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ROLAND GARROSMay 31, 2014Gael MonfilsPARIS, FRANCE G. MONFILS/F. Fognini THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. Can you explain us what happened in the fourth set? First of all, congratulations because you won. GAËL MONFILS: Thank you. Q. Everybody thought you were dead. I mean, you couldn't walk. And then suddenly the fifth you come back again. Fabio just said that you often do something like that. GAËL MONFILS: Well, I did not ‑‑it was like he break me like first game. I think I was like pretty tired after the third one, and I took my time. Like for me was tougher, like I was suffering with the long rallies. You know, I took the third one. And then when I arrive in the fourth, you know, he break me like straight away. Somehow, you know, I was like starting to struggle a little bit, like not cramping, but I feel like really tired. I think all the fatigue coming up. And then I tried to break back. Couldn't break back. The first two points was like too tough for me, and then it's easy. It's like I want to serve first in the fifth. So I mean, the only option I had is to take 6‑Love. Why should I make any effort? Actually, I don't think I was like ‑‑I was not running, you know. He was playing on me. So, you know, I have nothing, you know, I didn't show him anything. I was like walking like very slowly, but I don't think is where I was hurt. Because me, I could see was hurt in hands, then legs. I did not call any trainer or anything. Q. How much do you enjoy that part of the game? GAËL MONFILS: For me it's always a pleasure, new experience. The crowd is always different. Today was again amazing. I think is never easy to drop a set. You know, it's always ‑‑ the fourth I was out of rhythm a little bit. And just to come back, myself, try to come back for the fifth is never easy, and definitely the crowd helped me a lot. Because even, you know, I was like try to win 10 minutes, you still tired. Then they help me a lot. Q. What were you thinking when the crowd was booing him? Because it happened a lot. GAËL MONFILS: Actually, you know, I wasn't focusing on him. You know, I know sometimes Fabio talk or, I don't know, show stuff and do stuff. My focus was on myself, and I was, I think, too tired to watch him. Q. Can I ask you why, thoughts about the strategic thing, you were serving most of the match, 125, 130 kilometers per hour, and then suddenly when you go up 4‑2 in the fifth, to 215, 220. So before we thought maybe you had some problems with the shoulder. Then suddenly... I'm just trying to understand what goes on in your mind when you do those choices. GAËL MONFILS: Well, did you watch the match, the previous match? Q. No. GAËL MONFILS: So that's why. Q. You did the same? GAËL MONFILS: Yeah. I start, and I made like a lot of double faults. So I just slowed down also like the previous match. And this one, you know, when I played Fabio in Umag, I wasn't serving like very fast. I knew he would have returned really deep, high, cross. For me was like a strategy. And then I think you guys like very strange, because, I mean, how you can think I'm hurt? Q. No, I wasn't... GAËL MONFILS: You just say maybe you think I was hurt. Q. Before I thought. GAËL MONFILS: Before what? Q. Because you were not serving when you... GAËL MONFILS: I think I start strong, I started with big serve. It was like good. So what, should I lose energy? I think it was like four back from beyond the line. I don't have time for waste energy against Fabio, because I know I need all my energy. So then I choose something else. And I won't like serve every time, I need to trick him a little bit. Q. I think we can all say that we enjoy watching you play. It's a lot of fun. But I wonder, do you think that with so many ups and downs, do you think you can win a Grand Slam? Do you think you have to maybe focus in a little bit more? GAËL MONFILS: You know, for me it's not about ups and downs. It's more about saving my ass every day (laughter). To be honest, I just came here without preparation. So, I'm, you know... Q. Surviving? GAËL MONFILS: Yeah. Definitely I can win, I'm sure, because at one stage everything gonna come together. Q. Physically how demanding is a match like this? What do you need to do to recover and ensure you're 100% for the next match? GAËL MONFILS: I'm tired. I'm like very tired. So I'm going to do ice bath for sure tonight and tomorrow. Will do a lot of stretching, massage, and maybe bike a little bit, try to eat good and, you know, take a few stuff and with the doc and have a nice sleep again. Try to be ready for Monday. Q. In the fourth set you won just five points. You were not injured, no problem. What the supervisor ask to you or the referee ‑‑ I mean, the supervisor was on court and he ask you something. Did he ask you about what? GAËL MONFILS: Tell me... No, I think nothing special. Because I just ask like I think at 5‑0, I just ask the doc, because I wanted to know, because I have some pills to take and I forgot, so I just ask him if they can call the doc. That's why the doc came and tell him which pill I have to take, because I forgot. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. What about your strategy before you stepped in on the court today? It's a match I suppose you thought about before. And have you changed your strategy during the match? If yes, when? GAËL MONFILS: Well, certainly each match I want to be aggressive and to take control on the court. He broke me immediately almost, so I couldn't do that in the first games. I changed immediately all that I wanted to do, I changed in the very first games. So after that, it was like, well, quite fun, because I broke him back again. He gave me three or four points. Finally I thought, well, you know, I'll play from the baseline as usual, play from the baseline, and crosscourt, we'll see. We'll see what's going to happen. I changed the rhythm. And at the beginning, I thought, I'm not going to do this, because I think Fabio has improved on these shots and he would win this battle if I were to do that. Therefore, I thought, I'm not very happy when I lost the first set, because I had stuck to this type of rhythm. And then after that ‑‑ you know what happened? And by the way, this is when I think that Fabio has a win, if I can say, he's won something, even though he lost the match, he won something, because both of us, we have our rhythm on clay. It's right, left, right, left, diagonals, crosscourt, high balls. That's physical. I told my clan, I said, That's very physical. Because these points, you know, they are tougher and tougher. It was not necessarily very impressive to watch, but physically it was so tiring. Because I think that both of us, we thought that, I don't want to miss this one. I play long, deep balls, and you're going to be off the courts. And I have the impression that I missed the fourth set, but that's because I was worn out. Even though I was two sets to one, I was worn out. I would have loved to win in four sets, but then I had no more "juice" in me, and he was stronger than I at that moment. Q. He made 81 unforced errors. Do you have the impression that it's thanks to you? I don't know, is it a pitfall, a trap, 80 or 81 unforced errors? GAËL MONFILS: I didn't have the impression that he made 81 unforced errors, to start with. And, you know, sometimes I wonder how they calculate the errors that we make. I don't have the impression, 81? 81? No, he was always hitting back. Well, maybe one, but 81? Unforced errors? Not 81. I'm almost certain about this. Well, maybe, yes, some of them with his forehand, but not 81. 81? That means each time at each point? No, the score would be different today. Probably in this case I made 70 unforced errors. How many? 50 for me? I didn't have the impression I had made that many unforced errors (laughter). Q. In the fifth set when he had lost the third game, there's a moment which is a bit strange. He talked with the supervisor and then the umpire, the chair umpire. Can you tell us what happened at that moment? We didn't really understand. GAËL MONFILS: Well, this is it. For you, the Italian press, for you, sir, when I'm told that I am a bit odd, a bit strange, you know, sometimes I was a bit strange at that moment. Because you know what? He took his penalty point. I won the game, and then he was tired. You know, he was tired. He would grumble and say he's not happy, and he took time. And he was grumbling. He told the supervisor or the chair umpire, he said, I want to make my three minutes, give me physio. Then I told the chair umpire, Well, I'm tired too. I said, One and a half minutes he's discussed with you and then after this he's asking for the physiotherapist to come? How strange. But then, he did it right. He got the physiotherapist, and he broke back. Good thing he did that. Well played. Q. Is it because of your strategy that you served a second serve as a first serve, or is there any other reason? GAËL MONFILS: No, I didn't feel my serves. You know, it's difficult. I don't feel them. And, well, some of them were okay. It's difficult. It's difficult for me to find my rhythm. At Umag my shoulder was hurting. I couldn't really serve. And, you know, I bothered him with my serve. And when I serve good first serves, he returns so well. And then, you know, if the second one, as I call it, is a dead leaf, if I sent him a dead leaf as a serve, he returns but not that well, because, what would you do? You would cross. You would shoot across the court. But this is therefore what I decided to use when I was serving. And also, on clay, sometimes, even a kick shot or a dead leaf, as I call it, is more bothering as a strong first serve. I knew immediately what his error was, "error." I was serving and he didn't really surprise me. When he would return he would always return easily. I would always do something with it. I knew what he would do. Whereas if it was a strong first serve, I was losing my energy, he would return a lot better. Q. You started saying there are two reasons you've given. What's the second reason? GAËL MONFILS: The second reason is that I've lost my rhythm for my serves. Q. What about the knee, the ankle? No problem? No pain? GAËL MONFILS: No, I'm Iron Man. Drugs, I've got drugs. But then, you know, yesterday I didn't take my drugs when I was practicing, and I feel the pain. The body is not that good. Q. Next round is Garcia‑Lopez or Young. They have not finished, I think. On paper, that's okay. For a round of 16. GAËL MONFILS: I lost against them, both of them, I think, last time I played against them. Q. (Off microphone.) GAËL MONFILS: Well, I always look at the last match. I lost against Garcia‑Lopez in Miami and Young, I was defeated in Bangkok against him. These are two players that are typical. Talk about Garcia‑Lopez to start with. He played well, defeated Stan, so not bad. He played well, he played Juan Monaco and he was quite close to Djokovic. And therefore, he doesn't look like much for us, but for us, we know he's solid, he can play very good matches. Last time I defeated him it was difficult. It was in Madrid 7‑5, 6‑4, I think. So I know it's going to be a complicated match. And Donald? I always said that he would play well. I think he's young. He plays well, very well. He's very talented. You always have to be careful about these players. You never know. It's the second week of a Grand Slam. Many things can happen. Q. (Off microphone.) GAËL MONFILS: Then it's going to be Garcia‑Lopez. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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