ROLAND GARROS

September 28, 2020

Lorenzo Giustino

Press Conference

L. GIUSTINO/C. Moutet

0-6, 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 18-16

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What were your thoughts on the key to winning this match today? What in the end what do you think made the difference between winning and losing?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: I don't know. It was really a tough match. In the end I was trying just to be aggressive as possible. Both I think we don't want to lose the match. Nobody tried to, nobody make a mistake in the important points, both we were like super solid and we played our best tennis in the best and most important points. So, of course like this you go 18-16 in the fifth.

But in the end it was just like super aggressive. I mean, try to hit winners because I knew that him was not giving me the match.

Q. How much did your tactics change as the match went six hours?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: Well, actually, he's a tough player. He play anything. Super tough. He was defending and then attacking and then drop shot and then slice and then lobs.

So my tactics, yes, in the beginning was one, then he change tactic to try to beat me and then I change again the tactic to try to beat him. And we were like all the time like fighting each other to try to see who is going to win the match.

In the end, well, the most aggressive, the guy who tried to win won the match. I think in the end it was like this.

Q. How would you describe the atmosphere on court? There were some people there for sure, as it went on, obviously not a normal Grand Slam amount of people, but still some people.

LORENZO GIUSTINO: Yeah, it's true. It was actually a lot of people really in the Grand Slam with COVID. I think all coaches, all players, a lot of coaches were out there trying to watch the match with us because, I don't know, I was playing and I heard a lot of guys who were going for the French, of course, so I was in a little disadvantage, how about that? And so, yeah, imagine, with people, this match is going to be like madness.

Q. And last thing for me, which players did you see in the crowd? Anyone you recognized in the crowd that surprised you there?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: Well, I was focused to play, you know? I saw, I don't know, Cecchinato, maybe, I don't know. Because I saw people who was like trying to give me energy and I thought, okay, this guy is not French for sure (laughing) he's somebody that I know him.

Then I saw like I think someone was the chief of the lot or, you know, people who is going around here.

Q. Is there a way to put into words, I mean you've worked very hard to put yourself in the position to play these kinds of matches and to be competing in a moment like that, but what did it mean to you to win that match?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: Well, it means a lot for me. I think I improve a lot in these last two years. I mean, I believe in myself that I can make something better than I was before. So I'm trying to improve and in all the aspects, mental aspect will be for sure one of the thing that I improved the most. Because here in Roland Garros I won 7-6 in the third round in qualies, 7-5 in the third second round in qualies, and now the fifth set. So I'm improving, I'm trying to improve a lot of stuff and try to grow up. I hope that this match can give me a boost in confidence to try to reach the top 100.

Q. When you woke up this morning did you even dream of it going 18-16 in a fifth set?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: Yeah, I mean, what's funny is because we were watching the match of Rodionov against Chardy and I said, No, there is no tiebreak in the fifth? I said, No, way, man. And so my coaches say, You know that you will go like 12-15, 12-10 something like that in the fifth. I always do like this in my matches and look what happened. It's funny.

Q. It's been a great time for Italian's men's tennis, there are so many Italian men who are coming into the top 200 now. Has that helped you at all, having more Italians around, does it give you more motivation, competition, something that is helping drive you forward?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: I don't know, maybe, I guess, I don't know, it's nice, actually that Italian tennis is going up. I think we are doing pretty great, all players, there's a lot of players, actually, a lot, a lot of players.

So, yeah, it's funny, it's nice that when we go in the tournament there's a lot of people that I know, friends like this. But, no, I don't think about that motivation, it's like, I don't know, I just kind of try to do my best all the time, you know, and to improve. But it's just nice for my country that there's a lot of people who are playing, who are playing good, actually.

Q. And the last thing, how are you feeling physically? Like what, how are you feeling now? Is it easy walking around going places?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: Perfect.

Q. Nothing's hurting?

LORENZO GIUSTINO: No, no, no. I feel perfect. No. Perfect. Like tomorrow I go around a bit because I think I'm too fresh (laughing.)