	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROLAND GARROS

May 28, 2017

Benjamin Bonzi

Paris, France

B. BONZI/D. Medvedev

5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 3-1 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. First Roland Garros in the main draw. Have you realized what you just achieved?
BENJAMIN BONZI: Not yet. Everything has been so fast. The tournament board, the wild card that I got, and the first round today. So I haven't yet come to terms with that. This will come gradually.

Q. Did you expect to get a wildcard?
BENJAMIN BONZI: No. It was a big surprise for me. I wanted to get a wildcard for the qualifying tournament, and I would have been very happy to get it. So it was a big surprise. I had to prepare myself accordingly.

Q. At the start of the fourth set, what was your mindset, physically speaking?
BENJAMIN BONZI: It was tough for me physically, but for him, as well, it was tough. So I didn't want to show that I was tired. And I wanted to get the upper hand in the set, and I wanted to keep my serve. And I wanted to be ahead as long as possible.

Q. With his game, what was the main problem? What was the main hurdle in his game?
BENJAMIN BONZI: He has a big serve. He's very difficult to read his serve, his trajectory. He was very powerful and he's quite unpredictable in his game. So it's not easy to construe his game. Lots of uncertainties. He's a big hitter.

Q. What can you tell us about you? Where do you come from? Who do you practice with and why do you have good results this year?
BENJAMIN BONZI: I was born in Nimes. So I went through the Federation program at the Boulouris Pole, France, INSEP, then four months at the National Center, and they didn't keep me, so I worked for the Stade Toulousain Club and I practiced at the league, and I practiced on my own, as well. Rather on my own regarding the training sessions.

Q. Why did you stop working at the CNE, French Training Center?
BENJAMIN BONZI: Because I didn't get the right ranking, and there was a deadline. So I didn't get the right ranking so I had to leave.

Q. You said that you had to prepare yourself when you got the wildcard, so was it a physical preparation or a mental preparation?
BENJAMIN BONZI: It was both. So when you play at the French Open and qualifying tournament and in the main draw, it's totally different. You have to be ready to play four or five sets, and it's a big event. Fitness-wise, I had to prepare myself very well.

Q. First win in a Grand Slam tournament. Will it be a benchmark date?
BENJAMIN BONZI: Yes, I will remember that match all my life. Everything goes so fast. Three weeks ago I wouldn't have imagined to be in the main draw. So it will be engraved in my memory, of course.

Q. Next player, Ramos-Vinolas, what do you think of this player?
BENJAMIN BONZI: I will it will be a tough match. I tried to recover as quickly as possible, and I will prepare the match accordingly. I don't know exactly when I play against him, but I will feel relaxed. I will have no pressure, so I will do my best.

Q. It's a specific day today. Were you stressful or did you adopt a carefree attitude?
BENJAMIN BONZI: No mental stress, but physical stress. I had some pain in the past days, but I expected something worse. But when I stepped on court, I was relaxed. I didn't feel pressure so much. And this was my first Grand Slam, my first match in the main draw. So I was quite happy with it. So far, so good.

Q. When you got the wildcard, were you eager to play a specific player or a sort of player that you wouldn't like to play against?
BENJAMIN BONZI: So it was very difficult for me to pick up an opponent. At the end of the day, I didn't know if I wanted to pick up an opponent. I'm a fan of Roger Federer but Federer doesn't take part of in this tournament, so there were so many players I didn't know who to pick up.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297