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ROLAND GARROS

May 27, 2018

Mohamed Safwat

Paris, France

G. DIMITROV/M. Safwat

6-1, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. I guess when did you find out that you were going to play and what were your initial feelings walking out onto that special court?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: I found out I would play an hour, like, at 10:00. I was warming up at 9:00? Yeah, 9:00. I finished 9:30, and by the time I went to sign was 10:00.

I sign and I left, and then I went to ask again and then I saw the tour manager. They told me, Do you know the news? I said, I know that I'm one out. He said, Yeah, but you might go on court at 11:00. I said, okay.

And I have everything in the locker room in Suzanne Lenglen. So I have to go there. I have to come back. So try to deal with it as best I can.

Q. You didn't, obviously, get a chance to hit on that court.
MOHAMED SAFWAT: Never saw the inside before.

Q. So what was it like and what did it feel like?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: It was -- at the beginning, I mean, it was -- I was trying to figure it out, what is -- how the court. Is it fast or slow? For me, I felt it's different than the courts outside.

I didn't know my right tension, so I was trying to switch racquets there and here. I was trying to figure out what I do.

So basically I feel like I start to play and feel comfortable at the middle of the second set when I was 4-1. I started to feel my string. I change my racquet. I had a loose racquet. Luckily, I had that one and I started, like, to feel, like, yeah.

And from that moment, I picked up the momentum, and it was actually fun at the end to play. That's when I figured out what is happening and what I need. And it was really enjoyable.

Q. What did it feel like to participate in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: It's something big. I mean, I always was dream to play on center court with such a crowd. And I had thoughts I might get in here and play Nadal in the first round.

But it was really, really a lot of things happened to me in the last few months, and this is one of the biggest thing. I never ever thought I will be -- that, you know, go in the final round and then have a chance to compete in a tournament, in the main draw, in a Grand Slam against a good player in the center court in Philippe Chatrier.

It's something I always saw it on TV, but I never had the experience to see. So it was really, really enjoyable for me.

Q. It's been a while since a man from your country has played in a main draw at a Grand Slam. First of all, do you know how long it's been or do you know about that history at all?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: I heard from Reem. She always say. But it was, like, 20, 22 years. Yeah, it's catching up with the World Cup.

Q. Well, is there any sort of significance back home, do you think, for people there to see someone play in a Grand Slam?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: I mean, I believe now we've started to have more players, we started, like, to understand how the worldwide system is going on.

I personally didn't -- I don't practice now in Egypt. I practice in Austria with Gilbert Schaller. I have started with him since December.

And I feel like in Egypt we don't know how to get there, how to -- or we don't have the knowledge. We don't have so many players achieve. And the ones that achieve, they already -- I feel they're not, I mean, helping the tennis there.

Beside, now, our president, he's trying to do something. Ismail El-Shafei. I don't know if you -- he was the top tennis player in the history.

But I feel like we just missing the knowledge. Because what I experience now, what I've been -- the new changes and the things I add to, on court and off court, that we understand the sport wrong, like, the philosophy of the sport or how to play or how to maintain the level.

Q. At some point there were, like, chants of your name in the stadium. Did you hear that toward the end?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: No. Honestly, I started to make my battle there. Because I feel like if I go open -- I think it's the biggest court I have ever played. I played in Dubai, but I think it was bigger than Dubai.

I was just trying to feel comfortable at the end, but for sure the crowd was making -- you know, trying to push me at the beginning. You know, I felt like they were more of my side at the beginning. You know, they felt me.

And I think also this give me a push. You know, if you play in a big stadium against one of the best player in the world, if the crowd also on his side. So, you know, so I think that's helped me at the beginning also to stave off.

Q. How nerve-racking is the lucky loser experience? Because, obviously, six players pulled out and you were next in. So what was yesterday like for you after I told you and overnight? Were you nervous at all or what's it like?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: No. When you told me, I was sleeping. I just wake up and I didn't understand what was going on. And I didn't even thought a second that I would have to go on court in the first match.

I was kind of prepared, yes, I have to do a warmup and, yeah, but I was already, like, going to warmup, to have a second practice, and thinking what I will do in the rest of the day.

Q. Reem slightly beat me to it there, the question about your preparations as a lucky loser the night before and also the morning. What do you do and did anything change? How did you go about it?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: Yeah, I was trying to make myself -- you know, because I lost from the tournament, and suddenly I am one step to getting back.

So I was -- I had a day off, and then I tried to relax. And I tried to prepare like, you know, to get back on the tension of the matches, you know, mentally to prepare well for the game. You know, I did some exercise the day before, this morning, you know, physically just to alert the body that I can play the next day.

Q. Just wondering did you watch a fellow, famous Egyptian sports player last night?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: Unfortunately, I was preparing, but I was watching online the score. And it was a pity what happened in that. I mean, I hope that he really get well very soon for the World Cup.

Q. How did you start and why did you start to play tennis and also who growing up were your idols in the sport?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: I raised in a family, and my father and my mother and I had two brothers were playing tennis. So everyone was playing tennis, so I raised up in this.

And, yeah, just started to watch it. Roland Garros, Gustavo Kuerten at this time was playing. And then I saw Nadal when I was young. You know, it started, like, to inspire me and it started, like, yeah, maybe one day, you know, why not? Why not I cannot play there. Why not I don't have a chance there?

Actually, I start like, to remember now the images, you know, when I was young, yeah, watching Federer and Gustavo Kuerten when they were playing, and was recording the match, you know. And I always was hoping and wishing I dream to play there.

And, yeah, that's the thing, a dream come true.

Q. Now you've had a taste of the big-time. Obviously, you like it. What do you think you have to do to get to keep at this level to be playing in the main draw and not as a lucky loser?
MOHAMED SAFWAT: Definitely this is a milestone in my career. I just finish the match, I think, 40 minutes ago, but I'm just celebrating what I've done this week. This week was a lot of changes for me, and I really enjoyed it.

But definitely this week was a milestone, and I need to stop on what happened this week and need to learn. And I need to look again on the match and see what can be improved, either mentally or physically or tennis or, you know, what I need to add on the game to compete.

You know, just not to see that now I played on the center court; I got in the Grand Slam, lucky loser, and that's it. You know, I don't want to have it like this. I would like, you know, to look at it more, to start to see what I need to improve, to go up, because that's always the goal and the dream to go up, not to be happy with what you get.

Definitely I'm happy at this moment, but, like I said, it's a milestone. I need to go forward.

Q. When the rule about withdrawals was changed and players could get money without playing 50 percent, did you sort of pay attention when that happened? Did you think, oh, that might open up some more spots? Because we've seen here home lucky losers did.
MOHAMED SAFWAT: Definitely it opened more spots, not only for me, for other players. Not only here, in the whole tour.

Because I believe that it's a fair rule. I seen the player just, you know, how it works. You know, you can go on court and just say, Oh, I'm injured, and I cannot play. And then you just pick up the money. At least you give a chance for someone that he can play.

You know, I believe, I mean, I wouldn't be happy if I am one out and then someone just go on court and didn't give their -- because whatever injured. I understand his point and everything, but I wouldn't feel like, oh. I would love to go on court and play.

So I think this is a fair rule for both players.

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