TMS MONTE CARLO

April 17, 2002

Richard Gasquet

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

RICHARD GASQUET: It's already very good to be in the second round of such a tournament, so the only thing you can feel is happiness. He played well. He is among the best players in the world. It's not easy to play against such a player. My score was a good one. It wasn't easy.

RICHARD GASQUET: Maybe. But in the important moments, that kind of player always fights a lot. So it would have been very difficult all the same.

RICHARD GASQUET: Yes, maybe he was a bit trembling. But even at 5-all he would have played well because he's not just anybody. So I believe it would have been difficult.

RICHARD GASQUET: I was a bit tired. I had won three matches which were quite difficult against very good players. It was very difficult playing today. Especially if you're not at your best against such a player, you don't make many games.

RICHARD GASQUET: No, but he was making less errors and I was a bit tired. It was not easy.

RICHARD GASQUET: No, mainly physical. I was a bit nervous in the beginning. But after, that kind of thing goes away. It was mainly physical.

RICHARD GASQUET: A bit nervous. But it was a great match to play, so that was normal. But I was quite nervous, that's for sure.

RICHARD GASQUET: I was quite tired, so it was not easy to push with my legs. So I was not serving very well, that's for sure.

RICHARD GASQUET: For sure. He's among the Top 10 in the world. The others are just Top 50 or 100, and that makes a great difference in the game.

RICHARD GASQUET: Yes. He returns and serves better, so it's more difficult of course.

RICHARD GASQUET: No, no (laughing). Now I'll have to go back to the smaller tournaments because I'm not going to play tournaments like this one all the time. First I will have to win the little tournaments, and then we'll see.

RICHARD GASQUET: They look at me more than in the beginning of course. But... a little bit more, yes.

RICHARD GASQUET: I don't know. Usually I can read serves pretty well and all that. But such a player serves super well. I was able to read his serve, but it was still very difficult to return afterwards. I returned quite well today, that's true.

RICHARD GASQUET: I'm going to play the smaller tournaments from ATP and junior tournaments.

RICHARD GASQUET: Juniors.

RICHARD GASQUET: I don't know. I'll try to do my best in juniors.

RICHARD GASQUET: Well, for sure I would take it. But it's not certain I will be offered one. And if they don't offer me one, it's not bad at all. I will concentrate already on the junior tournaments.

RICHARD GASQUET: No. There's a preparation tournament in the French Open for juniors, so I won't be in the quallies.

RICHARD GASQUET: Originally I was supposed to go to Germany. But with the results I had here, I would rather rest and not go there. Afterwards, I don't know.