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QATAR EXXONMOBILE OPENDecember 30, 2012Richard GasquetDOHA, QATAR THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Welcome. Last year you won about two thirds of your matches. Is this an achievement which is suitable for your ability and your ambition, or do you hope to do better this year? RICHARD GASQUET: I think I finish at No. 10 in the world, so I'm sure I can go farther. Not sure in the top 5; it's tough. Good players between 5 and 10, but I'm able to do it. I want to play better in Grand Slam. I did fourth rounds this year, so I'm sure I can do better again. And I played well in Davis Cup, too. Q. The best Grand Slam you have had so far was on grass at Wimbledon. Was there a special reason for that, or was it just coincidence, do you think? RICHARD GASQUET: No, I really don't know. I think I can play on every surface, every court. Last year I played well in Wimbledon. Yeah, I did, as I said, a lot of fourth rounds last year, lost to Murray, against the best player in the world. This year I want to play better against that guys, and why not to win them and go farther in Grand Slam? Q. Can you tell us something about your preseason preparation, and without giving away secrets, what you tried to do?RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, I tried to work physically a lot. That's what I did for first four weeks. I think I'm feeling good. I'm coming here to play well, to win some matches, to feel comfortable before Melbourne. It's a big tournament here in Doha, so I really hope to play well. Q. How does it feel being back in Doha? RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, I came in 2006, and I lost to Henman, long time ago. So the tournament grew up, much better, one of the best. I'm really happy to be here. As I said, I will try to play well in this tournament and reach the final. I'm No. 2 in the draw, so I'm able to do it. Q. How do you see Nadal's injury? How do you explain about him in 2013? RICHARD GASQUET: Well, we don't know. For sure he has problem with his knee, but I'm sure he's coming back on clay in a month, and I'm sure he will be ready for Monte‑Carlo, that kind of tournament. He will be 100%. I'm pretty sure he will come back at his best level soon. I hope for him he will recover really good, and I hope to see him soon on the tour. Q. You once said that you play with a lot of emotion, and one of your big tasks is to control that emotion and use it in a positive way. Is that still one of the aims that you... RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, important to have a big mental. You know, Djokovic, Federer, Nadal have an incredible mental part. I try to reach that level. It's tough, but for sure when you want to win these kind of matches, you need to have a big mental. Q. If I may just ask you one Rafa Nadal question, there are predictably a lot of people who were writing him off and saying he's finished. Can you give an answer to why that's not so? RICHARD GASQUET: The journalists‑‑ you know, for me he will come back, come back soon. He's good. He's come back on clay court, better for his knee. And for sure he will come back at his top form for Monte‑Carlo, these kind of tournaments. For me he's still the favorite for Roland Garros. Q. You regard him as one of the biggest assets for the tour? RICHARD GASQUET: For sure he's one of the best, incredible. I'm sure he will come back at his best level, and he can still win a lot of Grand Slams. Of course I hope he will recover well, and I hope to see him on the court soon. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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