TMS MONTE CARLO

April 20, 2002

Sebastien Grosjean

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I don't believe we should have started again. The conditions were not very good. Even during warming up it was raining a little, and it was difficult to get back into it. It's true that during the past half hour it was not raining very much, but after the conditions became worse. And for me, it was very difficult to hit the ball hard.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes. But it's rather the conditions on the court which were very difficult for me. I had problems hitting hard and winning points. He had less difficulty than I had.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I even believe we shouldn't have started the third set, but they decided we had to play and wait for it to rain cats and dogs. And this is what we waited for (laughing). It's a bit of a pity, but my week was positive and I had two good sets today.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes, it's never pleasant, but you have to deal with it. In the end, the conditions were a bit better. It was heavy, but it was a lot better. But that's the way it is. There are tournaments where you have to play with those type of conditions and you have to adapt. He was in the same condition I was.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: In the first set he was in the court. I was hitting the ball, but not strong enough. I was playing shorter than he was. Therefore, he put me down. In the second I was able to play deeper. I played one meter deeper in each shot, and I was in the court. Against such a player, a very good clay courter, you have to try to dominate the rally. Otherwise, it's very difficult.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: It's difficult to say. Maybe he would have let down the first two games and afterwards he would have come back into the match. But it would have been difficult to win anyway, even without interruption.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: We went back to the locker rooms and it was quite warm in there. We didn't know whether we were going to play again or not because it was raining so hard. We were waiting. Afterwards, I had someone help me warm up my thigh. I got strapped. I did a bit of warming up.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Cured, not quite. But it's good. But I'm not 100% yet.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes, maybe. Yes. I'll try to stay relaxed, as I was here, to keep playing on clay, hitting my first serve very hard. Not always playing first serve and second serve, but hitting harder on the first serve. But I have to keep relaxed, because it's because of that I played well this week.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I would have preferred to have one week off, but I am registered.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes, I'm registered. You didn't see well (laughing). It's the quallies draw which came out (laughing).

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: No. They're doing the draw tomorrow. I am registered, so I'm obligated to go.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I'm going to the United States and I'm coming back afterwards in the middle of the week for the French Open.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I believe it's positive. I played five good matches. For a first tournament on clay, that's very positive. I will have to continue that way.

SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Especially in the first rounds, yes. We had played Davis Cup two weeks ago, so clay was not so far away. I don't have too much difficulty adapting to this surface, but it's a good thing to be able to adapt so fast and to play as well as I did.