	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

June 3, 2018

David Goffin

Paris, France

M. CECCHINATO/D. Goffin

7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. Were you having some problems in the match?
DAVID GOFFIN: A little bit with my arm, but nothing serious. I was feeling a little bit tired, especially from my match yesterday. I was not -- I didn't find a solution to find energy to fight like always. I was feeling a little bit tired, and especially mentally. So it was tough, after, to fight to win four, five sets.

So I don't know. I was -- I slept well, but I think, yeah, the match of yesterday, I waste too much energy on the court, and especially mentally. I think it was a great fight.

And to be back on the court a few hours after, it was tough for me to feel good like before in the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You're talking about general fatigue, but are there some body parts which are specifically affected?
DAVID GOFFIN: I didn't feel a lot of energy from the outside. Even if I held my serve, it wasn't enough dynamic. I would catch the balls, but it was not easy.

And I couldn't raise my level to overwhelm him. He was very consistent in his game. He moved around quite well. He was very dynamic. His footwork was good.

And when we actually push a little bit, I pushed with my arm. I tried to have points, and I started making mistakes. My arms started hurting a little. It wasn't the right solution.

But I didn't have enough footwork, enough energy, and I wasn't -- I lost a bit of composure. It wasn't a great match, obviously.

Q. You said that you were well prepared on the fitness point of view. Was it mentally that you weren't prepared?
DAVID GOFFIN: Yes, because I did not have any cramp. I felt good in my legs.

It's just that I lacked energy today. This is why I never managed at any point to boost myself physically to raise my level.

And he did a good match, so it was hard to raise my game level throughout the match.

Q. What about the physio? What did you expect from him if everything was fine?
DAVID GOFFIN: It's about the arm. The arm hurt a little when I served, but this is because I was pushing, and I felt my arm was heavy.

I started feeling a bit of pain, and I wanted to relieve that pain. Then, in the legs, I would catch the balls, but I was lagging behind.

There was a lot of mistakes made, lots of bad footwork done. So it was a general fatigue rather than a specific injury.

Q. Did you feel tired this morning?
DAVID GOFFIN: It was on the court. The match started, and little by little I felt that I didn't have the energy when the crucial points were being played. The energy was lacking.

And my composure was missing, as well, on certain points. So as far as I was concerned, I was -- I didn't have enough intensity and energy.

Q. Despite all this, you were nearly on the fifth set, you have a serve which is slower, which is better and things can change. Did you think about that?
DAVID GOFFIN: Are you talking about my serve or his serve?

Q. His serve.
DAVID GOFFIN: His serve? Yeah, I was trying to have a return down the line to break him on two, three points, because I didn't find the right comfort zone. I didn't manage to weave my web as I used to do.

On a few points, I managed to bluff it, but I was going too fast. I was making too many mistakes. I went too fast to get a winner instead of building points. I tried to make him run around. And, at the end, I managed to make a mistake, or he made me run.

And he held his composure quite well.

Q. Yesterday, you felt proud after a tight match. Today is another emotion. But you had the opportunity to play the quarters here against Djokovic after a day off. Do you still feel disappointment?
DAVID GOFFIN: I feel disappointed, but I'm going to try to work on that. I know that in such times we need to be mentally fresh on such tournaments, because so much energy is being used up.

After the five sets yesterday and then today, in two days having matches like this, this is what was the toughest for me, especially with my game level.

Every time there's a bit of sand, then there's a problem. I need have the right footwork. I need to run around as freely as possible. I need to be able to strike hard against my opponent.

I need to be -- to play longer, and I need to reach that specific threshold.

Q. You actually beat him in Rome in three sets. It was a tough match. What is the problem with his game? Is it because you were tired today more than anything?
DAVID GOFFIN: Yes, it wasn't easy, but he played very well today. He played deep. He had lobs. His forehand was very precise. He had good drop shots, and he would go to the net when needed. He had also very good serves. He had strong serves with good spins down the line.

And so the rallies were more difficult. And when he made me run, he was actually dictating the rallies, so it was hard for me to have the upper hand.

Q. That means that for the days to come, maybe you can have some days off?
DAVID GOFFIN: There will be some days off, and then I will prepare for the grass season. The clay season is over, and now we are going to prepare for the grass.

Q. From next week onwards?
DAVID GOFFIN: We'll see. It depends on the schedule.

Q. You're talking about mental fatigue. Is it because it was also hard to try to catch up after your injury and already maybe you were a bit diminished because of that?
DAVID GOFFIN: I don't have the solution. I don't know, really, but I don't have the answer.

There have been some matches. It's true that it was hard to go back, but then that's it. I don't really have an answer to that question, despite the fact that yesterday was hard already to try to wrap up the match in special conditions. And today wasn't easy either.

I don't have a real answer to that.

Q. The public didn't help you. There was no atmosphere like yesterday. It could have helped you?
DAVID GOFFIN: There was no highlight where actually I could have that. I had ups and downs. There was lots of mistakes being made.

There was no important point or a specific highlight where both players were playing well. This is why it was tough today.

Of course, the public would have helped me had it been the case, but, unfortunately, it wasn't the case today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297