TMS MONTE CARLO

April 11, 2005

Cyril Saulnier

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

CYRIL SAULNIER: I was not happy that we had to play three games under the rain. I admit in the beginning it was just a drizzle, but you always wonder whether the lines are slippery or not. It always takes time to make a decision, and it's a pity it's not respecting the players.

CYRIL SAULNIER: Yes, because anyway the balls get wet and it's not pleasant to play in those conditions. That's what we said with the umpire.

CYRIL SAULNIER: Yes, we played in St. Petersburg and also in Estoril on clay. It's going to be an interesting match. It's my first tournament on clay, and for him also, as well as other players. Therefore, we are all looking for our reference points on the court. We are all building our games on this surface. There might be opportunities. I am going to be very serious about that match, and I believe I will take all the chances I can.

CYRIL SAULNIER: Yes, but I never considered I was similar to Labadze. But, anyway, each week all of us are trying to do our best. I will try to be competitive. Safin played well in Australia. After that, he had some difficulties, but it's not very much.

CYRIL SAULNIER: I didn't stay there. I came back very quickly, and I practiced since Wednesday of the second week of Miami. This means I had 10 days playing on clay.

CYRIL SAULNIER: Well, this year I was able to adapt to clay easier. I adapted my movements and the sliding on clay pretty fast. I know the rallies are longer than when you play on hard courts, so for fast court specialists, it needs a certain time of adaptation on clay. You have to be very flexible to pick up new habits.

CYRIL SAULNIER: I was using my slice a lot and being very aggressive. It's important not to let him dictate the game. I have the right shots to bother him and to give him some problems. It's up to me to use them and to keep cool during the match.

CYRIL SAULNIER: This is due to the fact that I started playing tennis late. It took time to find the right people to be around me and to help me develop my qualities. It took a while, but finally I found the right people. When you're in the private sector, or world, it's up to you to find out who can be the best people to help you. During the past four years, my results have been improving consistently. You must give it time. Now I have the perfect people with me, and now it's up to me to keep on working.

CYRIL SAULNIER: I don't mind. I have no regrets. I'm investing all I have in being successful. There's no doubt about the fact that those young players are the future of tennis. I have no problem with that, but I think it's a pity that sometimes players who did not grow up within the French Tennis Federation or who were not under the spotlight of the media are a bit forgotten. I think in France people like to talk a lot about very young players, even before they had any kind of result. It's typical French. Sometimes it can be a good thing, but sometimes it can be bad.

CYRIL SAULNIER: There are many things that can be encouraging and give me hope. I think the most beautiful thing is to watch Agassi at 35 years old still being very eager to play. I think it's not a matter of age, it's only a question of being motivated and enjoying yourself on the court.

CYRIL SAULNIER: Yes, he called me. I believe it's normal for a Davis Cup captain to talk with his players. I know that he has his own criteria according to the surface on which we will be playing. For that time, he convinced me that certain players who were not fit should still play the Davis Cup because they had a good past and good results in Davis Cup and experience. I know I had good results since the beginning of the year, but those results were acquired on fast surfaces. So given the fact that I'm not a clay court specialist, and given my age, he preferred to keep those who had some experience of Davis Cup. I also must add that Davis Cup is a completely different experience than a week after week tournament. So, yes, indeed, he convinced me, although of course I had the frustration that I had good results.