almost all the time and is not often at home, he still has some very good friends. Kohlschreiber lives in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

“The really good friends understand your work, and if you come back, it's like nothing happened,” he said. “You just talk a little bit about your journey. They talk about their jobs or other stuff. Then everything is good. It's about a great friendship that you don't have to spend and text them and ask every day. It's a great connection. Everybody knows how stressed tennis can be sometimes—winning matches, losing.

"They know about the situation, and it's great to come home and settle down.”