ROLAND GARROS

June 12, 2021

Nicolas Mahut

Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Press Conference

HERBERT-MAHUT/Bublik-Golubev

4-6, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Amazing scenes at the end with the anthem, kids in the stands. What does it mean to you to win here again?

NICOLAS MAHUT: Well, was amazing feeling at the end. We were so close to lose this one, but we were also so close to lose the semifinal.

At the end we're here with the trophy. It's amazing. With the family, with our wives, sons, it's something that you're lucky when it happen once in your life. This is the second time for us. We could not be any happier tonight.

PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yeah, no, I mean, it's been just incredible. From the start to the end, we had amazing support. Actually maybe the best support I've had in my whole life for a two-week tournament. That puts you some extra pressure also because you want to give some wins to the public. What also happened with COVID, we felt something really different compared to the other years.

Yeah, the final was terrible for me especially. I was tight the whole match. Was a terrible final emotionally. To be able to win this one, as crazy as it was with the guy serving for the match in front of my whole family that I didn't see also in COVID, I mean, it's just incredible.

Also for me also special because now I'm a dad. It's my first Grand Slam that I win as a dad. Having him in the stands with my future wife is incredible.

Q. I saw the boys' double champions in the stands. What do you think of being role models for future French champions, as well?

PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: First of all, I think it was just amazing to see them coming to the final and being in the stands. It's been an amazing year for our juniors. We didn't have this for a long time. Luca Van Assche won against Arthur Fils, and four in the semifinals in the singles. Especially with what happens now in the men's draw, having nobody in the third round, yeah, it's just special to have them.

Yeah, if we can help them getting better, if we can have a generation that is amazing in France, we would be so proud of being part of that.

So, yeah, was special to have them in the end.

Q. All five of your Grand Slam titles have been emotional. Could you think back to them all. Where does this one rank? Very unique because of the things you mentioned? Would you put it as number one on the list?

PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: I think it could be. But also maybe for me it was the worst feeling on the court for a final. I was struggling the whole match. It was kind of two match from the start of the tournament. I wanted it so bad, maybe even more badly than the other four, that it was really special.

Yeah, it's tough to compare because it's always different, the emotions are always different. But for me it's my dream as a kid to win Roland Garros. To be able to do it a second time in front of this crowd, I think it's really, yeah, maybe the best emotions that I've had in the end by winning this one.

NICOLAS MAHUT: Also it's because we feel like we're back to life, back to normal life. What we felt the last two weeks with the crowd, they were supporting us, amazing, like we never had here before. That's a special feeling, I think.

PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: If I can say also, for us as a team, we've been kind of struggling for the past one -- we didn't have a really big title for a long time now. Coming in this tournament we didn't come with the same confidence as we did in the past.

Being able to lift this trophy is just amazing because I think we won all these matches, not really because we were better players, our level was not really better, but our behavior on court and the way we stayed positive, the way we managed to play with the fears we had, that's why now we can look at each other and say we did an amazing week.

This brings also something special to this win.

Q. Are you going to play the Olympic Games?

PIERRE-HUGUES HERBERT: Yes, that's actually a big goal for us. We would love to have a medal, yeah. It would be incredible. It's one of our big goals. Yeah, we're going to go there and we're going to try our best there.