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BARCLAYS DUBAI TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 26, 2009

Fabrice Santoro

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

G. SIMON/F. Santoro
7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: English questions first, please.

Q. It seemed very, very warm out there. Was it almost getting up to Australia standards?
FABRICE SANTORO: Yes, about 32, 34 degrees. Maybe more on the court, actually. And yes, it was strong heat today.

Q. What are your emotions after your last match?
FABRICE SANTORO: Mmmm, something special, you know, because I said on the court, Dubai, when I came here in '93, Dubai was brand new city and brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years.
So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today, but I'm happy once again to reach the qualifying at the end.

Q. Do you remember what influenced you to come here the first year?
FABRICE SANTORO: What?

Q. Do you remember what influenced you to come here the first time?
FABRICE SANTORO: Just because I'm curious. I like to go where -- when I see a new place, I want to go see and have a look. I have this chance in my job and I'm able to see different places, different culture around the world, and when there are new city and new place coming out, I go there.

Q. Is there one memory, apart from the year that you won under extraordinary circumstances, is there one other memory that stands out?
FABRICE SANTORO: I think that's the main one, because I remember that year, I was playing very good tennis, and I reached the final.
And then the next 24 hours after the final was a tragic situation because I was feeling so bad. I was really, really sick, as sick as I've ever been in my life. Just a half hour before the match, I thought I wouldn't be able to go on the court and I went out there, and two hours later, I came out with the trophy.

Q. Did it take you a long time to recover from that final, the exertion that you must have given in play?
FABRICE SANTORO: 2002?

Q. Yes, while you were sick.
FABRICE SANTORO: Yeah, I took four or five days off after this final, I remember, and I went to the States.
But sometimes I get very tired when I win in a tournament, after one, two, three matches. I played a tough one yesterday, so today was tough for me physically because of the heat. But I'm very lucky with my body. Even today, I'm sure that in two days, it will be over.

Q. But it didn't take you sort of weeks to recover?
FABRICE SANTORO: No, no.

Q. It was just four or five days?
FABRICE SANTORO: Yeah.

Q. You said on court that you had been here 17 years in a row; is that true?
FABRICE SANTORO: Yes, it's true, yeah.

Q. Because I've only got you down for 12 appearances in the main draw. Did you only play doubles some years?
FABRICE SANTORO: Okay, so you're right. I thought every year.

Q. So you've had 12 appearances.
FABRICE SANTORO: (Discussing with the moderator in French.)
Okay, you're right. (Laughter).

Q. I was going to ask you to reflect on the very first final. You reflected on your victory here, but what about the very first final which you lost, what was the atmosphere like then compared to what it was like now?
FABRICE SANTORO: It was a new tournament, and when I came here in '93, it was only the second final of my career, and the first one, in a big tournament. So it was very something special to me.
I remember that week. I came here with my physical trainer and we had a great week. We were curious to come here together, and not many players was -- gave their entry into the tournament, because they didn't know what they are going to see here.
But for me, it was always a pleasure to come.

Q. And you've watched the tournament grow over the last 17 years.
FABRICE SANTORO: Yeah.

Q. How much different is it now in terms of status and appeal?
FABRICE SANTORO: Now, if you look at the list, like two weeks ago, there is nine of the Top-10 players. Then some pull out because of injuries and stuff.
But the tournament grows out, a bigger stadium, and every player on the Tour knows that Dubai is a tournament you have to play. It's a big one. Coming from Europe, coming from the states, coming from Australia, everybody wants to play the tournament.

Q. What are some of the ingredients or some of the factors that you have put together to create your unique style? I mean, was it your imagination, or was it working out tactics or your father's influence? What creates this very unusual way of playing?
FABRICE SANTORO: First of all, when I was a kid, when I was eight, ten, 12 years old, I was playing this way. So it's something pretty natural to me.
And when I grow up and I came on Tour at, what, 16 years old, I tried to play a little bit like everybody, you know, hitting the ball hard on both sides.
So I lost my game for two or three years, or maybe more, so it was not a good decision to me.
Then when I was 24 years old, I asked my dad to coach me, to be my coach on the tour, and he said that if you want to be a good player, you have to play as you did when you were ten, 12 years old, because it was something natural. It would be a good decision for you to go back to your natural game.
And that's when I start to be more creative on the course court.

Q. So it was an instinctive thing?
FABRICE SANTORO: Yeah, I was playing like this when I was ten, so it's pretty instinctive.

Q. You mentioned that Dubai is special. What exactly do you feel emotionally? What's your feeling?
FABRICE SANTORO: I feel like I won't be on the court tomorrow (smiling). I'm going to leave the place tomorrow, leave Dubai for maybe the last time. I'm sure I will be back in the future, as I said; not as a player, but I will be back here.
And I am happy for my last year in this special place. I qualified and I beat some good guys and I was here fighting hard against Top-10 players.

Q. You have been traveling around the world for a very, very long time now. I mean, do you just want to go stay at home or are you still going to travel a little bit? What countries do you want to go to?
FABRICE SANTORO: My country. Stay home. My country, my home, my bed, yeah.
I visit many places around the world, and there is many more to say, many more places I would like to go for holidays. But first of all, I would like to stay home and spend more time with my children, my parents, my friends and find an occupation.

Q. Do you have any ideas what you're going to do?
FABRICE SANTORO: No.

Q. Coaching?
FABRICE SANTORO: No. Coaching is the same life as a player, so it's not good.

Q. What do you feel you have given to the game, your contribution?
FABRICE SANTORO: I try my best. It's tough for me to answer, but I was -- I always try to work hard to be competitive, even now at 36 years old.
I always try my best on the court, try fighting until the last point, try to keep my nerves cool on the court.
And yeah, on the court, I always try to give my hundred percent. That was the main thing for me, try as hard as I can until the last point.

Q. Just coming back to the heat factor, how different is it playing a match out there today in the afternoon sun to playing a match at night?
FABRICE SANTORO: Completely different. It's two different tournament.

Q. So therefore, is it fair that Gilles has played all his matches in the afternoon and all of the top two seeds have played all their matches at night?
FABRICE SANTORO: It's not fair to us; it's just me. (Laughter).

Q. Can I just ask, is it a fact that you are going to bow out of Paris Bercy?
FABRICE SANTORO: Yes.

Q. That won't change?
FABRICE SANTORO: No, no. It's far, it's eight months to go.

Q. How do you see the future of French tennis, because so many young, talented players have come up.
FABRICE SANTORO: French tennis is better than ever today. We have almost three players in the Top-10, four in the top 20, more or less, and then players, 30, 40, 50, 60; we have players in every kind of ranking. I think 12, 14 players in the Top-100. It's better than ever.
The one thing we need more than anything, we need to win a Grand Slam tournament. But since a few years, it's very difficult to win a Grand Slam when you look at the first two players in the world.
But we have some talents that can do it. They will do it in the next two, three years.

Q. Did you hear yesterday that in England, the playoffs, there was a match that lasted longer than your match against Arnaud? It was just a playoff to get on to the Davis Cup team, but it lasted ten minutes longer than your match with Arnaud?
FABRICE SANTORO: No, I didn't hear it. Who played?

Q. Chris Eaton, he got through quallies at Wimbledon last year and played one match, and he played a guy called James Ward.
FABRICE SANTORO: And what was the score?

Q. 21-19 in the fifth.
FABRICE SANTORO: Hmmmmm.

Q. But it's not a record.
FABRICE SANTORO: It's not professional tennis probably. So keep this one (smiling).

End of FastScripts

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