ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2022

Gabriel Debru

Press Conference

G. DEBRU/G.A. Bailly

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. How do you feel? What are your emotions?

GABRIEL DEBRU: Just, it's crazy because it's my first Grand Slam. So, yeah, just a beautiful moment for me with my family, my brother, my sister, and my friend. Just, it's crazy to win this tournament, to win Roland Garros, because it's a French Grand Slam. Yeah, just it's a beautiful emotion, and I am very happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. (Question off microphone.)

GABRIEL DEBRU: Yeah, yeah, it's crazy, because up against a good player, he play very good. Yeah, it's a lot of emotion to win the first Grand Slam.

I just want to say thanks to my coach, to my family. Yeah, it's crazy to be here in French conference. But, yeah, it's a lot of emotion and just want to say thanks to my team, my coach, my family, my brother. It's crazy to win my first Grand Slam. Yeah, thanks to all.

Q. Just wondered if you had plans to celebrate tonight? Are you going to a big party with all your friends who were watching you today?

GABRIEL DEBRU: I don't know for the moment. Yeah, for sure I will celebrate with my family. I don't know what I'm going to say. It's crazy. Probably tonight I will stay with my family and my friend.

Q. What would you say was the key to the victory today? What did you think you did well?

GABRIEL DEBRU: I served very well at 6-5 in the tiebreak, and on all the tiebreak I was like solid. He was playing good, and today with my backhand it was better. Like yesterday, I served better than yesterday, but on the game he was better in forehand than me. Just I served better today and I'm very happy to win.

Q. Do you think that the crowd, with all its excitement and all the cheering for you, made it easier or harder to play?

GABRIEL DEBRU: Yeah, it's crazy to play with so much people. It's like Roland Garros. So it's crazy for me to play with the public, with my friend, my family, and with my team. It's crazy, because like before it was so much pressure before the match. Yeah, I'm happy to win the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Now, I'd like to know more about the atmosphere on the Simonne Mathieu Court. Part of the crowd was supporting you. I suppose these were close friends. Did you know that they would really shout for you?

GABRIEL DEBRU: No, I didn't really know. But, yeah, I enjoyed it. They were my friends, my cousins, my brother. They were with me supporting me. I really enjoy that because I won my first junior Grand Slam. This is good success. Because I put in a lot of work in that, since I was really young. I was dreaming of that when I was five.

Now I will try and win the same titles when I play pro, and I will do my best. It's incredible to share this with my friends, my family, my parents. It's a big title. I will continue and work so that I can have even bigger titles.

Q. I'd like to ask you another question. Can you tell us more about your experience and how you developed, you're from the town of Grenoble?

GABRIEL DEBRU: Yeah, I started at 5, I'm 16 today. I started with my brother and parents. I come from the town of Grenoble. I started at Grenoble Tennis. That's where I practiced. Then the Gug Tennis and then the Grenoble Tennis.

I played with Guillaume de Choudens and Louis Conchon for five years before I changed this year. And I was at the French Tennis Federation with Stephane Huet, and that ended in February. Then I started with Boris Vallejo since last week.

Q. I think with Stephane we met when you were 1practicing with Medvedev. You were talking about your teams. Can you tell me who is on your team today; the coach, the agents, et cetera. I don't know if you have a physio as well or psychological support. Who is on your team?

GABRIEL DEBRU: My coach is Boris Vallejo. Physical coach is Pierre Mazinc. My agent is Bernard, who is just over there. And apart from that that's about it. Then the doctors at Roland Garros. I don't have the names. There are several of those I'm with.

So that's my team.

Q. In English you were saying you were quite stressed before the match. What were you thinking about between your win yesterday and when you stepped in on the court today?

GABRIEL DEBRU: It's always stressing to start a Grand Slam final, like for all players and mainly in Roland Garros and the French Open. I did my best to keep my focus at the beginning of the match. It was very complicated, because I was not serving that well at the beginning of the match, and he was very much focusing into the game.

I wanted to be very solid, very focused, very positive, and that's how I managed to serve at the right moment and be aggressive at the right moment and hit hard. That's incredible.

Q. Yesterday you were in the other room, Room 2. Today Room 1. You played on Simonne. There was Rafael Nadal in this room two days ago. I suppose now that you have tasted a bit of everything, now that you have won, the only thing you want is go back to work and win something even bigger as quickly as you can? That's what we wish you.

GABRIEL DEBRU: Yeah, that's for sure. We started the interviews on the Suzanne court and then the other room and now this room. Yeah, that's great. Cool. It's incredible. Amazing.

These are moments that are unforgettable to have won here. Now I will go back to work. Well, I take a little rest next week and then I will be working again soon so that I can develop even more.

There are nice things to come, playing juniors at Wimbledon and then the futures, some challenger matches in France. Good moments.

Well, this evening I will enjoy the victory. I will take a little rest for the days to come, and then I will be back so that I can be even better.

Q. I was asked for an interview with you because the question is, what's the experience you would derive from your junior tournament? Is that something that you will never forget? What would you say about the whole tournament, including the final?

GABRIEL DEBRU: It was a great tournament, and to win juniors here at the French Open. I was not at the hotel. I was home with my family, and not really in the tournament, which is good, because you can really think about something else when the match is over. You can be with the family and talk about something else, not just tennis.

Because otherwise it's a bit stressing when you're on a tournament. It's quite long, and not as long as for the pros, but quite long for the juniors. It's incredible to have won the Grand Slam. I'm very, very happy.

I had a very good week. Several of my matches were really tough yet I fared well and finished well. Yesterday the match I played was not really long but physically it was really tough. Today I was a bit tired from the match I played yesterday. It was the same for him. But he played well today. It was not a simple match. I had to serve really well. I'm very happy.

Q. I heard you were practicing at the Mouratoglou Academy with Medvedev. Your game is a bit different. Your forehand is a lot stronger, but you are tall and you have the same racquets. Is that because you'd like to look like him, be like him?

GABRIEL DEBRU: Well, I'd like to have his serve and serve like he does. It would be really efficient.

No, he's got his own game style. It really is good. He's No. 2, world No. 2. And I will try and move forward with serve and volley from time to time, and with my forehand I will try and improve my forehand so that I can move to the net more and more.

This being said, we have the same racquets, it's true. Well, a source of inspiration for me is his serve and his character as well, which is exceptional, so that he's became world No. 2. It's incredible.

Q. You were saying you want to go back and work going again so you can develop and grow even more. What more precisely would you like to work on? What are your priorities?

GABRIEL DEBRU: Well, everything. A bit of everything. Serve, forehand, backhand, everything I can. And move forward to the net. This is what I want to do. And come closer to the net, the percentage of first serves, and forehand, more forehand shots, as well.

And to prepare, physically speaking, because before I become a pro, there is a lot of physical work I need to do. And rest, as well. Before I work, I need to rest a little, and I will be working on my serve, my forehand, to be a more round type of player and to improve thanks to practice.

Q. It was your objective it year to win the junior Grand Slam, one junior Grand Slam. That's done. Now, what you are targeting is to become a pro. How are you going to adjust your program? You are going to continue with junior Grand Slams? That's what you want to do? You mentioned Wimbledon. Now that you have succeeded with this No. 1 objective, will this not mean that you will want to go faster and move to the pros quickly?

GABRIEL DEBRU: Yeah, but I don't want to hurry. First the juniors at Wimbledon, that's the first step on grass so that I can prepare Wimbledon and then I will play Wimbledon juniors. I don't want to think too far. I will focus on Wimbledon for the time being.

That will be good. I will prepare that, prepare the grass season, and then we will see. There will be futures, challenger matches in France, I think. Then I will continue and practice so that I can play these tournaments really well and keep my focus.

Q. Before you think about Wimbledon, I think you have the equivalent to your A levels, the baccalaureate on the 16th of June. Is it not going to be too complicated?

GABRIEL DEBRU: I have 12 days to prepare. I will do my best. I can't guarantee anything, but I worked hard this week. I can take a week off, so I will be working French, written and oral. Oral is simpler than written French, but I will be working hard.

After all these emotions, I will have to think about school again. Nothing simple, but I will do my best, just like at Roland Garros. I will do the same this time but for my studies.