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ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2017

Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Paris, France

F. VERDASCO/Ph. Herbert

6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. What is the first thing that comes to mind? That it was a beautiful fight or that you let a few opportunities slip away in the first set?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: No. Right now it's difficult to see anything positive. I'm really very disappointed that I lost, that I couldn't give the audience a victory, because they supported me all the way through.

I did my best to win. I had a chance and I didn't seize it. So I have lots of questions, unanswered questions.

Q. You said that you could be a tough guy on clay, but he was tougher.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes. I knew that there was something I could do on clay. When it's hot, when there are quick balls, I can be a bit of a pain like you said. And I proved it today, but I didn't necessarily need to prove anything to myself. What I needed to do was to win, and I failed.

Q. Could you explain how he started very robust and then, in fact, how did you turn things around to lead by two sets? So how did you manage to put him off track?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes, he played really well in the first one, probably like in his match against Zverev. And then I go, well, 6-3 in the second set. He always plays very well. He was very aggressive.

And I managed to resist on my serve. And there was a game where he lost a couple of points. He started playing not as fast, and that opened up an opportunity for me to use my game play. And I seized a couple of opportunities that I was pretty good in managing my points. I won the right points, scored the right points.

But, unfortunately, in the first game of the fourth set, things didn't go so well. I have lots of regrets there. If I had managed to stay on the same streak in the two previous sets, there might not have been a fifth set. Obviously, I can't rewrite history, but at that point I really regret the first game in the fourth set. I think I paid that dearly.

Q. How did you manage the fifth set physically? And his five, six-minute break, did that disturb you?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: No, not really. I think he did the same thing after the first set. In fact, when the match was called, I had to wait for him downstairs for ten minutes. And then he went to the toilet and I had to wait again. You need to learn how to manage these moments. But that wasn't really the problem. Because in the fifth set, I had several opportunities there. I don't think that had any particular influence on the match.

Q. You have been very successful on these drop shots. Was that part of your -- on your backhand drop shots that landed nicely above the net. That was a good weapon you had in your arsenal.
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes, well, I knew that I wasn't just going to do forehand, backhand, forehand, backhand, lift the balls. I had to be a little more tricky, wrong-foot him at some point.

And I think I found a good proportion of these different types of shots. But unfortunately, it didn't bring me to the third round.

Q. What nice memories will you take back from this Roland Garros and what are you going to do next?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I think this is where I had my truly emotional experiences. Although I lost today, I experienced something extremely powerful emotionally, which is why it's very difficult to come back down on earth after that.

The audience really supported me through and through. And to have that, to be lucky enough to experience that for a player is incredible. Of course, the icing on the cake would have been I had won, but never mind. The emotions today were very powerful, very positive. And then, of course, I'm feeling a little bit down because I didn't make it.

And to answer what I'm going to do afterwards, I have the grass season approaching. I have some ambitious targets for that. I registered for almost every tournament on grass. I don't know whether it will be Stuttgart or s-Hertogenbosch. I'm going to need to prepare for grass and move on, really.

Q. You said the first game of the fourth set you had regrets, but what else do you think made you lose? I don't know. Physically? Inexperience?
PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Well, yes, perhaps physically. But then, you know, physical and mental are deeply connected. And there were moments where perhaps I slightly lost my concentration. That happened early in the fourth set. And at 40-30, I just couldn't do it. And it's these little lapses that I had to pay dearly. And it's been a problem in the past.

And, of course, he deserved to win as much as I did and perhaps more. He has more experience.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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