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BNP PARIBAS MASTERS

November 4, 2015

Richard Gasquet

Paris, France

R. GASQUET/L. Mayer
6‑2, 7‑5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. I'm going to ask you directly a question about your next match. You're 5‑0 against him. How can you explain such a success against Kei Nishikori? And the second part of the question is, isn't that going to be the confrontation of the two best one‑handed backhands of the tour?
RICHARD GASQUET: For the second part of your question, you can't forget Djokovic who is the best, and Wawrinka, also. So some players also have a very good one‑handed backhand.
I never lost against him. It's true he has a very good backhand. I think for the time being, he's top 6 or top 7. I think I didn't play him since Washington last year. When I played him, he was a lot lower in the rankings and I was higher than he was then. So I believe one day or the other I'm going to lose to Kei.
Otherwise I have nothing special playing against him. It's always good matches. He's a great player, and during the past two years, he's the favorite.

Q. So it's not his game that suits you in particular?
RICHARD GASQUET: No, not really. I didn't play him since he was a finalist in Grand Slams and won those titles. I practiced a lot with him. I know I can beat him. For the time being, I would have trouble playing Federer or Djokovic, but otherwise I can beat more or less anyone.

Q. The surface seems to suit your game very well. The effects are good? It's not as fast as usual?
RICHARD GASQUET: Yes, it's slower than the previous years. But in Basel, the surface was a lot faster and I was able to play well nevertheless. I am a lot better on fast surfaces than I was before. It's not as much of a problem.
This surface suits me well. It's a sort of intermediate speed. When you hit hard, it goes quickly. It's still an indoor surface. It's not clay. You can play topspin, too. It's not like an outside court. It's different.

Q. You're top 9. You're going to be the first substitute in London.
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, that's true today. We'll see on Sunday.

Q. If you are a substitute, are you going?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, if you're the first substitute, you have to be there. I'm just taking things one day at a time for the time being.
I will try to finish the year among the top 10. That was my goal for this year. I knew the Masters was going to be a difficult thing to make from the start. If I'm top 9, it's better than top 10. But if I'm within the top 10 best players, I will be happy with this year.

Q. But you played a lot. Aren't you tired?
RICHARD GASQUET: A little bit, but also, when you play a lot, the good thing is that you feel the ball well. You feel good with your game. It's good to have some matches behind your belt.
But I just know I don't have to make calculations. I just have to give it all and try to go as far as I can.

Q. Yannick Noah came here, and he said‑‑ well, he hinted, that France Davis Cup would be played on clay. Are you going to practice?
RICHARD GASQUET: I'm going to play in Europe, Montpellier, Marseilles, and Rotterdam. And I will have a week between Marseilles and Davis Cup. There is always a week without a tournament, so I have about 10 days to practice on clay.
If it's on clay, it's perfect because that's the favorite surface. I hope we're going to play on clay. But I can't tell you for sure. I wasn't there. But if it's on clay, then I will like it because it's my favorite surface. It suits me well. I am able to adapt quite quickly to that surface. I don't need to play a whole tournament on it before.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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