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November 2, 2017
Paris, France
J. SOCK/L. Pouille
7-6, 6-3
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.
Q. You fought back and you came back after the break in the second set. How come you didn't succeed in the end?
LUCAS POUILLE: Well, he broke me in the first set. But he had no set point on his serve. I was able to come back 5-4. I had a set point in the tiebreaker. He missed an easy overhead at 5-All, so it was a pity not to win that set.
After that, he was a bit better than I was in the second set.
Q. There's a difference in your level of game between today and yesterday. Is it because of Feliciano or is it because of how you felt today?
LUCAS POUILLE: I don't know. Of course, yesterday I was playing a lefty. Today it was a right-handed player. It's different. And he plays a lot. Yesterday he played a lot of serve and volley, and today not. There were many differences.
And, of course, all games adapt differently. It was more difficult today. He was very aggressive with his forehand. He was quite difficult to move around.
Q. We saw you with a tape on your thigh. Did it bother you during the match?
LUCAS POUILLE: A little bit, yes. But once I decided to go onto the court, it means that I believe I have my chances, I can fight. I can be competitive.
But, of course, it was bothering but it's certainly not the reason why I lost today.
Q. So back to the draw. You pulled out of doubles?
LUCAS POUILLE: Yes. That's the reason, the only reason, because of the injury.
Q. The pain happened during warmup?
LUCAS POUILLE: No. Yesterday in the middle of the second set. Of course, I went to do all the examinations I needed yesterday evening. They said there was something very light. So I had to wait this morning to see how I felt, and this morning I decided at 4:30 that I was going to play.
After playing two matches in a row, now I'm deciding it was a risk before the Davis Cup final. So that's why I decided to play only singles.
Q. There's nothing on the examinations? That's just a contraction?
LUCAS POUILLE: I didn't say there was nothing. I said there was a little thing.
Q. But it's not torn?
LUCAS POUILLE: I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is. It's only my business and the business of the medical staff. But there was a little thing that bothered me, that is bothering me, but it is not very serious. Otherwise, I wouldn't have played.
But now the time has come for me to rest and to prepare myself.
Q. Your loss qualifies David for the Masters. You are quite close together. What do you think of that qualification of David?
LUCAS POUILLE: He deserves it. He had a good season, especially after the French Open where he had difficult times with his ankle. But since Davis Cup and Asia, he's been playing very well. In the end of the year he won two titles in a row, including Tokyo. So he really deserves that. I'm happy for him that he's going to the Masters.
Q. So now time has come for getting prepared for the final and recuperating?
LUCAS POUILLE: Well, yes. As I said, it's the final goal for this year. And there will be no other tournaments before that. I will have time to rest, to get prepared. I'll try to be fresh when I get there, to have good practices. And if I'm selected, I want to be ready and I want to be 100%.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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