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ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2017

Nicolas Almagro

Paris, France

N. ALMAGRO/M. Baghdatis

6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. It's your best results for this year according to you, or just victory?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I think it's a victory. I think not my best performance, but I'm trying to be back after a long injury after the Australian Open. But, well, I need to be focused. It's a good win, and we will see what happens in the future.

Q. What about your hopes about Roland Garros? What's your main goal?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I will try to play my best tennis like every year. I don't know what can I do on court, but for sure I'm going to fight, and I will see. The future is, you never know what you can do in the future.

But, well, I will fight with all my tennis and all my physical, and I want to do my best on court.

Q. You think to have other clay tournaments after Roland Garros or you will go to grass?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: After Roland Garros I for sure need to think on grass. It's Wimbledon in one month.

But after Wimbledon, maybe I will play in Bastad, Hamburg, and Kitzbuhel.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. You felt comfortable on your serve? What did you think about your serve? Did you feel better than what you anticipated?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I didn't feel comfortable on court. At the start it was tough. I should have seized some opportunities. I couldn't make it. He broke me. Then I broke him back. Maybe in the tiebreaker I was playing too fast.

Then I felt calmer, more serene. But I had to quash his game. I had to hold out. It's an important tournament for me, for us. It's great to win a match here.

Q. What about your knee after Rome?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: No, I have a problem with my knee, with my meniscus, so I will see how we can sort that out. Paco Martinez is on my side. He's a doctor. He's done a very good job so that I can be fit here.

But my knee is holding well. I get some infiltrations, and I will hold water until the next match.

Q. What are your objectives? Any specific goals for this tournament?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Specific objectives? To get to the next round. The objective is to win as many matches as possible. When you win, it's always welcome, positive. And I hope that I will be able to get back to a good level of tennis. I know that I can improve my game, my level on this surface and haven't yet reached that top level for many reasons this year.

Q. Back to your knee. It's quite unfortunate. In Madrid you almost managed to make an upset. What about the Nicolas of the past?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I'm a different Nicolas. I don't have the same energy. I have more experience. I'm more mature now. I need to reinvent myself. I need to evolve.

There is a new generation of players, and they are playing quite well, making impact on the tour.

But I'm very happy with the Nicolas of today. I'm able to better handle tough situations, and I can manage better the difficult situations. I need to continue along that path.

I have just won a match. Maybe things will click in the future, but if you have a look at my recent performances, I think that I'm on the right track.

Q. What about the next match against Del Potro?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Del Potro will try to dictate play with his forehand. I'll try to counter him. I will try and play on his backhand. I will be very aggressive. This is my style of tennis, to be aggressive.

Q. Out of 15 Spanish players, 12 are through to the next round. What do you think of that?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I'm happy, because there are lots of Spanish players advancing to the next round. I don't know why. We play on clay. That's great. It's our favorite surface. Things are looking good, and I hope that I won't have to play against another Spanish player.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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