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ROLAND GARROS

May 27, 2019

Cristian Garin

Paris, France

C. GARIN/R. Opelka

7-6, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Your first win at a Grand Slam. How does it feel for you?
CRISTIAN GARIN: Of course I'm really happy. Reilly's a great player, of course. It was a really tough match. The third set have many chances, and he couldn't break. And the tiebreak was also really tough.

I'm really happy. This year has been an amazing year for me, so I'm really happy to be in the second round of Roland Garros.

Q. It seems like it's an impossible task to blank Reilly Opelka in a tiebreak to win 7-0. How did you pull that off?
CRISTIAN GARIN: I played the first two points really good. I mean, I tried to play more aggressive in the tiebreak. I think he also miss easy balls.

Yeah, it's tough to win a tiebreak to Reilly. Of course his serve is, I think, one of the best ones in the tour, so I'm really happy to be in the second round.

Q. You had such a wonderful run in Houston a little while ago. Could you just take a moment and just talk about what happened there, what it meant to you, what you felt inside?
CRISTIAN GARIN: You mean about now, or...

Q. No, Houston.
CRISTIAN GARIN: Oh, Houston. Yeah, it was my first ATP that I won. Of course, it's a really special tournament for me.

I don't know. The draw, it was really strong, so I hope to come back maybe next year, but of course it was a great tournament. I won my first title there, so I will always remember that tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. Congratulations for your start in a Grand Slam tournament. You managed to finish rather quickly, and to get this weight off your shoulders, even though you were being led 2-0 at one point. What is your feeling after winning here as a junior player?
CRISTIAN GARIN: Well, the rally was quite difficult. The match was quite difficult. Reilly is a good player. He has a good serve. It was difficult for me to find my pace, my rhythm.

I think I tried for a while to just focus on myself, and this is what helped me win, especially for the second set. The third set I had a lot of opportunities, five break points, which I couldn't finish off, and as I said, his serve is one of the best on the tour. So it's absolutely beautiful to be in the second round. I have a lot to continue improving, and I will continue to improve as I have always done.

Q. You have got a beautiful year. Last year, as well. Winning here a match in Roland Garros, does that represent a confirmation of this good progress?
CRISTIAN GARIN: Well, I don't know if it's getting a weight off my shoulders, but it's something certainly special. It's true that for the past few months I have been playing well.

Honestly, having the opportunity to continue in such a tournament in such an important week is great. I have a lot to continue improving, but it's probably one of the best moments in my career.

Lately, I have only had positive moments, so I'll try to continue in this way.

Q. Since you won Roland Garros as a junior player, you have shown great results. This year you had titles. I don't know if you realized the expectations that people have for you this year or do you use it to support you, or is it a weight on your shoulders?
CRISTIAN GARIN: Well, it's true that I made a lot of progress in the ranking, and there is a lot of expectations, but I feel like I'm the same person as I was months ago.

I have been working hard, and obviously this is reflected in my game. I can feel it. I'm playing well.

Obviously, as I said again and again, I still have a lot to improve, but I get a lot of support from people, especially in Chile, and it's very important for me.

I believe that, well, obviously people have more expectations for me. They expect more of me. But I enjoy playing tennis a lot, and I always try to demand the best from me or my team.

Q. Mentally, how did you feel playing against someone who does a lot of aces?
CRISTIAN GARIN: Well, honestly, when you play someone who has such a good serve as Opelka, obviously you have to fight for each point in the match. You have to play 100%. You have to seize any opportunity, and it was a very dense match as far as focusing and concentration are concerned.

I'm very happy I managed to finish in three sets.

Q. Last week in Geneva, you had a problem with your knee, and it took you a whole week to get better. Here you can play in five sets. So how is your knee? And secondly, well, you're going to play against Wawrinka, and how do you feel about that?
CRISTIAN GARIN: Well, first of all, as far as my knee is concerned, it's true that I was hurt last week. On the one hand, I wanted to get the best results as possible in Geneva, but then I felt it was better to get a bit more time to recover and to be able to play here properly. I didn't have any problems yesterday or today with my knee.

Well, now, as far as Wawrinka is concerned, this is one of the type of matches that I love playing. What can I tell you about him? He's a great player. Very high-level player.

This is the kind of matches I love to play. I will give myself to the match 100%, and I would love to get good results.

But I feel that I'm playing well. I feel good, and it's a challenge that I would like to be able to face 100%.

Q. What about the selection of court No. 9? What did you feel?
CRISTIAN GARIN: I didn't know that we were playing in the same court as when I won, but, well, I trained there and I love everything I had and the equipment on the court.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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