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ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2017

Jeremy Chardy

Paris, France

K. NISHIKORI/J. Chardy

6-3, 6-0, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You lost 12 games in a row, so from seventh game first set to third game third set. How do you look back that situation? What do you think about Kei's game?
JEREMY CHARDY: What is the question?

Q. Kei's play. What do you think about Kei's play today?
JEREMY CHARDY: Well, I mean, I lost 12 games in a row, yes. I think Kei was just better than me today. He's playing really well. It was difficult for me, because he had, like, five games in a row he played really good tennis.

And after he start to be in my mind and start to be lost in court a little bit, I didn't know how to play. I didn't have any solution for a while.

Is difficult when you're on court. But just congratulations to him. He was just better than me. I cannot say much more than that.

Q. Speaking of solution, you managed to come back in the third set. How did you pump yourself up? Did you find any solution to play against him?
JEREMY CHARDY: First I think when he called the physio was good for me, because -- I mean, during three minutes I can be calm and start from zero. He lost his rhythm a little bit. I mean, I want to fight. I didn't want to lose like easily like this. So I tried to fight.

I fight until the end, but I didn't make it. But, yeah, I'm just happy to find a way to come back and to fight and to finish 7-6, because I didn't want to lose, like, easily like that.

Again, it was not easy on court. That's it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You have played Nishikori several times. Would you say that today was the best Nishikori you ever met?
JEREMY CHARDY: For a while he played very, very well. I think for five games he played very, very well. He was much stronger than I was. For five games, I really suffered.

At that point I think I lost some of my confidence. I was trying to find a solution, but I just couldn't. He was not missing anything.

When that happens, it goes really fast. You lose game after game.

I don't think I played a bad match, but he was just a bit stronger in everything he did. You know, I don't like to confess this, but, hey, that's reality. He was stronger.

Q. I saw the third set. At one point physically he seemed in trouble. Did you have the feeling that if you could win that third set you were pretty close? Do you think that if you had won the third set you could have won the match?
JEREMY CHARDY: Well, at that point, I was just trying to play well. I did come back at one point. I was trying to win on my serves.

But I have played the guy many times. You know, it's happened to me before. You think he's tired, but he's not. He comes back. That's the way he is.

Sometimes you think that he is hurting or that he's getting tired. But when he plays well and when he's leading, he has a lot of endurance.

He can play for a long time and play well. I really wanted to win the set. Then I wasn't even thinking what would happen after the set. At that point, you know, I had been way behind. Just being able to come back was good. A fourth set would have been a different story. A fifth set would have been a different story altogether.

Q. You said he was above you in terms of game play. Is there one specific area that he was really good in? His returns, for example?
JEREMY CHARDY: Well, he catches the ball very early across the match. He was able to cut these balls. Even on clay he manages to get the ball very, very quickly, which makes it very difficult to be proactive.

If you make a small mistake, you lose. You're out. So that means you're under pressure all the time.

His returns are great, and he's known for it. So this is what impressed me. And then the way he moves on the court, he moves extremely quickly. And as I said, once again, on clay he gets that ball very early, which is not easy to do. So that puts a lot of pressure.

If you miss something, you're punished. You're sanctioned immediately. And that's very difficult.

Q. Did you feel like you were powerless, that there was really nothing you could do for about 30 minutes?
JEREMY CHARDY: It is difficult to manage. You know, you're out there on the court, and there is really nothing you can do.

So I did some serious thinking, as you can imagine. But at the same time, in the meantime, you know, it was game after game after game that he was winning, and that of course impacts your confidence. It's really not easy to find yourself in a situation like that. But that was it.

That's it. As I said, he was just a bit stronger in everything he did. I lost my, you know, tactics.

Q. In the third set, did you make some adjustments? What are the technical adjustments that allowed you to come back?
JEREMY CHARDY: I'm not sure. At one point, you know, he talked to his physio. That allowed me, you know, to freshen up a little bit. I think he was out of pace at one point. I think his level somewhat declined, but it would have been very difficult, I think, for both of us playing at the pace he was playing before until the end.

So I think he sort of let go a little bit at that point, because he's talked to the physio. I think I played a little better. He played a little less well at that point. You know, that's the way it is in tennis. Things can change very quickly.

I guess I could have won the third set, but even with that, I was way behind him.

Q. What's next for you? Wimbledon?
JEREMY CHARDY: I don't know. When I play a match like this, even if I end up losing, I still learn. I learn. I learn a lot. So I need to use what I have learned today going forward. I really enjoyed playing on the court. I had a great time, and I can't wait to go back. I'm going to go back to training very quickly, and there are a lot of things that I need to work on, and then I think I'm going to start with Stuttgart playing on grass, and hopefully that will go well.

Q. Nishikori said he was aiming to win here at the French Open. Do you think he could do it?
JEREMY CHARDY: Well, I think he's always, you know, part of the favorites. Certain players play really, really well. Novak, Rafa are obviously favorites.

I guess if I had to pick three, it would be Novak, Rafa, and then Nishikori.

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