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ROLAND GARROSMay 26, 2014Julien BenneteauPARIS, FRANCE F. BAGNIS/J. Benneteau THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. Tough match. I would like to know, well, you called several times to the doctor, the trainer. What happened? JULIEN BENNETEAU: It was just I was a little bit tired at the end. It's normal with that kind of match. I tried to get everything I can to be ready for the end of the set and to fight until the end. So that just ‑‑it helped me a little bit. I just tried to win some time, and to be a little bit more fresh. Q. Facundo started pretty well and you regained your strength and you kept your game going on, so you won the third and fourth set.  In the fifth, you based your game on your serve, right? What do you think was the key to try to win the game? JULIEN BENNETEAU: I tried to be in the same mood that in the third and in the fourth. And the difference is that Facundo in the fifth set played very, very well. Today it was tough for me. The conditions at the beginning was not helping me with the rain, balls heavy, the court very slow. And he's a very good player on clay court. He has very good forehand, lefty. I just tried to stay in the game. He made a little bit of mistakes at the beginning of the third, so I took confidence, and then I could be more aggressive and I could make him, force him to make some mistakes. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the fifth and during the whole fifth set he played very, very well and very high level. He did not miss one thing. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. After such a match, I mean, that's the first five‑set match you lost ‑‑that's not the first five‑set match you lose here. So you're used to long matches, big fights. What do you feel right now? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Well, it's cruel. I mean, I'm disappointed, and I guess I will be even more disappointed in a few hours' time or in a few days' time. It's hard. It's cruel. I was two sets down. I played this guy who has nothing to lose. Perfect conditions for him. Fought, managed to get back two sets all. He won a break at the beginning of the fifth set. I come back. I play well. I have a match ball. I knew I had to return long, because otherwise he would return with his forehand. It's 2 centimeters too long. If it hit the line, it would have been another story. And then because he had a lot of energy given the fact it was Roland Garros, given my behavior, of course it's cruel. But honestly, I want to congratulate him. He was huge. He served perfectly each time. He was present everywhere on the court. Sometimes, you know, it's just hard. Q. This is the longest match in your career. Did you know that? JULIEN BENNETEAU: No, I didn't. Q. I don't know if it adds anything to this. You're talking about the match and the context. I will ask a question about your coach. Does it have an impact? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Well, yeah. Well, okay, I thought about it before the match, and I thought I had to fight for him. But when I talked about the context of the match, I meant being two sets down and coming back and being so close to winning and losing in the fifth. I mean, that's all I meant. As for the rest, it wasn't a big problem for me. Q. Would you say that this was the most tiring game or match in your career? JULIEN BENNETEAU: I'm not quite sure. Quite frankly, I don't know. There was the year I lost to Falla in the fifth set, in five sets on the same court, that was pretty long. I played many matches in Slam tournaments, many of them were difficult. So I can't tell you. I don't know. Q. You were talking about your opponent's game level. Was it a surprise knowing that this player had never played a Grand Slam before? JULIEN BENNETEAU: I can't remember who I was talking about this a few weeks back, but this guy is 150 in the world, and he plays huge. 20 years ago a guy with this ranking would never play such beautiful tennis. I mean, today some players may have a margin. Look at Wawrinka, he's No. 3, and he's close to being outed. So no match is easy today. All guys can play tennis pretty well. Then you have some guys that are slightly above all the rest. Others that have a safety margin because they play just great. They are very solid. They play each match very seriously. Playing an Argentinian, a lefty, on clay, whatever his ranking, you know, it's going to be difficult. Q. You played quite a few matches in five sets. Can you tell us what will go through your mind when it lasts so long? In the end, I guess there is a lot of pressure. We can't see that when we watch you playing, but I guess there must be some pressure. JULIEN BENNETEAU: On a match like this one, yes, of course, four hours, 30 minutes, 18‑16 in the last set, so yes, how can I say? At one stage you just focus on what's important and you push, push harder to try and get an opportunity. And it's true that everything that has to do with tactics comes second, especially in the fifth set when you need to play with your heart, with your gut, with courage, and you need to try and win just like that. And the longer it lasts, the more it's important. And the longer the fifth set, the more you focus on just the next point, just the next ball, and you try and be more daring than the other. Q. It's a question about basketball. Did you see Jalt was playing the playoffs? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Yes. Q. Are you interested? Will you have time to watch them next week? JULIEN BENNETEAU: Well, I won't be there, unfortunately. I follow them, and I'd love them to get back to Pro A. My parents were going to watch them, and of course I'm following on their results. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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