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ROLAND GARROSJune 7, 2014Julien BenneteauEdouard Roger-VasselinPARIS, FRANCE BENNETEAU‑ROGER VASSELIN/Granollers‑Lopez THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. Congratulations. Just the moment of singing the anthem and all the crowd, standing ovation, and I all that, what did that atmosphere mean to you both? EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: Yeah, it was great feeling. I mean, one of the ‑‑no, "the" best moment of my career. The match point and also La Marseillaise, unbelievable. I have no words to say this. Too good. Q. I know we talked earlier. You said you didn't want your son to play tennis. Does today change your mind? EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I don't know yet. But, yeah, as I told you two weeks ago, it's very tough. But when you live this moment, this is the best moment of my career, almost of my life. Yeah, honestly, if my son can appreciate this, yeah, you can do all the bad things, the bad work, before to appreciate how much good this is this moment. Q. Julien, you have had a lot of tough singles finals in your career. JULIEN BENNETEAU: I don't care. Q. First French pair to win this in 30 years must feel pretty amazing. JULIEN BENNETEAU: Honestly, I won't exchange one of my finals, my loss in finals in singles for a title, especially here in Roland Garros. Even if it's in doubles. I'm pretty sure that the last one in Kuala Lumpur, if I had won this match point that I had, I will not have the same feelings I had with Edouard on the central court here at Paris, at home. Because as I said, since I'm 10, 11, when we went to the Federation for some practice with all the kids, and we sleep here. Some nights I would sit on the Chatrier alone and dream about just play on this court. Now I play, so I have one of the best feelings. I don't realize, but it's very strong as my Olympic medal, so that's why I don't care about my nine finals. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. You started this match really well. I had the impression there was no pressure on you. How did you manage this? And before the match, did anybody say that, you know, it had been 30 years almost that we had no French doubles who had won here, who had won the finals since Noah and Leconte? EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: Well, of course we heard that. It was repeated to us. We knew that before. I think, yeah, that's true. We started really well. We talked a lot. Even before the semis we talked a lot. We discussed. We took time to discuss the match from the tactics point of view, and also the emotion that we would feel. I think we really were ready for the last two matches mainly. Therefore, that's perhaps one of the reasons why this was one of the best matches during these two weeks for us. We were ambitious in our game, and this is our No. 1 priority, given the issue, the challenge at stake. We felt that the victory was close. And then we repeated to ourselves, Let's be careful. On our returns, we have to be strong and powerful on our returns. Also the case for our serve games, we had to have strong first serves and go to the net immediately. We were in our bubble. We were very much focused on the match from A is to Z. At the end we had a tiebreak that was incredible. Our game level went up. So far I think we really were ready before the final and then we played really well, so that was really good. Q. Well, then, during the second set your game level went up. It was a bit tense, I suppose. Did you feel some type of pressure at a moment, or the feeling that you would be frightened to win during the second set? EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: No, no. Neither Julien nor myself, we didn't feel that. Maybe I regret this break point that we gave them. There was a volley we could have won 4‑2, and that was this moment. It was out by that, not more than that. Then after this my return game was not that good. It was in my head, but Julien helped me in the following game to refocus again on what we had to do. Therefore, my attention dropped a little. I said, Oh, shit, no. It would be too bad if we are defeated. But then Julien said, Be careful. Focus on your game intentions. This is okay. It was okay. They were tough. They were playing really well. There were many points that we were doing when we were doing well, but they were doing well, as well. We didn't lose our focus. And then look at our tiebreak. It was perfect, which is a good thing. Q. In three months there is Davis Cup finals between the Czech, and with three single players, as they say. What about you? Is it an objective now? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Well, you know, Davis Cup is perhaps the main objective for my season. Then, yeah, given the first two rounds, many things have happened. I was lucky. I was in the group of four each time. Other players were not. Then they were included, as well. Well, you know, Arnaud. He knows that this option‑‑ well, this team, our team is an option. Then it's too far away. There are two Masters 1000s to play first. We don't really know what might happen, so you see. Arnaud knows that. Therefore, well, we have shown that we can do a good thing, a big thing in a Grand Slam. Q. I'd like to know about the shirts. Your choice? Is it because you love football club? EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: You have asked for the second time. No, it's canary power. That's all we can say. Canary power. JULIEN BENNETEAU: Do you ask the same question to Maria? Same type of questions you ask to Sharapova? Q. (Off microphone.) JULIEN BENNETEAU: She's so impressive. You're shy. You're impressed by her. I like that. Q. How do you find a best doubles team? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Luck. Q. Is it because technically you're in sync? Because look at your game. It's almost a similar type of game. Is it because you like each other when you're not on the courts? EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: Yeah, this is it. We like each other when we're off the courts. For other teams it's different. They don't necessarily get on together, you know. You know, my partners, well, if I can continue with them, it's because I get along with them. For the time being, I think it's okay for the two of us. JULIEN BENNETEAU: Yeah, that's true. For the time being it's very important. Yeah, it's very important to have an extra tennis type of relationship. Well, be careful. Shit, you know, his wife is pregnant. Listen to him. EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: That's true. If we play all the tournaments, I have seen Julien more often than my wife. JULIEN BENNETEAU: Yeah. EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: If we can't have dinner together, then on the courts it's difficult to speak openly. This is how I look at it. That's true, the way we play is more or less similar. You know, all the games are okay. Good server with a good returner. Our game is quite similar with Julien, we are good at returning the points. But the key... JULIEN BENNETEAU: It's Arnaud. EDOUARD ROGER‑VASSELIN: Yeah, of course it's Arnaud. And No. 2, the thing is we get along really well when we're not playing, and then on the court we can speak out, what we want to say, the good things and less good things. It's good to be friends when we're not on the courts, of course. It helps. Q. Julien, Edouard was saying on the court that he managed to convince you at the beginning of the year for this adventure, that he asked you to join; therefore, why did you say yes? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Yeah, well, you know, it was very simple. I was more with Zimonjic last year. Then at the US Open we had discussed it, and Nenad, he said to me, he said Nestor would like to do something, but I want to continue with you. Will we continue together? I said yes. Then Edouard was playing with Bopanna, and then semis and then Tokyo. So I was sure ‑‑ Edouard, he got in touch with me. He said Bopanna would rather play with Qureshi, someone who doesn't play doubles and singes. He said, Where are you? What do you want to do? I said, Well, we have committed. I said, Wait a little. Wait a few weeks, for a few weeks. You know, I had a feeling for that. And then at the end of the season it was so‑so, and then Nenad, you know, in Shanghai, on the plane, he said, Well, I will accept Nestor's offer for this and that reason, and therefore immediately sent a message to Edouard. I said, It's good, because I asked you to wait for a few weeks because if you want to we can. He said, Yes, let's go for it. That's how it worked out. We played together a few tournaments together. I discussed this with Arnaud, Arnaud Clement, and he said to me, I think the two of you will be an excellent group, a team. Not last year, but he said ‑‑ because in terms of returns you're going to be a pain in the neck. So he had flare, the captain. Q. Now, emotionally speaking versus the Olympic medal, what would you say? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Frankly, well, you know, there were things that were really good, excellent. You know, the tiebreak was huge; 3‑1, let; 4‑1, you know. These signs, oh, shit, and they say they mean something. At the same time, I told him, I said ‑‑he was serving. I said, It's the most difficult point. 5‑1, okay, but 4‑1 is going to be the most difficult one. You must win it. Then it was an ace. He played an ace. Then it was going up, up, and then the match point, oh, I'm not going to talk about the match point. Then after this, you know, the fact it was here, you know, we had ‑‑I don't know, 32 pages that were written about us. Incredible. Crazy. I think it's different being Australian Open. You know, it would three or four of us, you know, on a Grand Slam. But it was here, you know, and then the National Anthem on the court. Frankly, whew, well, it's the fact that it's Roland Garros. 30 years, people have been waiting for 30 years. You know, a French team. It's Yannick and Henri, probably the best French tennis players ever. So that's a lot. With a medal, it's ‑‑whew ‑‑ I'll take time. I'll take time. But I'm lucky. I'm lucky. Yeah, I'm lucky. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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