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WIMBLEDONJune 24, 2008Fabrice SantoroLONDON, ENGLAND A. MURRAY/F. Santoro 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 THE MODERATOR: Fabrice Santoro. Q. Entertaining match to watch. Was it a good one to play in? FABRICE SANTORO: Sure, it was a fun match to play in. I think we played quite a good match, even if it was straight sets. Q. How frustrating was it? You played okay, didn't you? FABRICE SANTORO: I played quite well. I played better than I did in the past few days when I was practicing. I think I had chances in the second set, but I didn't take them. When you're two sets down it's more and more difficult, even if nothing was set in the third set. Because we played a good tiebreak, but it was tough to come back. Q. What did Andy say to you afterwards? FABRICE SANTORO: We always had a good relation, even if we are 15 years difference. He just said it was a lot of fun to play against me. He said, yeah, it was a great match to play. I just told him it was a special day for me to play on Centre Court. Q. How far do you think he can go in the tournament? FABRICE SANTORO: Nobody can answer this question. I don't know. I don't know who he's going to play now. Q. Malisse. FABRICE SANTORO: Malisse is a tough opponent. He's a good player. He reached the semifinal here five, six years ago. But I think Andy played quite a good match today. He was moving well, returning quite good. For sure he can do something well on grass because he's fast, he has good hands, very big first serve. But it's impossible to answer the question, to say if he's going to reach the quarters or lose next round. Q. How did playing on Centre Court live up to your expectations? FABRICE SANTORO: It was as good as I was thinking before to go on the court. It was great. I was trying to enjoy every minute on the court. I was trying to enjoy the match. I think I did it from the first to the last point. Q. If there was one thing that you'll remember about it, what would that one thing be? FABRICE SANTORO: I think the most special thing is when you walk from the locker room to Centre Court, because there is a big, big history in the corridor. At this point you're conscious of what happened here, who walked in this corridor in the past century. Yeah, it's pretty big history here. Was a lot of fun. Q. If there's one thing that you think Andy has to improve on, what do you think that might be? FABRICE SANTORO: I think in the next three, four years, he's gonna improve every part of his game. Even he's going to improve his serve. His backhand is good, but he's going to improve it. He's going to improve his forehand. Because when you are 20, 21 years old, you can improve many things in a couple of years and so quickly. When you look at the way Nadal is playing now compared to three or four years ago, he improved a lot between 18 and 22. It's the same for Djokovic between 18 and 21. At this period of your career, things can go so quickly if you work out every day (snapping fingers). I know Andy wants to have a great career. He's working hard. So I'm sure he won't be the same player in three, four years. Q. How come you get on with him so well? Where does your friendship date from? FABRICE SANTORO: I think because he has a lot of respect for my game, for my career. I have a lot of respect for him, too, because these days many players play the same way, hitting the ball so hard. When I play against Andy, I feel this man is going to be different because he has soft, very good hands. He's very smart, and I like these kind of players a lot. Q. Is Andy's game good enough to win Wimbledon this year? FABRICE SANTORO: We were 128 players two days ago. Now we are 64. He's in the 64. So it's improved. But it's tough to say. You know, he's not the favorite. Federer won here the past five years. One more time he's favorite in this tournament. Then there is Nadal, Djokovic. Andy's probably in the next five players who can reach a semifinal or do something big here. End of FastScripts |
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