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ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2017

Richard Gasquet

Paris, France

R. GASQUET/V. Burgos

6-1, 6-0, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. This was a fairly easy match, especially the first two sets. What is your feeling?
RICHARD GASQUET: I'm happy. I was able to play 100%. I think this is probably my happiest match of the season.

It feels good. I was able to play without any pain. I was not feeling good on Monday, so I did everything I could over the past two days to be in good shape today.

I guess I did well. I'm very happy I was able to play at 100%.

Q. Do you feel this is the best of your season?
RICHARD GASQUET: No. No, no, I have been better, but I have been able to play without any pain today since my appendicitis. You know, the last match in Marseilles against Lucas I was not able to play a single time at even 70% of my potential.

Today I was at 100%, so I'm honestly very, very happy.

Q. On Monday you said I didn't feel great. You didn't feel great. Would you say you're surprised? Because you went from not being very good on Monday to feeling great today. What happened?
RICHARD GASQUET: I think I just took good care of myself. I have done a lot of work over the past two days. I didn't play, however. I did some physical training, but no actual training on the court. I felt really well today on the court. I look at things very differently all of a sudden.

I'm happy to see that I can enjoy myself on the court. So the season is sort of starting from scratch right now, here, today.

Q. So what did you do exactly since Monday in terms of treatments?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, nothing really fabulous or crazy. I think I did what I had to do. Bottom line is I could play today. I felt my legs very well today. My back was feeling great.

I think Monday's match was also very positive, so the body is recovering. I'm happy, because I'm able to play well today. Hopefully I can do this again on Saturday.

Q. The first two sets. Would you say they are high level? Because you played very well.
RICHARD GASQUET: Yes, I think so. I was really able to manage my opponent with his -- to force him to play with his backhand, which is not necessarily his strength.

I was also happy that I was able to finish the match today. That way I didn't have to come back tomorrow, you know. I know that soon we will have lights on the court, but not today. So the night was coming. You know, we need some light to finish. I think the lights will really make a difference.

So third set, it's happened to me before. You know, that either you finish the match or you have to come back. I think with that difference in the future, it will be much better. Don't you think so? Right? (Smiling).

Q. You talked about your physical condition. Your opponent has a very unique slice, backhand slice. How did you adjust?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, I haven't played for two months. I had some, you know, serious trouble. I didn't play Madrid. I didn't play Rome. Barcelona wasn't good. I didn't play Miami. I didn't play in Indian Wells. That's a lot. I missed a lot.

This is not extraordinary, but I'm happy that I can play. Just happy that I can play today. First of all, I'm happy to be here, and I can finally express myself.

We'll see tennis-wise where this takes me. Of course I was a favorite today, but still, it feels good to win.

Q. So what do you think about the next match? You'll be playing GaÃ«l. It's never easy to play a friend, right?
RICHARD GASQUET: I think it's very unfortunate, because there are not that many French left in the third round. I think we have never had so few.

I think there is three or four left. That's very few. So it's unfortunate that I will be playing a fellow Frenchman. We have had a lot of difficulties, he and I, over the past three months. I think tennis-wise, we are more or less at the same level. Hopefully we can play a good match, and the best of us will win.

Hopefully this will be -- yeah, I really hope it will be a good match. I'm very much looking forward to it, and, yeah.

Q. Coming back to Estrella. I'm an amateur. Someone who does these little chips like he does all the time. It's a nightmare. How do you deal with it?
RICHARD GASQUET: Well, he has a very unusual game play. He plays very differently. He has that chip. A good forehand. When you're in the club, you can see different people play with chips.

Q. (off microphone.)
RICHARD GASQUET: I mean, it can be very painful for the opponents. But I actually kind of like to play guys like that, because I think I'm pretty good. The chip has never -- especially the backhand chip, is my best shot. I think I was pretty good today at it, and it really didn't bother me. I can't really tell you.

Q. But is there a trick to deal with these chips?
RICHARD GASQUET: I think each style, some styles are more difficult to play. I like to play these chips. I know that some players don't like to play players like him.

But whenever I have played players who do these chips, I have always enjoyed it. Can I give you any advice? No, not really.

(Conversation off microphone.)

RICHARD GASQUET: When I was playing the club, I played many. You know, the younger ones, all the guys in the area. So many players lost when they played these players who love to do these chips. Maybe that's where I learned, you know, the hard way, I guess.

Q. (off microphone.)
RICHARD GASQUET: You know, in clubs, these older players, they get into trouble because they have to -- they are forced into playing these young players with a chip.

Q. Can we come back to Roland Garros, please? And to the upcoming match with GaÃ«l? You have played 13 times against each other. Only once, I believe, in Barcelona on clay. So without revealing any of your secrets or tactics, how do you think you can make things difficult for him?
RICHARD GASQUET: We have really not played much. I remember the US Open I was not in good shape. He was in great shape.

I think we can play a great match. He played very well today. So I think we can play -- I hope we can play a good match.

You know, as long as I can play 100% of my tennis and take great pleasure, that's what I want, and I hope we can do the same and it will be, I hope, a great match. Hopefully this can, you know, take us forward, you know, to a good season.

Again, it is a bit unfortunate that he's a fellow Frenchman. I don't always like to play friends. But again, I hope it will be a good match. I hope the sun will shine. We will be on the center court. It will be a nice moment. But there will be no light. No, no, no, we won't play at the end of the day. I guess maybe we will. You never know.

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