ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

October 31, 2022

Richard Gasquet

Press Conference

R. GASQUET/A. Molcan

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Did you expect to play so well? At the beginning of the match, we saw that you could actually settle down very quickly and find your grooves.

RICHARD GASQUET: Yes, it's true that the beginning of the match was good. Then I was broken, but then I came back. So it was a very good match with a wonderful public. As soon as Monday actually I had a huge public. It was a great moment for me and a great victory.

Q. The fact that very quickly you were supported by the public helped you, right?

RICHARD GASQUET: Yes, it's always fabulous to have a lot of crowd cheering for you. It was beautiful. It feels good.

This is why I practice so much. We have two tournaments in France. We are very lucky. It was a great win. It was a great sensation.

Q. When you said that you were surprised to win so quickly, were you surprised by the level of the player?

RICHARD GASQUET: Well, 6-3, 6-1 is a good achievement. He's actually among the top 50. At first it was a tight match, but then I managed to outplay him.

As I said, the public was cheering for me. It's Bercy. It's a big tournament. I was lucky enough to have a wildcard. So I was happy to play well.

It's a beautiful victory for me, and I'm lucky enough to play another match.

Q. There was Antwerp that went well. You said that since the summer you had a few physical glitches, a few sicknesses that actually had an impact on your health, but now you feel great, right?

RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, I feel better. I played well there. Then the next one I felt better. There was a lot of matches back to back. There was the Davis Cup, as well. It was hard to have so much match play.

But then now I'm going to try to end up the season well. I'm lucky enough as well to play Ruud and to have such matches.

Q. A question on your next opponent, Casper Ruud. We know that he had a wonderful season, but he's going through a bad streak.

RICHARD GASQUET: He's older now. He's better on clay but he's No. 2 worldwide. He's a fantastic player. I have nothing to lose. He's the favorite, no doubt.

But it's great for me to play him in Bercy in front of the French public. It's going to be a great moment. I hope that the match will be tight and that I will outplay him.

Q. You have seen a lot of top players. Does it surprise you to see Casper Ruud at that level, or did you expect that?

RICHARD GASQUET: Well, they are rising stars, you know. He's a great player. He showed that he could play well in Montreal and at the US Open. He's got a great physical shape, he's got a great serve. He's very good from the ground, from the back. He's got good footwork. Twice he did the final of a Grand Slam.

I know that it will be a tough match to play. He's a difficult player. But I have nothing to lose. I knew that he would actually have great achievements. I knew that he would grow strong. He's part of the new generation.

Q. A few words on Gilles. He's playing his last tournament, maybe his last match today. Are you going to watch? What does it feel for you?

RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, well, of course I will watch. I have known him forever, since I was 10, since he was 12. Of course it's important for me. Same thing for Jo. It's part of the cycle. It's normal. He's nearly 38. He's had a very long career. It's good for him to end up in Bercy. I hope he'll have a fantastic match and win it.

Q. To follow up on this, can you talk about his game style? Why was he so strong? We often talk about his tactic, and himself, he actually talked about the three-hour match the first time he played you.

RICHARD GASQUET: Well, he outplayed everyone because his tactic was different. He was very tough to play. His physical shape was great. He was making no mistake.

He would leverage the strength of the opponent. His forehand, his backhand, he made no mistakes.

He was 6 worldwide. He would actually end up at the finals of Masters 1000s, he won titles. He was a very good player. When he was young he didn't have the same assets at 13, 14 years old, but afterwards, he proved well and it was very difficult to outpace him.