AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2014

Gilles Simon

G. SIMON/D. Brands
6‑7, 6‑4, 3‑6, 6‑3, 16‑14

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Can you talk through your decision whether to play today or not play today given your injury from Kooyong.
GILLES SIMON:  Well, I just try my best to be ready for the match.  Was in really bad shape after Kooyong on Saturday.  I think I just got lucky that the recovery was that fast for the ankle.
Still, it was very limit to go on court today.  It's always a tough decision to make.  Like you go, and I think this time I got pretty lucky.  Maybe you can just lose 2‑1‑1, and have a different feeling at the end.  Would prefer to go full for sure.
You know, I just have a call to make.  I say, Okay, it's not easy that everybody saw me with the crutches.  If I just go and I'm ridiculous, I guess no one's going to talk good about me.
But, I mean, normally I just don't pay attention.  I just see the guy I'm facing.  I know the guy has a good serve.  I know he's weaker from the baseline, so I know I can serve full.  I mean, I never serve that many aces in a match.
I know it's 40 degrees.  Okay, we never know, just try, just go, everything can happen.  I go, but then I got lucky.

Q.  Were you able to play pain‑free?
GILLES SIMON:  Oh, no, I'm not playing pain‑free.  Far from that.  No, it's really painful.
But you decide what you will do on the court.  I was just focusing on this.  When he broke me after the third game, I say, Oh, it's going to be a difficult day today.
Finally he got tight and I think I used it very good.  I played a lot of serve and volley.  I felt I couldn't run from the baseline, so I was trying to keep it short to break to rhythm, to give no rhythm to this match.
The conditions helps, because when it's 40 degrees you just miss everything because everybody is so slow.  I just managed to play relaxed, focused on what I had to do, what I could do.  Then I got lucky because I think he could win this match 15 times.

Q.  Down 2‑1 in the sets, did you think about retiring?
GILLES SIMON:  No.  I decide I will go on court and then I see.  Even if it's 6‑1 in the fourth, it's okay.
For me knowing that I'm really not in a good shape, just to go on court, play already 7‑6, I said, Okay.  At least I had a chance, even to win this set, to create some pressure, something.  Then if I lose, I'm okay with it.  Like I know it before I go.
So that's why I manage to play very relax.  It was very important, because for him it was a very tough match, very complicated.  You could see every time he was hitting a good stroke like it was a winner.  I think he played like 111 winners, so I just had to pick up one side every time.
So he was in a really bad situation playing someone very relaxed.  He knew he had everything in his hand and he had many occasion.  Finally he lost this match.  He must feel pretty sad now.

Q.  Did you ever consider the weather conditions as well?
GILLES SIMON:  Yeah, but it was good for what I wanted to do on court.  I needed fast condition.  I didn't want to run.  So you know the serve is going to be very effective.  It's good for him.  But today it was good for me also.  And then it was no reason.
I mean, I watch all the match on the outside courts, plus with the wind during the day, like it was really hard to play.
So I felt it was, yeah, exactly what I needed today and I think it helped me a lot.

Q.  So the conditions helped you?
GILLES SIMON:  Yeah.  If I feel ready and I want to fight from the baseline, then he a tough opponent because I will just look for rhythm in the match and finally the condition will be helpful for this.  He will serve fast, with the wind, with the heat; you don't control anything.
But today it was the other way.  I just wanted it to be as short as possible with no reason.  I wanted him to feel bad, to get tight, and I managed to do that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports