ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2021

Pablo Andujar

Press Conference

P. ANDUJAR/D. Thiem

4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. 150th career win. How does that feel? Must be pretty special.

PABLO ANDUJAR: Yes, it is very special to win here in Roland Garros, in Philippe Chatrier. Such an emotional win for me, being two sets to Love down against an amazing player.

So, yeah, it is very special.

Q. When you woke up this morning, did you think today's a good day, I'm going to beat Dominic Thiem? How could you produce such a sensational performance?

PABLO ANDUJAR: I always think, when I wake up, I always try to thank, and I always think it's a good day. But if you tell me about thinking about beating him, I think this is something, it's something that comes later, that you don't think that much.

At least I try to play point by point and to try to focus in every point, and it's not something that I think. Because sometimes thinking, Today is the day I will beat Dominic, is something that puts a little bit of pressure on you. That's something that I try not to do it.

Q. What is the difference between beating Thiem at Roland Garros and winning the Florence challenger, beating Trungelliti? How can happen this in two years? And which is the tennis club you're playing for in Italy? Because you are playing...

PABLO ANDUJAR: (Speaking in Italian.)

Q. I think you have to speak in English because they want to hear it.

PABLO ANDUJAR: Yeah, sorry. Yeah, so of course there is difference, but when I came back after my injuries, being almost three years outside tennis, trying to come back and with pain in my elbow, as you said, 2018 in Firenze I beat Trungelliti in the final, for me it was even more emotional than this win.

So I always, in every step I took since I came back after my injury, everything I really tried to enjoy everything, I really tried to give everything. For me, is something, as I said, very special beating Dominic here but winning a challenger. So it was very special because it was I think my -- not my first ATP, my first challenger after I came back, but one of the first.

So it is very important and very special, all of the victories for me.

Q. You spoke about it on court in French, so sorry, my French isn't great. Could you tell us what the victory with Federer meant for you as well and giving you a big boost, big platform for coming into here, Paris, as well?

PABLO ANDUJAR: Yeah, but your English is good (smiling).

Q. I try.

PABLO ANDUJAR: Yeah, it gave me more confidence in myself, trying to believe in myself. I think that victory make me still believe even if I was two sets to Love down.

So I tried to keep focused. I knew I could win that set, that third set, and everything was going to change. I thought, I really believed, and that probably maybe in a big percentage, small percentage, I don't know how much, but of course there is a percentage of that win gave me that confidence to believe in this win.

Q. Again, about this victory against Roger Federer, now Dominic Thiem, is that the best period of your career?

PABLO ANDUJAR: For sure is the best, the one I'm enjoying the most. I'm not sure if it's the best. I remember 2015 was a great year for me, although after Gstaad I had this problem with my elbow, but I really had a good year that year. 2014 as well.

Maybe I have less legs and I play better tennis. But for sure, and I think that's the most important part of it, it's the one I'm enjoying the most.

Q. I just wanted to ask about your language skills. I think lots of people really love that you spoke in French on court afterwards and I'm just wondering how many languages do you speak? How did you acquire all these languages?

PABLO ANDUJAR: In Valencia we speak Valenciano which is something very similar to Catalan, so that gives me some, I think, some advantage to speak Italian, to speak French, and a little bit of Spanish, as well (smiling). And in English, I speak English because I went to a bilingual school. And actually, I used to have a very good accent but not anymore (smiling).

This is something that my parents don't like, but when I was younger or smaller, I used to speak better English than now. So that makes five languages, yeah.

Q. Your English is very good. I just wonder what the message on the camera was. I couldn't quite read it.

PABLO ANDUJAR: I wrote the names of my children and my wife, and I said "I love you." Yeah. Because I knew that they were watching, so this is something that it's going to remain forever, so I think it was something very nice.