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THE ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPSJune 15, 2007Nicolas MahutLONDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions for Nicolas. Q. Was that the best result of your career? NICOLAS MAHUT: Yeah, of course it is. You don't beat in the same day Ljubicic, Nadal, two top 10 players. It's like amazing. I think about the guy who bet on me this morning; he should be rich right now (smiling). Q. When you woke up, could you have imagined you'd have beaten both players? NICOLAS MAHUT: No. I was just focused on my first match. It was 4-3 first set, 30-All. It was very important, the first two games of the day. I have to save two breakpoints in the third game this morning, then I won the tiebreak. Now I'm in semifinals. It's like a dream today. Q. How tired did you feel going into the second match? NICOLAS MAHUT: No, I'm feeling okay. You know Nadal played the last two weeks at the French Open. He played the final on Sunday. I think you have to ask him if he is tired. I just play four matches. I'm okay. Q. Do you think this could be a big day in your career, it could give you the confidence and belief to progress into the top 50 and beyond because you've shown you can beat players like Ljubicic and Nadal? NICOLAS MAHUT: Yeah, of course it gives me a lot of confidence. In my career, before this tournament, I just beat Ljubicic in Marseille. You know, to beat two top 10 in the same day, it of course gives me a lot of confidence, that's for sure. But now, you know, I have to play the semifinals tomorrow. That's my goal, you know, to reach the first final of my career. That's the only thing I think right now. Q. You won Wimbledon at junior level. NICOLAS MAHUT: In 2000, against Ancic in the final. Q. That's something that is a couple of weeks away. The position you're in now, you must be feeling good about this? NICOLAS MAHUT: Yeah, but I have to play quallies on Monday (smiling). Q. You've already proved a lot. NICOLAS MAHUT: I don't think about Wimbledon for the moment. I just want to think about the semifinals tomorrow. Q. Is grass a surface you feel very at home on? NICOLAS MAHUT: Yeah, I really love play on grass. I think it's maybe my best surface. I should ask to the ATP to put more tournaments in the year. It's only three weeks. That's not enough for me (smiling). Q. How surprised were you to win that second set tiebreaker so easily? Didn't drop a point. NICOLAS MAHUT: I should see the tiebreak on TV. I think I played just great every point. I play really well. I think maybe he missed one ball to make 6-0. I just played a very good tiebreak. Q. You didn't think Nadal sort of slowed down a little bit, got a little bit tired? NICOLAS MAHUT: I didn't think about that. He always want to win. Even if he's tired, he always want to win. Q. People are always comparing the amount of French players in the top 100 or 200 to the amount of British players. People now are pointing to the fact that you French guys play a lot of competitive tennis at a very young age. Can you tell us when you started playing competitive tennis? NICOLAS MAHUT: We have many good players in juniors in France. We had world champions like Di Pasquale, like Grosjean. We have a good Federation, many good players in juniors. I don't know for British, I don't know how it works. In France, we're good juniors players and we play on the tour. It's true, we have like 12 players in the top hundred. Q. I want to know when you were maybe seven, eight years old, you were actually playing tournaments? NICOLAS MAHUT: Tournaments, but, you know, I don't know, 11, 12. I really don't remember. Q. How well do you know Arnaud? Are you good friends? NICOLAS MAHUT: Yeah, we spend a lot of time together. We went to holidays the last two years together. Yeah, we're good friends. Q. Where did you go? NICOLAS MAHUT: Club Med (laughter). Q. What is your experience of London? How do you enjoy London? What is your routine during Wimbledon? Do you go out in the evenings? NICOLAS MAHUT: Not yet. I don't have time to go out at night. I finish late. I don't really know London. End of FastScripts |
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