ROLAND GARROS

May 24, 2022

Arthur Rinderknech

Press Conference

A. BUBLIK/ A. Rinderknech

6-2, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: After a complicated match you started yesterday and it was stopped again today, how do you manage this type of situation? How do you remain focused?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Well, I don't know, because I didn't manage to do it today. So, no, generally speaking we try to remain focused on ourselves to do what we need to do to be ready to start playing again, but it was difficult, it was quite complicated. The conditions were changing all the time, the court was changing, it was not easy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. Did you think yesterday when the game was stopped, did you think it was a good thing for you to have a fresh start this morning?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Yes, it was the best thing that could have happened to me yesterday evening, I think, because Bublik was not missing anything. I didn't play badly yesterday evening, it wasn't great, but you have to, when you look at the match you have to see it to believe it. He served 90 percent of first serves. And I know what his zones are normally, I played him twice in the past, I always managed to turn around the game. But this time he changed everything around and with 90 percent of first serves and with very heavy clay, sort of muddy, sticking to the shoes and the services that were coming into your racquet at 230 in the back, it's very difficult. And then he decided to close his eyes and to really try everything with his serve, with a very heavy ball and it was very difficult for me to move into a service.

So the rain yesterday was the best thing that could have happened. I came back in better conditions and I don't think that he was playing as well, that's for sure, and he allowed me to come back into the match.

And I had a few opportunities, I think one occasion to break and then I was not very good, I was not playing very well and I didn't manage to play well. I had one or two possibilities of breaking again in the third set and then it started to rain again and the cycle repeated itself.

And the heavier the court, the heavier the ball and the better he serves. And it's not my case.

So he wasn't, he was just letting lose, he was just trying everything, so well done to him.

Q. We know that your preparation was a little bit spotty by your injuries.

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Well, yes, it's always difficult. There are some days where I was taking my, I was taking my wrist out of the brace, I've been wearing the brace for three weeks and having treatment.

So it was difficult, it was a bit of a challenge to try and prepare for Roland Garros and we can only say that, well I didn't win the bet, no problem with me saying that. Also because I played against a very good player, I have to underline that.

But of course I wasn't in the very best position, but I wasn't putting any pressure on myself because I knew that it was just a bonus for me, I was just happy to be able to play tennis because I haven't been able to play for a few months due to my wrist.

So I'm happy to play, but of course I didn't have the hours of training behind me, I didn't have the possibility of doing work on my tennis to have a solid game and to plan out my matches.

Q. Are you still affected by your wrist? Are you still in pain or is it just a lack of training and pace which is the problem?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: No, as I said, if I'm on the court it's because I can play. Not everything is perfect but it's okay. It's okay. I would rather be here than sitting on my sofa, for sure. Even if I play very badly I would rather play very, very badly rather than being good at sitting on my sofa.

So it will allow me to get started again and I managed to gather the momentum and the pace over the past one, one and a half years and at one point I'm expecting a better ranking at the end of Australia.

But this is the way it is, it's obliging me to set off and to engage a new momentum. But now that I can play again I can get things going again. If I couldn't play, I can't do anything. So as I said, I just couldn't have a sufficient amount of training. When you've been wearing a brace for three weeks and you're 10 days before the French Open it's difficult. I would have liked to have one or two more matches in me, but it wasn't the case.

But the match wasn't bad, but I played against him, who plays very well and he's still playing today and the match was coherent. But I needed more matches, I needed to be on the court more. But I did what I could with what I had and I'm not taking any risks for my injury to reoccur, so things are improving, I'm allowed to play and that's the most important thing.

Q. In the coming weeks what does your agenda look like?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Well, we have a great doubles to play with Ben Bonzi, my friend Ben, who I hope will win his first singles round today and then again to concentrate on the doubles where it's important for both of us. We're good at playing doubles together, we haven't had the opportunity of playing many tournaments, but I played with him quite well so I hope we'll play a great doubles and it will allow to us move on to some other matches which will do me good and get me back into my momentum and then we'll be focusing on lawn.