ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2021

Henri Laaksonen

Press Conference

K. NISHIKORI/H. Laaksonen

7-5, [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So sorry for this injury. Can you tell us a little bit about the injury and exactly why you had to retire?

HENRI LAAKSONEN: Yeah. I didn't feel anything last matches. Yesterday on practice nothing. Today warmup nothing either. When I started the match, everything was fine.

So then I went on the 2-1 game to the backhand corner, and I tried to recover from there, and then I felt pain on the adductor, abductor, I don't know which one it is, inside. I couldn't move then anymore.

Q. Is that something you have had before, or completely out of the blue? Could it be because you have played so many matches lately?

HENRI LAAKSONEN: I don't know if it's about the matches. Yeah, my body didn't give me any warning, but it was feeling actually very good, recovered. Didn't have anything from the previous matches.

Yeah, no warning. It just came in the beginning. I did the normal warmup. I felt I'm ready, so I don't know exactly what happened.

Q. Sorry about today's injury. Even after you get injured and still you tried to play and still you tried to win the match I think. Can you talk about what you were thinking after you got injured? How did you try to fight back?

HENRI LAAKSONEN: Well, yeah. Immediately when it happened, I asked for the physio. I had to stop there on 2-All, because I felt that it's bad, so I wanted to see physio directly as fast as possible to see what they say what we can do with it.

I mean, I knew already there where it happened that it's not good. Yeah, I pulled a muscle. So once you cannot move, then it's very difficult.

I was asking the physio, the doctor, what we can do. I got some painkillers. I wanted to try if it helps, and, yeah, just to give it a try and see what happens. Yeah, when you cannot really move or stand with one leg, it's difficult.

Q. Do you think this will be something that's bothering you longer or do you think it could be okay in a few days? What's your feeling?

HENRI LAAKSONEN: I doubt that it's good in two or three days. I hope that it's fine in one, two weeks.

Yeah. Anyway, after this tournament, I wanted to take, let's say, five to seven days off just to let the body recover. I was practicing a lot, playing a lot the last two months.

Yeah, that was the plan anyway, to take a couple days off. Yeah, now it's too early to say how bad it is. Yeah, I don't know how long it goes. I hope it doesn't go more than three weeks.

Q. It's very disappointing now. Like maybe in a few weeks' time, what can you take away from Roland Garros?

HENRI LAAKSONEN: Yeah, I mean, if I would say before the tournament that I reach third round, I would take it every time. Yeah, I just, yeah, with injury it's always tricky. You fall into a circle. You have one problem, then it's coming the next one. So it's tricky.

But, yeah, like I say after the previous matches, already that I improve my game, I was doing my best. This was the maximum now here. And, yeah, I mean, it's the first time I reached third round in a Grand Slam, so it's an amazing tournament for me.

Yeah, it's just lot of work. Yeah, when you get injured, you have to make your body stronger. You have a lot of matches I played. This was the sixth match. I wasn't fit enough to play more. I got injured, so I have to get stronger physically and improve my game that it doesn't happen again.