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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2017

Pablo Carreno Busta

Paris, France

P. CARRENO BUSTA/M. Raonic

4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 8-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Can you try and walk us through your emotions at the end and how you managed to hold your nerves.
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Is difficult to explain you my emotions at the end of the match. It was the best victory of my career. Maybe in one of the best moments and of the best places.

This match that you dream when you are young, playing Roland Garros, five sets, four hours and a half. It was really tough, really tough. But I just try to do my best.

I enjoyed. I suffer, but I enjoyed. And of course if you win, you enjoy more.

Q. You're a very good tennis player but not so good at match points.
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Thank you (smiling).

Q. First three match points he hit winners, he played very well?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: I think the match points I tried to play aggressive, tried to dominate the points.

I miss -- I don't remember all the points, but I miss forehand. But then he played all the rest of the match -- I think I did all of the things that I had to do. I don't know if was bad luck or good play for him. But finally I won the last point, so it was important.

Q. How satisfying was it to finish with a volley?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Because I'm not a clay-court player. I am a hard court player. So I go to the net to finish the match (smiling).

Q. While Milos was saving match points, what were you thinking?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Milos serving?

Q. When he was saving the match points, what were you thinking?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Why he saving the match points (smiling).

No, I told you, he played very good the match balls. The rallies was very long. I tried to dominate the points, like Milos was defending all the time. And, well, is always difficult to finish the matches, and if it's a match like this, four hours, five sets, 5-4 in the fifth set, or 6-5, it's always difficult.

But finally I do it. I did it. I need to improve maybe next match.

Q. Rafa's lost very few games so far this tournament, and Kyrgios, for example, said he has no chance of losing at any point. Do you think Nadal has a chance of losing? If you do have a chance, how will you do it?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: If I think that I don't have chances, I will not play. So for sure I think I have chances.

Is really difficult, because Rafa is maybe the best player in this surface of the history, and he's playing really good, but I will try. I'm playing good. I'm with a lot of confidence. Maybe I'm a little tired, but I have one day off. So on Tuesday, we'll see what's happen.

Q. For every player Rafa is a legend, but how is it for you, a Spanish player?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: For me, Rafa is the best player on this surface. He's a really good friend.

So it will be a really special match for me. I just try to -- I will try to enjoy this match and learn a lot. I will play against the best. And then we'll see. Maybe I play and I lose easy or maybe I play and I win easy. You never know.

Q. There was a moment in the fifth set at 1-1 when you had three break points, and the third one was on the line or maybe outside the line, and you looked at it after the point. So you saw after the point that it was out? I'm just making sure there, because you were mad with the umpire. From the distance it looked in, but...
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, yeah. I think is out. The ball was out. I'm sure that the ball was out. But when I -- I continue playing, so for the next time maybe the umpire can be better, but sometimes those things happen.

Q. You have been obviously doing very well this year, and now you just said this is the best moment for you in your career. What have you learned about yourself this season that maybe gave you the belief that you can achieve these things?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, of course I believe a lot in my possibilities today. I believe a lot in my possibilities in the last match. I believe a lot in my possibilities in the next match and at this moment in my career, for sure. I'm the best ranking when finish this tournament.

I think we work very hard this season and the last season, and I think that the work is here. We have the lucky that the things are going very good, but we work very hard to do this.

Q. Have you been thinking at all about the year end in London, especially after this tournament? You will have a ton of points. Right now you're in the top 8 with the French Open.
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: London (smiling). Nice city. But I think is not a real goal to be in London.

Maybe in a few months I hope that we continue thinking about this, or you continue thinking about this. And we'll see.

But at the moment, I just thinking about Rafa.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. I think that after the interview you were crying a little. What does that victory mean to you?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: I cried because of my emotions. Not because I was sad. I was overwhelmed with emotions. It was a very nice match, a splendid match, a very long match.

And then this win, even though a bit of a dramatic win, is a win with lots of emotions and ideas that cross your mind. I didn't know how to manage these emotions. I cried to release the pressure I was feeling within.

I don't know. I had not planned to cry, that's true.

Q. You released pressure after this match. I suppose it's also due to all the work you put in before the match.
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, we practiced a lot. We worked a lot. This match, look at all the work I did before.

At last it's fruitful, and that's such a relief. I wasn't just thinking about myself, my happiness. I was thinking about my staff, my family, and unfortunately, they had to leave during the third set to Asturias, and they had to catch their plane. That's when I wanted to share my moment with my family and the kins of the people I love. I will be really close to Albert and my coach, but what I was missing was my family.

Q. I don't know what you were thinking, because you discussed this in English, but what you were thinking when Milos was saving these match points. What were you thinking?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Well, I think there were six match points, and I succeeded with match point No. 7, I think.

But anyway, these match points, I didn't play badly. I wanted to be aggressive and thanks to my experience, I think it's better to be aggressive and to move forward rather than being too conservative and just think about playing within the lines of the court. If you are aggressive and lose the match point, then you should think about the reasons why.

I think I missed one or two, but the rest were match points that were saved by Milos. These were tough and tense match points, not at all easy to win such a match and in such a way.

But when I saw he was not moving enough, I made a dropshot, and I volleyed and made a dropshot, and I felt such a relief.

I thought I would finish the match during the previous match points, but I didn't succeed before. And then all of a sudden, I didn't succeed until match point No. 7.

Q. I suppose you'll have to recover after this? Wouldn't you have to recover physically but also mentally? You have to be ready for the next match. It will be against Rafa. How are you going to be ready?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Well, I could say, okay, that's easy, it's quarterfinals, nobody expected this.

Now I have to play against Rafa. He plays so well. He's the best player today. People could say, why should I fight altogether? But I will try not to think this way. Maybe it's normal, but I don't want to do this. I want to recover from my emotions and I have to eat. I'm hungry. Then I will need to take time to discuss with my coach and my team, and we will try and be as enthusiastic as I was today before my match.

Q. It's quarterfinals. It's probably the biggest challenge for a player.
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Well, these quarterfinals is a great opportunity to continue and create my own history, to write down my own history or my career in a Grand Slam at Roland Garros.

It's not easy. But it's something very important. When you practice, you think about this. So I will be playing here. Quarterfinals at Roland Garros against Rafa Nadal who has won here so many times on this surface.

I suppose we'll be playing on a huge court, as well. I remember the Federer match, and I played against him on a big court. Now, maybe it's going to be court, as well, against Rafa. It's going to be unique.

Q. Okay. Quarterfinals. Grand Slam. And you defeated one of the top 10. What would you say about this?
PABLO CARRENO BUSTA: Yeah, that's true. If you look at my statistics with the top 10 players, my statistics are going to improve, which means that I'm developing, I'm evolving, I'm winning now against players who are some of the best players, and I'm gaining respect.

I'll continue to work. Things don't happen by chance. I'll have to continue and work again and again with the same ambition and move forward.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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