ROLAND GARROS

October 3, 2020

Joe Salisbury

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Clean match out there today. How pleased are you with that?

JOE SALISBURY: Yeah, very pleased. Obviously they're a tough team. We played them here last year, lost to them in the quarterfinal. So, yeah, we knew it would be tough.

But yeah, we played really well throughout, I think. Obviously it was on serve at the start and then we kind of got a lot of momentum, won quite a few games in a row. And yeah, both feeling quite confident from then on, and I think we played better and better throughout the match.

Q. Why do you think you've been so consistent this year? Why do you think the two of you, it's just worked at Grand Slams?

JOE SALISBURY: I think it's just been, like, a combination of the partnership we have had for a year and a half now. I think we're getting to know each other better throughout that time, knowing what works for us in the preparation for the big tournaments. Knowing, yeah, kind of how we are at the big tournaments, how we play our best at the big tournaments.

I think that, yeah, the last year we still did decent, we made third round of every slam. This year we have done obviously better. We have won some more of the bigger matches.

But, yeah, I think it's just kind of that focus on the bigger tournaments and the preparation for them.

Q. The singles lads, the singles players have all gone out early and yet we still got doubles teams. Can you explain why you think the singles perhaps hasn't worked for Britain this year but the doubles are succeeding?

JOE SALISBURY: Well, obviously the doubles, apart from a couple of the singles players, obviously in general the doubles guys are ranked higher and kind of seeded in the slams so you would expect them to go further. I think on the clay for a lot of singles guys it's not their favorite surface, so it's tougher.

At the moment there's more strength in the doubles than at the singles, so that's the main reason.

Q. We were talking to Jamie earlier and he was saying that he thinks the conditions have actually helped him because the ball's not bouncing as high and it's a bit slower. I'm just wondering how do you find the conditions and do you think they maybe play to your strengths as well?

JOE SALISBURY: Yeah, I think so. I haven't minded the conditions too much. Obviously it's quite slow and quite heavy. But yeah, like Jamie said, I think it does help the players that maybe aren't as kind of natural at kind of moving and playing on the clay just because the courts aren't as slippery so maybe it's a bit easier to move. And obviously it's not as lively, it's not getting up as much. So even though it is quite slow, it's more in the hitting zone, I guess.

Q. How are you finding life in the bubble? Just tell us some stories about what it's been like in the players' hotel and what have you been up to when you've not been playing tennis?

JOE SALISBURY: Yeah, it's been okay, really. I haven't minded it too much. Like, during the tournaments I wouldn't be going out of the hotel that much anyway. Maybe going out for coffee, going out to dinner somewhere. But I haven't minded it.

In general here, we have been the last sort of the week leading up to the tournament, we were practicing later in the afternoon and so we were here most of the day. It's been good to watch the other Brits playing, support them. I've been at the courts quite a lot, haven't actually spent too much time at the hotel.

Q. Could you describe the value of having Louis Cayer behind the whole British doubles movement.

JOE SALISBURY: Yeah, definitely adds a lot of value. I know that, yeah, he's helped all the Brits. And, yeah, I don't think a lot of us would be up where we were without his support, without his coaching. So, yeah, that's obviously a massive thing.

Q. We have seen the British players who have been very supportive of each other, very vocal on court. Obviously I'm sure you would rather that there were fans there, but how kind of helpful has that been and has it sort of brought you closer together in some ways that you all are sort of having to be each other's cheering squads?

JOE SALISBURY: Yeah, I think it has and it's been great. I think the fact that there haven't been any fans has almost felt like we wanted to support each other a bit more and get out there to give some support. It's been great.

I think over the lockdown and playing the Battle of the Brits events, I think we all sort of came together, came a bit closer and, yeah, have been supporting each other even more than we would have done before. So I think that's definitely helped.

It's great to have that, to have everyone kind of wanting everyone else to do well. And yeah, when we have got the chance to get out there on the side of the court and being vocal and, yeah, showing some support, even though there's no fans out here.

Q. It will be a tough match next whoever you play, but I presume you're feeling pretty confident against whoever you're going against at the moment?

JOE SALISBURY: Yeah, I mean it's two top teams, we'll see who wins that tomorrow. But, yeah, we know that if we do our thing that we can beat any of the teams. So it's going to be more about focusing on ourselves and hoping that we can perform hopefully like we did today.