Facing the press, around midnight, the tired Frenchman, his features drawn, did not hide his contradictory feelings.
On the stunning scenario
The day was difficult, very long. Entering the court was very tough. I had come across Jo (Tsonga) and Gaël (Monfils) just before. I preferred to see them there rather than in the field. At the start of the match, you have a lot of things that come to you, you are no longer focused on the game at all. You know you have to play well, because you have an opponent who doesn’t make mistakes, who doesn’t will give you nothing, not a game. The start of the game was very tough. The game as a whole was very tough, at different levels and different times too. I’m just very happy to have won it, because it started very badly. I felt he went down a bit to finish the set. I was able to push at that point and end up winning.
Sur Andy Murray
Usually, it’s always him who wins these matches against me. It was always very hard to beat him. So I’m glad it went the other way this time around. I think there is still something, it’s that he went down physically at some point in the game. When I played him before, he could play 8 hours, there was no problem. He was in a position to win. He had already not played very well in the first set at 5-3 and unfortunately I lost my serve and the set again 6-4. In the second set, it’s a bit the same face, except that he doesn’t play a very good game at 5-3 to finish, and this time I managed to make two or three good games behind. I felt that he was dropping a little physically, that I had more space and that when my shots were precise, it became hard for him to defend. I did what I had to do. I also think the drop on his side explains, what made the difference.
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On his current level of play
I only play very strong players and I have been at a ranking that reflects my level for a while now. Afterwards, my level can really change, because on the days when it’s going well, I still play very well, but I’m often prevented or arrested, like in Brest last week (forfeit). It becomes hard to make three matches while being calm. So that’s also why I quit. It’s frustrating, because before, I managed to have good weeks, but full ones, afterwards with a lot of less good weeks. But when I had a good week, I managed to go a bit to the end. This year, I think I have almost never managed to play three games in a row. When you make a lot of effort and in the end you have one or two good matches and the third you can’t play it, you tell yourself that it’s no longer useless.
On his future adversary
In the next round, it will be even stronger with Taylor (Fritz) who will start serving at 240 and 220 in second. So you have to be ready right away. You don’t really have an observation round. With Andy it’s a bit different, because I can reassure myself by playing rallies, but when I do, I know I’m shooting myself in the foot too. At least for me, it allows me to play, to put balls in the field, to hit several, to raise my heart, to reassure myself physically, because I’m hyper tense, because everything is hard, because that I feel like I lost 4/10e in each eye, that I no longer see anything.
On retirement
I would have been good too if it had stopped tonight, because I always have this worry of not being at the level in the next game. I will try to recover well tomorrow, to manage my day well and the time I have until the next game to try to play the best game possible. I have a lot of different and conflicting feelings that come up, because of course I want to win, but part of me can’t wait to stop, because it’s really, really hard. I try not to think about it too much. I just tell myself that I’m going to do what I’ve done all my life: I have 48 hours to recover and do the best I can and at least, when I’m focused on that, it allows me to forget the rest.
Statements taken at a press conference