14/11/2010 18:24 CEST - Interviews

Monfils

Q. I think it's the third time you've lost in two sets against Soderling. Is he a player who gives you many problems?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, yes. Yes, it's very difficult for me to find a solution to beat him. And I didn't find it today, either.
I'm going to think about it. I hope one day I'll find one.

Q. But also, you lacked energy today.
GAËL MONFILS: Yes, I didn't have enough stamina. I was a bit tired; it was tougher for me. Maybe my preparation today was not as good. I came a bit late here in the stadium and I did everything a bit too fast, in a hurry. So it didn't help me. So the step just before the match was not well‑organized, and I then was not fast enough. And he played well, too.
But as I often say, I'm in a learning process. Every time I get to a final like this something goes wrong, and this time it was the preparation. I had to rush too much.
And also, at one stage in the match I tried to change my plan. I should maybe not have done that and keep with simple things.
But I like all this, because it shows that when I will finally win my first final, it means I did everything right.

Q. But why did you come late? Did you want to change something?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, it's my fault if I came late. It's just my fault. I did many things, and, well, it's completely my fault.

Q. Is it a special way of approaching the final?
GAËL MONFILS: No, no, normally I had a routine, and it changed slightly this morning. My major defect before was to always be late, and now I realize that being a couple of minutes late might jeopardize your final.
So I don't know if it would have helped me win, but next time I'll try to be on time.

Q. Were you thinking about that before the match?
GAËL MONFILS: No. It's after the match that I realized this might happen, this might be a factor. With my coach we talked about it. It's better to laugh about it.
It's just the way I warmed up, too. Maybe this time it wasn't so much the tension, but on the contrary, maybe I was too relaxed. So it was not as good.
But I'm trying to find the right method. This is only one reason explaining why I didn't play that well, but only one. There are others.

Q. After the quarter and the semifinal where you fought a lot, were you still hungry for a victory today?
GAËL MONFILS: I am always hungry for a victory. Since the beginning of the tournament, I've been really using up my reserves physically and mentally.
In the first match I was already in a difficult situation. It's the first time I've been beating three top 10 players in the same tournament, one after the other. One match I didn't play that well, but mentally I was strong. It was positive.
After that, I was able to play at a very high tennis level against Murray who played very well, and the day after I was even able to play even better.
Of course I used up all my energy, and today of course I was supposed to play again even better. Or maybe to be tougher mentally. It was the last effort.
I wasn't able to make it, but it proved I was able to do it. I had the capacity. And it's good, because if I want to win a Grand Slam one day I will need to beat that kind of players day after day, and it shows what I have to do mentally.
Physically, it's okay. But it's mentally I need to work. I will need to remain very focused, very precise, and I must use up my energy wisely.

Q. In spite of being late in your preparation, do you have any other regrets for this final?
GAËL MONFILS: Of course I have. You always have regrets when you lose a final.
Now, what precise regret I have, it's difficult to say so close after the match. I would rather talk about maybe disappointment. I really wanted to win.
And also, I wanted to play a better tennis and propose a better level of tennis to the crowd, and I was not able to do that; this is the regret.

Q. It was an enormous victory yesterday. Was it difficult to manage against Roger Federer? It's a big name. How did you do?
GAËL MONFILS: I didn't do anything special. I just went to have dinner and then I went to bed. Of course, yes, I was tired after yesterday, but I think it's the whole week that made me tired.
Yesterday I used up a lot of energy, and today I wasn't able to find the extra stamina that I would have needed to be more competitive.

Q. Earlier you were talking about what you needed to do, being more precise, et cetera. Listening to you, I felt you were willing to do that. Before I wasn't sure you wanted to do all this, so now do you really feel you are ready and eager to make all these efforts?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, maybe I'm a different player, but working with Roger is good. He repeats the same things day after day. I'm trying to do what he says. I have the same goal as all the other players: be the best.
But I see that differently, and I think I have to adjust. More and more I am starting to believe in my potential. Little by little I realize I have to adjust my way of doing things. I'm improving.
Well, you know, if it's a matter of five minutes, I can make the effort if I can win a Grand Slam. That's worthwhile. So I need to be more careful about things.

Q. Maybe you had more pressure and more expectations for that match, whereas for the rest of the tournament you just thought, you know, we'll see what happens.
GAËL MONFILS: No, I wanted to fight. I knew this match was gonna be tough because I had tasted Robin's game last week already, and I didn't like it very much.
So I knew whatever was gonna happen it would be tough, but I wasn't putting a lot of pressure on myself. I just wanted to play better. I was not able to do it for other reasons.
But, you know, it went fast when I started losing it in the final. Everything went fast. Then you start thinking too much and you are not able to make choices. You're more tense because you want to do well, and the opponent doesn't give you any time.

Q. If we draw the lessons of the past three months, we see that you had beaten before here players between top 8, top 10. But this week apparently you went a step further. Do you really have the impression that now you went a step higher?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, apart from the Davis Cup, this season is almost finished. Indeed I might have made an improvement because my game is more stable, more consistent. Because even when I don't play that well, I'm able to win good matches.
Among the top 10 players, well, I don't like saying that, Oh, well, now I'm a step ahead because I beat Roger. I don't like to say that, because even if I was able to beat those players, not many other players are able to beat them, and to beat them, I need to really give all I have.
I did it once, but I can't say I have a magic recipe and I can do it each time. If I play Roger Federer five times, I might only beat him once out of five.

Q. In spite of this loss, looking at the good matches you had this week, what can you use from your experience here to be ready for Belgrade?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, my asset was my mental solidity.
Even in this final I could have given up after the first set, but I didn't. I was able to play well enough to go to the tiebreaker in the second set.
So I was able to pump myself up and use my mental strength, and I know I am able to play well if I'm well‑prepared, and this is what I'm going to try to do for Belgrade.

Q. Now that your week holiday has been shortened after this tournament, will you going to do things differently from what you had planned?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, I'm going to get there the same day as scheduled. No, no, I'm not going to change my life. You know, Gaël Monfils rarely rests. I don't know about the other athletes or other tennis players, but I like sport.
Well, resting, not playing tennis, it's all right, but I do other sports. I like that, so I never rest, in fact.

Q. You were talking about the fact that you came late here and you were realizing what was needed at the highest level, so maybe the wise thing would be not to play soccer or to do jet and things like that before Belgrade.
GAËL MONFILS: Well, maybe, but they are going to be my holidays. I'm not sure I'm going to do jet because it's raining. But I'll play soccer, that's for sure. It's thanks to soccer that I started doing sports. I was raised by my father with that. Basketball also is a part of my life, and I will do that.
And I will play tennis there, because I love playing with the children. I like spending time on the courts with them. The children from my father's club all play. It's not going to be practice, of course.
So I will be tired, but it will be a good tiredness, so to speak, because I will have found a new energy, I would have seen different faces. I hope I will be able to make those kids happy if I spend time with them and play with them and talk to them, and my family will be happy.
So I run. But the fact that I'm on that court is very good for me. Just don't see things like just playing soccer or jet, but I am able to give a lot of happiness to my family and to the people there.
So why should I deprive myself and them of that happiness, knowing that I'm wise enough not to do stupid things? And even then I touch wood, but I don't see someone, you know, while I'm jumping dunking me or things like that.
It's more happiness. Well, why do people read? Why can't I play basketball? What's the difference?