OMNIUM BANQUE NATIONALE

August 9, 2022

Alexis Galarneau

Press Conference

G. DIMITROV/A. Galarneau

6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French for Alexis.

Q. Are you very proud of yourself?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yes, I'm very proud. I am proud of my team, my family that we were able to come here. It was a beautiful day for me, my family and my friends.

Q. Is it good for your experience? I imagine it is.

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yes, absolutely. A day like today is going to help me improve a lot mentally and tennis-wise, too.

Q. You said that maybe there was a little difference, that it was mainly because of a mental mindset. In the second set you were up and you were very close. Does that help?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yes, I played at a good level in my two matches. Now what I need is more experience. You can't buy experience. It's by playing those tournaments and playing those matches that you can build up your experience.

Q. Were you surprised by the enthusiasm of the media? How were those days with your family?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yes, I was surprised. I didn't expect to have so many requests from the media. I believe with my mother we managed the experience well. I'm happy about that. I'm proud of my team and of myself. We managed the situation well.

Q. Was it like a dream? Did you have difficulties staying focused? It was more complicated than a usual match.

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: When I came back on the court after the rain delay, I had had time to relax a bit. When I was on the court, I wanted to be quickly on the court. Of course, I was able to realize a bit more what was happening. But I believe I was able to refocus on the match well. I really had fun on the court.

Q. It might be a bit cruel, but do you remember how you felt at 5-3 in the second set? You were serving for the set. Were you able to stay focused or were you nervous?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: I remember very well. It was an important moment in the match. But I was not nervous. I managed that well. The experience of Dimitrov is what made the difference. He played very good points at that stage. It's a good experience for me. It's a good opportunity to learn how they play, do what they do.

Q. We see you're smiling. Could you talk about the beginning of the match when you came onto the court. It's the biggest crowd you ever played in front of. Do you remember all that?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yes, I was trying to walk as fast as the little girl that was walking with me, but she was too fast. I came to this tournament many times. Playing was very special. I could see my family, my team, I could see them on the side of the court.

But I was ready for that moment because I've been dreaming about it for so long, visualizing it. I was happy it came true and that I was so warmly welcomed.

Q. Did it happen as in your dreams?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yes, it was even better than my dreams.

Q. You used the crowd on certain points. You like playing under pressure. How was it playing with the crowd supporting you?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Well, in tennis sometimes you need to manage the pressure. It's a challenge. I worked on that. I improved a lot on that with my coach and with my team. That's why I like playing under pressure. That's when you feel alive.

Q. What are you going to do now?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: I'm going to Vancouver next week for a challenger, 125. It's the highest level challenger you can have, so it's going to be a good tournament for me. I'll try to keep the momentum.

After Vancouver I'll try to play the quallies for the US Open. For the time being, I'm 15 players away from being accepted. Many players have to pull out for me to enter.

Q. What is the difference playing against a professional player like Dimitrov compared with other lower-ranked players?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: The difference is the experience. The way he came back into the match, the way he broke me at 5-3 on my serve. Really credit to him, he played very well after that.

The major difference is experience. Otherwise I feel I have my place at that level.

Q. You talk a lot about experience. That was the difference today. But in practice, what is experience on the court?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: It affects your tactical decisions, the way you manage the match or the time you take between the points, details like that that might make a difference. Experience is recognizing those moments, and Dimitrov did that all very well.

Q. How can you learn how to win the important points?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: It's playing those matches like today. This will help improve my tennis but also help me be stronger mentally. It will help me to believe in my work. It's good for my team. We'll keep on working because we have had very good weeks and it's going to help us continue into the future.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. I can tell by your smile that you're pretty happy with the way things went today. What was the difference in the match? What did you learn about yourself in this match?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Sorry, can you repeat the beginning?

Q. I can see by your smile this is a pleasant experience for you. But what did you learn about the match and what do you think was the difference?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: Yeah, I obviously enjoyed it so much because I've dreamed about this moment for now 15 years, the moment I started playing.

So what I learned the most? Still letting the emotions come down, and I will talk with my coach about the match.

But the big thing that I get out of the match so far is the experience. That's made the difference.

Q. What do you think was the difference in the match?

ALEXIS GALARNEAU: The experience, I think, yeah.