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ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2017

Kyle Edmund

Paris, France

K. EDMUND/R. Olivo

7-5, 6-3, 6-1

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. People are saying a lot of nice things about your form and performance so far. They say you could go maybe third, fourth -- well, you're in the third round, but fourth, fifth. What is your own assessment of how you feel at this stage of the tournament?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, it was a good match today. It felt good. Felt in control of my game. Did what I wanted to do for the most part of the match.

And yeah, I mean, he had a good win last round and maybe because he's had to play a few days in a row he might have been a bit tired, but that's not my problem. I have got to go and do my job. Play the person that's in front of me. And he beat a good player in Tsonga, so I knew I had to be on it.

And it went really well today under hot conditions, so it was really flying about. But I think it really suited me.

Q. Is that your best win at a Slam, do you think, in terms of the level?
KYLE EDMUND: No. I think, I mean, it's definitely a good match, but at the minute I always think sort of my US Open's run is probably my better, you know, the way I played, beat Gasquet, and then also beating Isner at the US Open, the No. 1 American. And you know, I played some good tennis there.

So, you know, at the minute I always consider that my best run at a slam. But hopefully, you know, I can still keep going here.

Q. Did you feel like you were getting stronger as the game progressed?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, definitely. Well, it was the closest first set, the closest set of the match was the first. And then, yeah, once I got that third and broke him, it just really momentum kept going with me and a few, like, Love-30 points I think on my serve. But I handled them well enough. A few deuce points.

But when I needed to be tough and play some good tennis, I did. Which was good as well. I said to my coach afterwards that when I needed to play well, I did. So yeah, I felt in control of the match. And yeah, playing within myself and doing the right things.

Q. You were standing really far back to return the serve a lot of the time. How do you tend to deal with that and sort of counteract that?
KYLE EDMUND: He was.

Q. Yeah.
KYLE EDMUND: That's just probably his way. I noticed he stood far back against Tsonga, so he would probably do the same thing, because that's what was working.

But people that stand far back you tend to hit less aces. But then even they hit less aces, it means your serve's not under threat. So you're just going to get balls that you're not on the back foot. You're either going to be in control or neutral.

So yeah, just it's very hard to stand back and be on top of the point. And that's just something you analyze during the match. Everyone does. Like sometimes I'll stand back to get more balls in play, but I know that I probably won't be hitting winners. But if I stand in, then sometimes it's more difficult to middle returns. But if you do middle it, you got a good chance of getting a good strike in.

And maybe that's just the way he plays, I think, being a South American, brought up on the clay. Maybe he just likes time.

Q. Jim Courier said you could be a top ten player. How do you reflect on that?
KYLE EDMUND: Oh, well, it's nice to hear someone like Jim say that comment. You know, he's been around the game a long time. Davis Cup captain.

So yeah, I respect him a lot and for him to say that is nice. You know, look, people have said, thrown different numbers around, and it's nice to hear that stuff. But, you know, that's down to me to do that and to put the work in. It doesn't just happen overnight to get top ten. It has to come from winning matches and beating good players to be top ten.

So, you know, I know that I'm not going to get too ahead of myself. I have to keep going about my process and, you know, I want to get to the top of the game one day. So for sure. I know what needs to be done.

But it's nice to hear that stuff. It means they obviously, they rate you highly, I guess, which is good.

Q. With Tsonga and now Kyrgios dropping out of your section of the draw, do you see this as a real opportunity to really make a name for yourself this week and hopefully next week?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah. Well, I mean, the Kyrgios one is like, the other argument to it is that he lost to a guy that beat him. So, obviously, that guy is playing well as well. So on paper I guess he's the seed, but the guy that's just beaten him shows he's playing well.

So all matches are going to be tough especially as you go through the rounds. They're going to start to get tougher naturally because they're winning just like me.

So yeah, just similar to this match I played, I don't take it for granted. I know I'm going to have to play well to beat Anderson. And he's, obviously, got a big game, big guy. Hot conditions so the ball is really pinging around. So Saturday I've just got to be on it. One match at a time.

Q. Comparisons with playing Isner?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, potentially. I mean, different situation with surface and I think Isner probably gets, statistically he gets more cheap points on his serve. But Anderson has still got a great serve and good groundies. I mean, he was out a bit with injury, but before he went out of injury, he was consistent at the top of the game and getting good results.

So it's a similar match-up in terms of tall guy, big serve, but just different circumstances.

Q. Also a lot of talk about your forehand in particular. How big a weapon is that for you now and how much do you use it and be aggressive and bully players?
KYLE EDMUND: I have to be, that's my game. There's no point in having a shot like that and not using it. I've got to use it, I've got to keep taking the initiative to, like you say, bully players with it when I can. I'm feeling good at the moment with it, so it's important that I use it smartly. Conditions as well. You got to be smart with how you use it there.

But that's my game. You know, no point having your game but then playing like a counter-punching style or standing far behind the baseline and trying to hit high. I've got to be aggressive, use the court space well with it.

So it's just playing to your strengths and being smart with it.

Q. Just going back to Kyrgios, it was Nick that you were scheduled to play two years ago when you had to pull out?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah.

Q. Is there an element of you wish you could have played him this time, in a way sort of measuring yourself against a fellow 22-year-old who's come through at the same sort of time as you have?
KYLE EDMUND: Because I pulled out and I was going to play him do I wish I played him now?

Q. Yeah.
KYLE EDMUND: No, not really. Just because there's so many matches a year that I guess it's just a bit of a coincidence it happened to be at the same tournament we could have played each other.

But for sure I'll play him in the future. We're both young. Hopefully we're going to have long careers. So we're bound to play each other. We're still playing. So I will play him again, I think it just didn't work out at that time. It didn't work out this time.

But there isn't any part of me that thinks, Oh, I wish I would have played him because I pulled out last time. Just he lost his match so he's out and I pulled out again because I was injured, and that's just the way it worked out, really.

But I will play him again so I'm not too worried about playing him right now.

Q. We talked about being, you know, respectful of big serves and other people with their big serves and big weapons. Do you get a sense that your opponents now are beginning to get more of a sense of what you're about and that you're being talked about a little bit more in the locker rooms?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, probably. I mean, you don't hear it because they're not going to talk to you about that. But yeah, I mean, I've been playing on, I guess, the tour schedule for definitely last year, a bit before, the year before, but this year.

So I'm, obviously, around players and they're going to watch you, you know, if you're on. I think as well if you have good Slams, runs like I did at US Open last year, people don't ignore that. They know it. And they would have seen how I play and for sure, like, they would see stuff. I mean, I think, I don't know, it's more of a question to maybe ask them what they think.

But with anyone who does well, like, you see them coming through, you're going to take notice of them. It's like me seeing other players and watching how they play and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

So no doubt that other players are of a similar mindset where they will watch and try and suss game styles out.

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