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BNP PARIBAS MASTERSOctober 31, 2012Michael LlordaPARIS, FRANCE M. LLODRA/J. Isner THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please. Q. So it's confirmed. There is the Bercy effect. MICHAEL LLODRA: Well, yes. I might answer yes. It's always extremely exciting to come here to play. I was really pumped up, and I had been able to put my game into place playing smaller tournaments before, because I can tell you in Orleans I was not playing the way I am playing now at all. I was able to win some matches, and now I'm playing a lot better and I'm feeling that my game now is in place. I'm serving well. Most of all, I found the enthusiasm and also my volley and net game. That's the most important thing in my game, because this is how I play best when I go up to the net. And on my returns, I was able to anticipate even if he was serving big. I'm sure on the first serve of Isner, not many players are able to return and volley. It was funny. Q. Is there a Theo effect? MICHAEL LLODRA:  My son makes me laugh. Since the beginning of the week he's making me laugh because he says, I need to come back because you're winning when I'm here. He asked me, for example, Are you playing two persons on the court tonight or just you alone? Because when you're two, I'm not coming. I mean, he's great. It's great to have a child that is so sweet. He's supporting me. I could hear him on the court saying, Come on, Papa. And that's great. Q. Did you play as well as two years ago against him here? MICHAEL LLODRA: I believe it was even better. Two years ago the surface was a lot faster, so it was not real tennis here. They were crazy points until the end. It was an extremely good match today. I'm very happy because this was a very important match for me to finish off the season with something good, and I will be able to start next year being confident, thanks to this match, and I will be ready for Australia. So this takes a weight off my shoulders. And now, without giving too much importance to this, I'm third round here, so maybe I have a chance to play another big match and that's great. Q. Being explosive and playing with a lot of stamina, did you work on it specifically? MICHAEL LLODRA: Well, it's playing matches that it just came. Since Marseilles I had not been able to play two matches in a row, and after the French Open there was a real gap. I didn't practice on grass because my wife was at the end of her pregnancy, and it was all right but I was a bit worried more than the other times. In Wimbledon I had not practiced before, and I was not very willing to play and I didn't win matches. And then there were the Olympic Games. And once my main goal was reached for this year, I just didn't touch my racquet anymore, although I still did some sport. In the US Open I was unlucky, because I played a very good match against Kohlschreiber and I lost. Again, I practiced two weeks before playing a challenger, and I believe these kind of tournaments, the challengers, were good for me because they helped me regain my confidence. In Orleans I was disappointed, but after, I played a great match against Goffin first round, and after, I played against top 50, top 70 players. So even if I lost in the final, I was able to play seven matches in a row. I was tired because I also played four matches in doubles. Last week I was able to play a very good match against Darcis and another good one against Stepanek, although I lost that one, and another two good matches this week. So there is a reason for that. When you practice and when you're into it, it pays off. Q. In Marseilles I remember you talked about your project for creating a training center. Where are you standing with this right now? MICHAEL LLODRA: The project is still there. In Paris we had some concerns. It was a bit complicated. There were problems with the club. I don't want to go into the details, but the academy will be created but it's not going to be in Paris. It's going to be in another place and another city. I will announce it officially in the next weeks. It's going to be something big. Q. In Qatar? MICHAEL LLODRA: No, not in Qatar. Not at all. It's going to be in France. Q. Can you talk about Del Potro, your next round? Well, let's say if you were to play Del Potro, does his game suit you? MICHAEL LLODRA: It's extremely difficult against him, because his game is difficult for me. He destabilizes me. He hits hard, he serves well, and he passes very well. I played him twice, once in Marseilles in the final. He was monstrous. Forehand, backhand, I had no chance. And I played him on clay first round in Rome. I lost 7‑5 in the third playing an extremely good match, and I was unlucky because on some break points in the third set that could have gone my way I was a bit unlucky on this slower surface. So he's going to be tough. He will be very confident because of his win last week. Q. Apparently the surface is slower this year. It doesn't bounce high? MICHAEL LLODRA: Well, it's slower than two years ago, but it's faster than last year. And the bounce is low, so when you play a slice or a backhand chip, the ball remains low. This is my advantage, because it's more difficult for me to play high balls at the level of my shoulder, and I can tell you that if I'm able to play low shots it's going to be difficult for him to pass me. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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