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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 21, 2009

Gilles Simon

CINCINNATI, OHIO

N. DJOKOVIC/G. Simon
6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You didn't win, but you played quite well and you had a great tournament. How are you feeling going into the US Open? Are you ready to do some damage?
GILLES SIMON: I don't know. (Laughter.) I have some damage. I'm not ready to make some.
But no, it's good for me to reach the quarterfinal. It's the first time this year in the Masters Series. I lost too many times in the last 16, so it was better than the other ones.
I had a victory yesterday against Nikolay. He's never easy to defeat, so of course it's good for my confidence. After I hope that I will be able to play as usual, to run better than that. If my body let me play as I want, I think I can be hard to defeat, yes.

Q. There was a couple points near the end of the match where there was a couple dropshots that you didn't go after, and a couple wide shots that you kind of just let them go by. Were you feeling okay out there?
GILLES SIMON: No, because normally I play these points. No, I still have my problems. That was not a good day, because I felt that he was -- he had some problems to breathing on the court. He was also tired.
I wanted to make him run, but every time I tried to I had to run too. Finally it was too painful to play these points. I prefer to keep playing in two shots, two or three shots, one good serve sometimes, and after I hit the ball.
But I think it's not enough to defeat a player like him. He's too good, too consistent. It's not easy to win in two shots against Novak Djokovic.

Q. Was it because of the weather, or are you just getting exhausted from the tour?
GILLES SIMON: No, it's my knee. No, I'm never exhausted. You should know that.

Q. What is the injury?
GILLES SIMON: Still my knee. Still my problem from Roland Garros. I am playing with this for three months now. Sometimes it's okay and sometimes not. This week it was harder. Finally I reached the quarterfinal, but it was harder than the other tournaments. I'm not moving as usual.
Well, when I'm -- I think it's my strength to move, usually to play some shot, to bring all the balls. When I'm not playing this way, then I'm not Gilles Simon anymore.

Q. You've been in the top 10 for a little bit now, most of the year. How has it been in the last year to be in the top 10, to reach that goal?
GILLES SIMON: Well, it was nice. It was very good, because I wanted to improve. I started the year like 30, something like this, and finally I finished the year 7. So I was a little bit surprised myself.
But finally after the season I just saw that I defeated all the best players, so that was a good reason to be in the top 10. I defeated the three best players in the world.
Yeah, I reached the top 10 faster than I thought, but I'm not complaining.

Q. Is life as a player different when you're in the top 10? Have you noticed any differences being on the tour this year?
GILLES SIMON: No. What is different is that everybody are -- people and journalists always think that you have to win every match. When you defeat the best players one time, everybody think that you're gonna do it every time. It's not working that way. We know that all the players are very hard to defeat.
In the first months I didn't allow me to lose some match. Sometimes I said, No, you don't have to lose this kind of match. Finally I was not playing good anymore.
I think that after Roland Garros it was much more easier for me. I changed my point of view. When I just come -- when I get into the court, I just want to win my match. I don't matter about who's my opponent. I try to win every match.
So even when I'm not feeling good, as this week, finally I reached the quarterfinal and it's better.

Q. We missed you in Indianapolis last month. Is there a reason you didn't go back? Once you saw how the draw ended up and Andy not being there, do you wish you would have been there?
GILLES SIMON: Well, it's a strange year for me, because the five very good tournaments I played last year I couldn't defend to this year. First it was Casablanca just before Roland Garros. I didn't want to play the week before the slam.
Then Indianapolis. The reason is I didn't want to stay -- not that I don't like United States, but I didn't want to stay for seven weeks in a row here. So I wanted to come only for four tournaments in a row. That's long enough. That's why I didn't play.
Madrid I had to defend on clay finally this year because it's not indoor hardcourt anymore. I think I won't play Bucharest. And I couldn't defend in Toronto.
No, no, it was a very nice tournament, Indianapolis. I think I'm gonna play this tournament. I don't know if it's gonna be next year or in two years.
But, no, this year I prefer to -- even I have my problem with my knee, so I had to rest a little bit.

Q. Are you playing next week or just resting up for the Open?
GILLES SIMON: No, I rest. I pull out from New Haven. I hope I will be ready and a 100% for the US Open.

Q. Is the knee getting better?
GILLES SIMON: No, it's worse actually. It's worse, but next tournament is in ten days, so good time to rest.

End of FastScripts

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