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ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2016

Pauline Parmentier

Paris, France

P. PARMENTIER/I. Falconi

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. It's the second round for you. You started well. This is a very short match. Everything was okay for you?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Yeah, this was a very serious match. I played a good match, and I only played two sets. I was not too long on the court. I also well-managed the whole match.

Q. I have the impression that the air here in Roland Garros is good for you. Each time you're here on the clay, it's a new adventure for you each year.
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Well, you know, I have had complicated years here, as well. But two years ago was a good year.

And this year I have reached the third round and I have been playing well for several months, three months I have been winning matches, good matches against good players.

I'm happy it's happening here, that I can have a streak of victories here and reach the third round, because playing well the rest of the year is okay. But if you can do this here in Paris, it's even better.

Q. Can you tell us more about your new coach and his contribution to your new success?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: I'm lucky, because I'm well surrounded. I have always been well surrounded. But I have changed my organization. I have several people who help me. Olivier Patience, he's like the person who helps me in Paris, but he cannot travel very much.

And then I have a Spanish coach, Gonzalo Lopez is his name, and he's with me on the tournaments, because, you know, I need to have my bases, if I can say here, in Paris, but I wanted to work with Olivier, as well. A good team. And Paul is my fitness trainer. And mentally I practice, as well. Julie Coin helps me, as well, from time to time.

I try to share this with people with whom I get on very well so that during the tournaments tennis is pleasant, but also everything else so that I can really enjoy these last years.

Q. There is just one match to go before the round of 16. It was the same in 2014.
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Yeah, exactly.

Q. Are you full of confidence?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Well, you know, frankly when I started here, I had confidence. I had won many matches before. I thought, yeah, I'm ready for Roland Garros, for the French Open.

I'm so happy to do this here, because sometimes when you hear when you're here, there is a lot of pressure on, when you have played well before. And when it's a Grand Slam there is a lot of pressure.

I'm happy to reach the third round. It's going to be a very tough match for the third round. I'm really eager to play it. It's a good test for me to play against this type of girl. And then if I win I'll reach the round of 16. That's incredible.

I'm very happy because I can renew this nice adventure here at Roland Garros, because two years ago I can say these emotions were incredible. It's fabulous. I thought, It's happened to me once, will it happen to me twice? I have reached the third round, so that's rather cool.

Q. Would you say that this time you're going to be on the Journal Officiel, Roland Garros official paper?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Well, I don't do this to be on the front or cover page, but, yeah, I think it's a bit funny. I had fun with that.

Q. Did you ask for explanations?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: No, I didn't ask for any explanations. You know, I decided to joke about this, because there is nothing to be angry against. I don't want to be on the first page, but I think it's only four of us, and they have only chosen three photos. The first time, I thought, Okay, they have chosen the younger ones and now I see Virginie -- not that she's old, by the way -- but no, I thought that's not cool for me. And we had a good laugh about this. Sometimes there are these types of mistakes.

We are asked to do this. It's a game we play with the press, that is, to give our time to the press, and I don't mind. I even like it, being with the press. And sometimes you see that it's not both ways.

This is a bit frustrating, but anyway, I'm not angry against anybody. No problem.

Q. Well, to pick on that, what do you think about the exposure given on France TV? Because Alize and Caroline complained about this.
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Well, yeah, I know about this. I didn't read the article, though.

Q. (off microphone.)
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Well, yeah, France telly, it's the same for everybody. You know, we suffer from being exposed too much or not enough in the media, but, you know, it's a bit tough. We try and stand out and be visible.

But, you know, the nice generation that now is gone, you know, was well exposed, but now of course it's not the case. Even though -- well, we are here. We are present. We're not in the top 10, but it's a bit difficult for us to be like we don't exist, you know. And the semifinals of the Fed Cup it was a bit difficult for us, as well.

We accepted the criticism that we are slightly below the previous generation of tennis players, but anyway, the things people say.

Anyway, when something is happening, they should talk about this. Use this, use this. If we reach the finals for the Fed Cup, it doesn't happen very often. We're not here to say, what a boast about it, we are going to be on the cover of all the papers.

But, no, no, when there is this little something, we like to have recognition and visibility. I don't know which word to choose. Look at what's happening today. Look at the men's draw. Well, of course people would dream about it. We're not saying we are doing better than men, but on the contrary, we know that we have the big seeds for the boys, but for the girls, sometimes we have big surprises. Things change very quickly.

But, yeah, it's a bit tough for us. That's for sure. That's for sure. That's all, all I can say. I don't know what I could add.

But we are fighting. We're fighting, struggling, we are doing our best, our best tennis.

So from time to time we'd like to be exposed a bit more in the media, to be exposed.

Q. Now, to come back to this tournament this year, what's your objective, to reach quarterfinals perhaps this year?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: The objective is match after match. That's all I can say. There is nothing else I can say. There is nothing crazy about this, though. As I have been saying, I have been playing well for a while. I have been trying to take each match as they come.

I don't want to get too nervous about this. Next round is going to be very complicated. What I will try and do is enjoy this one, and then focus on the mixed match that I'll play later on and focus, for the third round, and then we will see. Of course, the objective when you start a tournament is to go as deep as you can.

Q. By the way, in women's tennis there are surprises. Would you say this would be the pleasant surprise for us in 2016?
PAULINE PARMENTIER: Yeah, there are surprises. For us it's really good because then we believe in things we didn't believe in before. As far as I'm concerned, I'd say when I look around, all of the top 10 players we can defeat at the beginning of the tournament, so you think, when you see this, you think, why not me? Why not me?

That's when you practice more and go for it. If it's always the same you see all the time, then it's different. You start your match and say, Okay, I'm never going to win this match. Unconsciously, of course.

And then this time it's different. You want to believe in it this time.

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