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MONTE-CARLO ROLEX MASTERS

April 11, 2016

Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Monte Carlo, Monaco

P. HERBERT/G. Pella

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You were talking about Monte-Carlo, saying it was your dream when you were young. Did you have to convince your coach that you wanted to play this tournament?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I didn't really need to convince him. I told him, of course, I was watching the tournament on TV, that I was very angry that I couldn't go there. So he understood I really was eager to come. So he said, Okay, you play this one and then you rest.

Q. You had to save a match point yesterday.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes. My opponent was playing well. Also during the quallies I had two tough opponents. They were better prepared on clay than I was.

Q. So you didn't play many hours on clay?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I had time to play on Wednesday two hours. On Thursday I played two hours. And on Friday I played two hours. So that is six hours of preparation on clay.

Q. You had good wins on clay this year. Your game is not relying on topspin as much as others. Do you believe this will give them trouble?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I know when I play well, my game can bother many players and make it difficult for them.

I never stepped onto a court thinking I would lose badly. I always thought I had the possibility of winning 6-4, 6-3 like I did today. But, of course, I have to make the right tactical choices. I have to bring the other opponent into my own world, then I can be better than he is. It's the same for him. If he brings me in his world, I'm going to lose badly, especially on clay.

Q. You need not to take a step back.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes. I need to believe I can beat a player, although he is playing on a court where he played all his life. But sometimes it's difficult.

Q. When you were young, did you play a lot on clay?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes. I grew up on clay. I love this surface. Very often people ask me what is my favorite surface, and I always answer clay. They think, Are you stupid? You haven't won a single match for two years on that surface.

But I believe it's a lovely surface. It's alive. You have to slide on it, you can do beautiful dropshots, you can play topspin. It's much more spectacular than a game on hard court. On hard courts, it's a bit more boring.

Q. You hadn't won a match on clay until now.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes. But two years ago I was not even playing on the professional tour, the main tour. Did I play many matches on courts in the main tour? I played Isner, but it was one set all and I had a set point. I believe two years ago I was not as good as I am today.

Q. So what is more enjoyable, clay or hard courts?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: All surfaces are enjoyable. I just love playing dropshots. Many shots I like. What I love on clay is to slide. I was brought up on this surface, and I love it.

Q. Each time you lost this year, you at least went to a third set.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: When I started the tiebreaker against Kenny, I thought about it. I thought it would be my fourth loss in three sets in a row. It crossed my mind. But then I immediately started thinking about something else.

So in the end, it is very positive. It means that those who were able to beat me really had to fight for it; it was not easy for them. Even my first match in the season, I lost in three sets, a very tight match. That means that even when I play average, the other players are not that much better than me. So it is positive.

The beginning of this season has been very solid for me. I didn't let anything go on the court.

Q. We saw you very calm on the court, never getting annoyed. You didn't have many obvious reactions. You were very focused.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I am very tired, most of all. But, of course, you need to control your emotions on the court. Maybe you saw me today a bit more quiet. But against Kenny, I was feeling very frustrated. On clay courts, the conditions are a bit different than on hard courts.

In my second match also I was annoyed because I felt I didn't need much to be able to win it, and I was not able to do that for a while.

But today's match went as I wanted it to go. You always need to stay calm when you play tennis, because if you don't, you can't play anymore.

Q. But you might just try to encourage yourself.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I did encourage myself, although I was not very demonstrative.

Q. It feels that you know exactly what you're doing and where you're going.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: It's because I'm very focused. I'm in my own world. I was feeling good today. I didn't need to overdo it. I didn't have energy to waste outside of the points themselves.

Q. Maybe the days before the weather was not as good as today. Did it affect your game?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Well, this is the beauty of this surface, because from one day to the other, the surface can be totally different. It can be very slow, and change into a very quick surface. Two days ago, indeed, I was not very efficient on the court. The match was tough for me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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