	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS CUP

July 26, 2008

Gilles Simon

TORONTO, ONTARIO

N. KIEFER/G. Simon
6-7, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was three hours just too much of a match after all that you've played in the past few weeks?
GILLES SIMON: Yeah, that was very long, but not too long. I could do the dropshot the last point, so I had power enough to play.
But I really, yeah, I didn't need this match. I didn't need to play a long match like this, but it was a great fight. I'm proud of the match I've done.

Q. Have you thought about how important it is for how well you've played the past few weeks, winning all nine matches, how big that is in your career?
GILLES SIMON: Yes, of course it's very important. I mean, I didn't know I was about to do something like this. That's a good point, even today. I was really tired before the match, and finally I could play more than three hours.
I'm surprising myself every day. I try to keep all the good things I've done during the last few weeks to improve my game a little bit.

Q. Have you seen the Cincinnati draw?
GILLES SIMON: Yes, I know.

Q. What do you think about that?
GILLES SIMON: Yeah, the revenge. It's okay. But right now I'm not thinking about Cincinnati.

Q. What has improved most in your game?
GILLES SIMON: I think it's the capacity to play every match, to give everything on every match. Usually, like I said, I was tired after two match, and then the third match was so bad.
Finally I won nine match in a row. Really it's the first time for me. It's not like I woke up the morning and it's, Okay, I feel good. No, I feel like I felt the other time, but this time I managed to move my legs.
Now that I know that able to do something like this, for sure when I be tired in the future I will just think about winning the match, not about -- yeah.

Q. How frustrating was it when you were up 5-4 in the third set and you had a chance to break him and you had that overhead smash that went into the net?
GILLES SIMON: Yeah, I mean, it was not a match point. It was just 15-All. But there is so many points I could loose on the court. So, I mean, there is a bad end and I lost this point.
But, I mean, at 5-3 in the tiebreak, I played an unbelievable backhand down of the line. Could be out or we can replay the match if we want. I'd like to. Maybe I will win.
No, I just gave all I had today. I just wanted to win. It was break up for him in the first set and finally I won. It was break up for him in the third and finally I came back. I had a chance and the opportunity to win the match. Finally I lost.
I mean, I could lose so many match before. I could lose against Federer and I could lose against Haas in Indianapolis. This time was his day, not mine.

Q. You said earlier in the week that you hadn't had time to contemplate all the good things you had done. You said that you could not play for a year, to enjoy it for the next year without playing. Have you thought now about how much these last two weeks have meant to you, and will you celebrate?
GILLES SIMON: Yes, but not right now. I'm too professional. Like you said, I have a tough first round next week against Nicolas. It won't be easy.
I have time it party when I come back in France. Right now I just have to do my job as good as possible. Like I said, I want to -- I'm so confident actually. I want to win all the match I can, because even if I'm not tired, I'm not injured, it's not the same.
To be tired it's not an excuse to lose the match. To be injured maybe, but...
No, I just want to keep that in mind. I won nine match in a row. I just lost today, but it was a great fight today. I will continue like this the next week.
If finally I lose, then I will have time celebrate for the Olympic Games.

Q. Have you been half expecting to do something great like this, or has it come as a little bit of a surprise?
GILLES SIMON: I don't really know. I knew that I was able to defeat the top players. I defeated, yeah, maybe I defeated Davydenko, Djokovic, this time Federer.
I defeated some good players, but I knew that something was missing in my game. Like I said, the capacity to play, to win this match and to win again, and four, five match in a row. Usually I just defeated one and then I lost the round after.
I'm not surprised to defeat them. I'm just surprised to defeat them nine times in a row.

Q. What is your predominant emotion now? Is it relief or pleasure in what you've done or disappointment or a mixture, or difficult to tell?
GILLES SIMON: Yeah, difficult to tell, because there was so many good things. I have so many good moments in my mind, and finally I can't forget this match. I just love this one. I really wanted to play the final here.
I knew I could won this match. That's why I came back every time in the match is because in myself I know that I can win.
So finally I'm disappointed to lose this match. I don't know. I try to forget this and to keep Federer.

Q. When you consider what you've done in the past two weeks and the way some of the top seeds have fallen in this tournament, does that inspire you moving forward, that no matter who you're facing you have the confidence to prevail?
GILLES SIMON: Yeah, like I said, I was never scared about the player I will play. Never. If it's Federer or Nadal, that's not the problem for me.
When I am in good shape like this I know that I'm able to defeat them, so I am always playing to win the match. If I think that I'm going to lose I just don't go on the court. I'm not here just to win one set or -- I don't know. I'm just here to win.
So it's not really a surprise. Yeah, it's a good thing, because for me every time I play a top player like this it's like a new test to know if I have the level to play against them.
When you play this kind of match, what is good is that you see what is your limit, what is the part of your game you have to improve. Even if you defeat them. You know because they're so good and you have to play your best tennis.
All the shots that -- every time I'm just pushing the ball inside. When you play Federer you're just -- yeah, the ball is coming so fast so you lose the point.
I mean, yeah, they are very, very good test match, but I know that I can defeat them, so...

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297