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ROLAND GARROSJune 4, 2014Gael MonfilsPARIS, FRANCE A. MURRAY/G. Monfils THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. You made a great effort coming back into it. How did the fifth set slip away so quickly and easily? GAËL MONFILS: Well, I don't think I have the answer yet. I think I played a good first game. I think it was 15‑30. Then everything happened very fast. I missed a few shots, and I don't know. I don't really know what happened. It was very fast. You know, very fast. I start to miss a lot of balls. I felt not bad, so it was a very strange feeling. Very strange. Q. (In French.) Good evening. What happened? Was it something physical or mentally? GAËL MONFILS: (In French.) Well, I don't know. As I just said in English, I don't have any answer right now. It all went very fast. At one time I wasn't there. I felt okay. I tried to hit the ball hard and it was out not by far, but it was out. It went very fast. THE MODERATOR: Let's continue on with English. Q. The fifth set was played in very dark, failing light. Do you feel that it made better sense for the fifth set to be played tomorrow, or do you feel that it would have been better to continue today? GAËL MONFILS: The real thing is it will be better when we gonna have lights here. For sure he rushed me a little. I wanted to finish today because I knew that Andy was tired and I was better than him. And then I thought maybe that's why I rush a bit my shot and try to be very aggressive, and then didn't come. Q. What was it like with the crowd as you came back? Did you feel the energy from the crowd? GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, definitely. You know, it was a little bit tough in the beginning because the condition was very tough for them, and also for me. But at the end, every point they were behind. You know, that is why I feel a bit sad, because the fifth went like way too fast for me. Q. You came in without, as you said, many matches here. And to feel disappointed losing in a quarterfinal, you have had a good tournament all the same. GAËL MONFILS: No. I don't think it's a great tournament. You know, I'm still sad, you know. I need to work more and harder, because this match, that's the key for me to be a champion. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please. Q. Could you see fine during the fifth set? Did you want to play tonight? GAËL MONFILS: Well, it was getting a bit dark. We couldn't see all that well, but I wanted to finish tonight. So, yes, it was dark, but I really wanted to finish tonight, because I knew that he was not in great shape. I felt better. Maybe that's why I was a bit rushed in attacking him. I'm very frustrated. Q. Do you have regrets with the way you started the match and with the two first sets? GAËL MONFILS: No, not that much. I'm just happy I waited and I was patient, because in the beginning the conditions were very difficult. There was a lot of wind, and in these conditions Andy's much stronger than I am. He has more aggressive shots. He's more tactical than I am, and I hope the wind would stop or would be less strong. Q. At the beginning of the fifth set it was getting dark, and we saw Andy talking to the referee. Did he want the match to stop? Afterwards, did you think he was bluffing? GAËL MONFILS: That's the only thing that's not very nice at Roland Garros. I'm sorry, I have to say that. Because if we both agree to stop, it would have become a match. But I wanted to go. I rushed it. I probably over rushed it in my fifth set. Well, it went very fast, but the referee came and he said we have 20 minutes more. Q. But Andy, before the fifth set, what did he want? To continue the match? GAËL MONFILS: I'm not quite sure. I don't know. I don't think so. Q. You have experienced many things here. Is this the most cruel match for you tonight? GAËL MONFILS: No, it's just lots of frustration. Each match you play is a good experience, whether you win or you lose. Tonight I'm a bit upset because I had to adapt on two occasions. I couldn't do it. In the fifth set and in the second set there was a lot of wind, but I didn't manage to adapt. Then in the fifth I rushed and I couldn't adapt, so it's a lot of frustration. Q. After the two sets that you lost, how did you find the resources to come back? GAËL MONFILS: Well, I could see that the wind was not blowing as hard as it used to in the two first sets. In the second set I was thinking, Well, I hope the wind is gonna calm down. This is what happened. Q. Regarding the darkness, did you talk about it with other players? What do you think should be done for the future? GAËL MONFILS: Well, they will put lights on the court very soon, so that's the answer. Q. Didn't you fall in the trap with this crazy atmosphere with the crowd so you rushed it? GAËL MONFILS: No, it was really because I wanted to finish the match, because I know that tomorrow he'll be feeling better and I have difficulties having a good start with my matches. I know that. Tonight I knew that he was not moving that well, and I had to continue. I had to. I couldn't say, Okay, let's stop, because I was giving him a huge opportunity to win tomorrow. I didn't win the first game when I was in a position to win it, and then I rushed it. I tried my forehand and my shots were out, and then it went very fast. I thought, Okay, I need to remain aggressive. It slipped. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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