ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

November 5, 2020

Adrian Mannarino

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/A. Mannarino

7-6, 6-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were on court this evening for three hours and by my estimate played 250 points with Sascha. How do you manage to stay focused through such a long match, especially with two long tiebreakers? What did you learn about yourself, as well?

ADRIAN MANNARINO: Well, actually that's the point I'm pretty disappointed about. After the end of the first set I kind of felt frustrated, and I started the second set pretty well. I broke him once. Then he broke me back. Then I broke him again.

But actually, every time I was a little in front in the score, I kind of lose my concentration. I was thinking about, like, the set point I have missed in the first set, and then I was just thinking a little bit too much about what I have been missing in the first set instead of, you know, being in the moment.

So I was always kind of waiting for the moment to be back to the wall to kind of just keep my concentration pretty high. But I don't know if it was because I was kind of tired or just frustrated about the result of the first set, but I think that my concentration was not that good today. It was off, so maybe this is what I have been missing in the second, too.

He's been serving pretty well. He's been serving so good, I had no occasion. I was ahead in the score, but he's been serving huge. I was a little under pressure all the time on my (indiscernible) so it's not easy to handle that.

I don't know. I haven't been put (indiscernible). Then I was defensive maybe. I tried to react.

Q. You have had quite a two-week spell between playing in Kazakhstan and now coming back to France. Is this the end of your season tonight or will you play Sofia next week?

ADRIAN MANNARINO: I'm on the list of Sofia, but this is actually too tough loss, like losing in the final in Nur-Sultan with pretty good performance on my side. Tonight I think I have been playing a pretty good match, but still it's always like pretty heartbreaking to lose a match this way.

I was so close. I have been fighting my best, but it's tough. Right now I'm still doubting about if I'm going to go in Sofia or not.

My goal for the end of the season was to be seeded at the Australian Open, and I think that I had a pretty good occasion if I would have won in Nur-Sultan, but losing badly there and losing again tonight is not giving me all the chance to be seeded. I don't know how many points I'm missing, but I will have to make such a good result to be seeded.

At the moment, I just feel like it's going to be too hard, and I don't know. I mean, this is the last tournament, so maybe I should just give it a last push, but let's see. I don't know.

I still have, like, few hours to decide. I'm just going to go talk with my coach and my team and just see what's best for me.

Q. I was wondering because of the last three matches against him they were all very close, but you didn't quite get over the line. Firstly, what is it that makes you play well against him? And secondly, what is it that's maybe missing to beat him for the first time?

ADRIAN MANNARINO: Well, the conditions that we have had in the US Open was a little weird, you know. It's tough to talk about this match, because I was definitely not ready to play a match under these conditions.

But if I can talk about the last two matches we have played, I think I have been playing pretty well. But, you know, he's been really consistent and solid on his serve. Like, I haven't seen the statistic, but both times in the third set he's really serving well, and he's not giving me any occasion. Like, I'm always thinking I need to put him under pressure with my return, but he's just serving too big for me at this moment.

Maybe I can regret the last game tonight because he was 30-Love, and then I have played some pretty good return, giving me the occasion to break him back, but little passive on that point. I should have taken my chance and you always have things to regret. Sometimes you're taking your chance and you're missing a shot and the next time you're just going to try to be consistent and you're just too passive.

I don't know. The only thing I know is next time I'm going to try my best again and let's see how it is. But there is a reason why he is that good and he has such a good ranking.

This is always the same thing, like with a good player you feel like you're not too far but at the end you're barely winning one match on ten.

So just have to congratulate him tonight for his performance. He was just the best player on court.