QUESTION: Bertrand Perret has decided to put an end to your collaboration. So you approach the event without a coach…
ANSWER: “I would like to thank him for all the hard work he has done this year. It was a great personal and professional investment. We started from afar and arrived very high at the end of the season. He decided to leave the team after the (Guadalajara tournament in) Mexico, and I respected that decision. Now I have to focus on the present, on the best preparation for this tournament. I have to keep my mind clear.”
Q. Do you have a new coach?
A: “We called someone who helped me last year. His name is Juan Pablo Guzman. He came to help me organize and prepare, give me some advice. And as he knows me, it’s easier to integrate the team.”
Q: What does it mean for you to be among the eight best players of the year?
A: “It means a lot. Eight is a very small number. On the Grand Slams, including the qualifications, we must be in the 250s. This means that you have been very consistent throughout the year or that you you’ve played well in the big tournaments. A tennis season is very long, you travel a lot, you have to deal with different situations that you have to deal with. It’s a real challenge. And at the Masters, you know you’re going to play at least three matches against Top 8 players of the season. It’s very rare. So it’s probably the toughest tournament of the year.”
Q: Half of the participants this year are neophytes…
A: “Not me!” (laughs)
Q. But what does that say about the current state of tennis?
A: “Life goes on. There are players leaving tennis and new ones coming. I think it’s good. The players here have been the best this year, so they deserve their place. The first time is always a great experience. When it happened for me in 2017, none of them were there. So, I feel very old now (laughs). Iga (Swiatek) is very young (21 years old, editor’s note ), but she’s now stuck in the top spot. Ons (Jabeur) is doing better and better every year, she’s very consistent…I think it’s pretty consistent. It’s no surprise to see these players at this stage.”
Q. Your first participation dates back five years…
A: “Yes, it’s been a long time. In Singapore, I qualified a bit at the last minute, very unexpectedly. A lot of things have happened since then, positive, less positive. I would have preferred to taste it again sooner , but I’m already happy to relive this experience. It’s a gift, after a very hard season, very good too. I’m really proud of the work done. I want to make the most of it.”
Q. You are one of the few to beat Swiatek this year. So you know how to…
A: “The Masters is a big challenge, but Iga is a challenge on its own. I won against her in Poland, but it was in very different conditions, on clay. I will try to be aggressive. It’s the way I play, and it’s probably the best chance I have of beating her.”
Statements taken at a press conference
