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ROLAND GARROSMay 24, 2015Paul-Henri MathieuPARIS, FRANCE K. NISHIKORI/P. Mathieu 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 An interview with: PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please. Q. I wanted to ask you two questions: You are a far better player over the last few years, and it seems there is a problem for you. But we don't understand. You were very powerful, strong in the past, and we don't understand why. PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Well, I'm not strong anymore? Q. We don't understand why you're not as strong as you were in the past. Can you answer me, please? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: I don't want to answer. I'm sorry, I don't want to. Q. First question, your health. How do you feel? Any problem? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: No, no, no, I'm fine. Physically I feel fine. In Bordeaux I felt some pain in my hip. But, no, at the end of the day I had a good practice during last week, and I'm fine. Q. What would you say about this match? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: I played very well during the second set. He took a break very early in the first set, probably too early. He took the lead on my serve, so after such a play it's always a difficult position to be in trying to catch up. Then it became difficult because there was too big of a gap. When you have not won in a while, your confidence is important, and today it wasn't in my favor. Q. Did you feel him having doubts at one stage? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Yeah, in the second set I took a break immediately; I was up 3-2. So maybe he thought I could start to play better, and I felt he was not as comfortable as at the beginning of the match. It's a shame at the end of the second set I didn't manage to go to a tiebreak, because a tiebreak there is always a chance. So, yes, I felt he was feeling less at ease in the second set. Q. And then there was this ball that hit the line. PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Yeah, I'm not going to challenge the entire match on just one ball. That's the game. Q. How had you prepared to play him? He is a difficult player. PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Yes, he is a very difficult player. At the beginning I wanted to change the rhythm. I wanted to be very fast on his forehand. It was difficult, because he catches the ball very early so it's difficult to change the trajectory. He's very smart and moves very fast on the sides. You don't want to give him too much of an angle. He's a very good player and I expected that. I saw him on TV over the last few weeks, and I knew it would be very difficult to play him. Q. Generally speaking, what is his potential on clay according to you? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Quite obviously he could win Roland Garros one day. Given how fast he progressed over the last few years, that's quite impressive. And it's not his favorite surface to start with. Over the last three years we felt he was making such huge progress. I mean, I watched him on TV because I was not very much on the courts during that time. He moves very well; he can manage sliding on clay very well. We'll see him again. Q. Does he play better than other Japanese players? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Well, his ball is very fast, especially on his forehand as compared to Spanish players who would be more on defense. He can attack; he can play very fast; he's a great player. But before the match this is what I expected. I knew he had made such huge progress on clay. His results this year and also last year show how much he progressed. Q. One question about your match and the magic of Roland Garros with the Lenglen crowd supporting you during the second set. PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Well, I wish I could have given them even more. I felt them supporting me. I really wanted to win the second set to relaunch the match, so to speak. I was disappointed not just for me but also for them. But today it was difficult. He played very well, and it's always a special moment to be able to play here on a major court. It's a beautiful moment. Q. We feel that this is something that you will miss more than others when you quit tennis. PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: I don't know. It's difficult to say. I think everyone misses playing on great courts, and Roland Garros has always been very special for me. I waited all year to be able to take part in this tournament. So when it ends, well, you take a big blow to your head. The day I stop playing this tournament I'm going to miss it. Not so much the other tournaments. Q. What's coming up for you in your season? What are your plans for the next three, four weeks? PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU: Well, honestly, in the short run, I don't know. I had signed up for another tournament for the second week of Roland Garros, but I have to go there. It's a challenger, and it's not easy to go there in the Czech Republic. But to improve my ranking, I have to accept playing such tournaments and accept not to win them, because the level is pretty high. So I might go there. Then in the medium run, I hope I'll be playing at quallies at Wimbledon. It will be the first time for me playing the quallies in Wimbledon. Had you told me I would ever play the quallies at the age of 33, I don't think I would've believed you. But I think I'll do that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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