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ROLAND GARROS

May 29, 2015

Richard Gasquet

PARIS, FRANCE

R. GASQUET/C. Berlocq
3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Do you feel as though this is a year when the French can really push through? Alize just won, and it's been a successful tournament for the men especially, too.
RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, we are a lot in the third round. I saw maybe six or seven. It's a lot. I think maybe it's a record. I don't know about it. (In French.) It's not the record. The record was 8. (In English.) So, yeah, it's very good for French tennis. I hope we can go farther in the tournament. Of course, best player coming on the draw. Everybody is playing a seeded player now. I think Benoit Paire tonight and many guys are playing the best players in the world now. So we see what happen. It's a good start for us. But I think we can go farther in the draw.

Q. Can you talk about the push and pull about having the support of the home crowd but then also the pressure that comes along with playing in front of the French people?
RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, it's a good pressure. Of course, it's difficult to play with, because everybody is expecting a lot about us, and we are putting ourselves a lot of pressure on our shoulders. But that's why sometimes it's difficult, but it's a great pleasure to play here on the center court or Suzanne Lenglen because the crowd is unbelievable. We want to please them and play well for everybody. And of course it's a great feeling for us.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. How did you feel yesterday when the match finished? You were a little upset. How did you feel this morning?
RICHARD GASQUET: I was tired fourth set. I would have liked to finish, wrap up the match in four sets. I couldn't see very well anymore, but the crowd was there, and I was hoping that it would give up. But he was playing very well, and he served very well. So we did the fourth set, and finishing the match was difficult. Then it was a tough night, because I knew there was another set this morning. So it's a lot of stress coming back to finish the match with just one set. We played almost three hours yesterday, so I think both of us were quite tired. But I knew I could do well today in the final set. I knew I would have to impose my rhythm upon him. That's what was missing yesterday in the fourth set. You know, 20% was missing. All I needed to do yesterday was put a little bit more rhythm, deeper balls, a bit more speed. That way I would have given him less time to play. That was the key yesterday. We discussed this with Sergi and Sebastien. And I had to hit just a little harder and, you know, win an extra meter or maybe two and that would have made the difference. I should have played just a little better, and that's not what happened in the first set and the fourth set. He's a tough player. He doesn't give any points away. He's a solid player.

Q. Yesterday exact same day you were playing Berlocq on Chatrier. What is the worst interruption? Is it a pigeon that gets stuck in the Hawk-Eye or in the camera or is it a second ball, or is it Teddy Riner?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, the pigeon, I don't think I have ever seen like this. I remember the feathers all over the place, and the public, they thought it was crazy, too. I had no idea what was happening. I had to ask the umpire. Tell you what. You know, sometimes I jog, and I know that sometimes birds will attack you. I thought that's what was happening. Seriously. Have you never seen crows fighting? Seriously. I have seen it before. I was really wondering. I mean, this was unbelievable, this pigeon getting stuck in the camera. This is unbelievable. It's a tough death. I don't know exactly what happened. I saw a lot of these feathers, and I really didn't get it. I was wondering, what's happening? Crazy. Really crazy. But anyway, I was able to play after that. So it was no big deal.

Q. A more serious one. You have played at Roland Garros for more than 10 years. What progress are you the proudest of as a player? Are there things that you have really improved the most? What are you the most proud of or satisfied of?
RICHARD GASQUET: I think simply being able to play for 10 years, ranking quite well, feels good. First time I played was 2005 I played Rafa. Here I am 10 years after, and the fact I'm still around is something I'm very proud of. I have a few seasons left to do even better, play even better, maybe I can catch balls earlier, serve a little better. There is always room for progress. And what's also difficult is to come back after you have had an injury or you're going through more difficult times. That's really challenging, coming back. Because there are tough times.

Q. Coming back to the match against Berlocq, I know that you got upset several times, especially that one ball, that hidden ball.
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, maybe he thought it was out. I think the umpire made a mistake. But we all make mistakes. It's a mistake. Who never made a mistake? Of course when it happened, that's not what I was thinking. It was difficult. I could have caught up. It was a mistake. It happens in all sports. Berlocq is a very bright player. Davis Cup, I have seen him. He fights. He's a tough player.

Q. Next round is Kevin Anderson. You have not always been very successful against him. How do you see the match?
RICHARD GASQUET: The last time I played him was in Melbourne, a very fast surface. I don't think I have ever played him on clay. I lost in three sets. In Melbourne it was a very difficult surface and he played very well. I think the surface being different here, being in Paris, it will be a different match. I have the public here to support me, so it will be a different match. But he's a tough player. He serves very well, very powerfully, and he doesn't leave -- he doesn't give his opponent much leeway. I know it's going to be a difficult match.

Q. Sergi and Sebastien, what did they tell you between the end of the match yesterday and the beginning of the match this morning? Do they yell at you or how do you like them to talk to you?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, sometimes they are a little upset, you know, but I think that's what it takes to boost me, especially when you finish a match and you have to come back the next day. They told me, Play tennis. In the fourth set he was playing and I had a lot of short balls, and today I'm the one who hit harder. That's how you make a difference. I gave him less time, which means he couldn't organize himself like he did yesterday. That's what makes the difference, and I had to do this in the fifth set, because you never know what can happen in the fifth set. You know, it can go very fast.

Q. Coming back to your experience on the tour and the pressure playing here at home, have you acquired new training techniques to recover faster?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, no. I have experience. That's all I have. Recovering is difficult. You know, patches are tough. It's never easy. I do think I recover faster and better than before. At the US Open I was able to play two matches and five sets back to back, and this is physically very difficult. What's really challenging is to recover after the match. But I have more experience. I'm also more experienced when it comes to managing the public. I have played Davis Cup. I have played here several times. I know how to manage the pressure. But recovering after difficult matches can be very challenging. Then playing again is difficult.

Q. Are there specific techniques that you are using today that you were not using before?
RICHARD GASQUET: No, no, once again, I simply have more experience, and once again, I have been around for more than 10 years. But, no, I do not use any different techniques. I play more matches than 10 years ago. That's a fact.

Q. I have a question about behavior. You seem to be a bit more open, extroverted. You're showing your feelings. Is that your experience, also?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, in 2013 against Wawrinka, it was a great match. 2011 I played some great matches at Davis Cup. It's not the first time. What I do know is that the public here is very important, so instead of being introverted, it is important to communicate. That's how the public cheers you up, and that helps you in being successful in your matches.
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