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BNP PARIBAS MASTERS


October 27, 2014


Richard Gasquet


PARIS, FRANCE

R. GASQUET/D. Istomin
6‑7, 6‑2, 4‑0 (ret.)


THE MODERATOR:  Questions in French.

Q.  After the first set, did you feel better?  You were able to put your game together?  Or did he play better?
RICHARD GASQUET:  I think he played a very good first set.  I was tense, I made some mistakes, I missed some break points.
It was not that bad, though.  It was a fast surface.  He was serving well, and there's nothing I did really wrong.
But then in the second set when I broke him, it gave me more motivation to keep going and didn't make any mistakes anymore.
Of course, it's a pity that the match ended that way, but I'm happy that I went through.

Q.  Everybody talks to you about the Davis Cup all the time.  Are you really focused on this particular tournament?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Yes, of course.  I'm playing this tournament very focused, but there's the Davis Cup in the loom, of course.  It's always in my mind.
But it's very good for me to be able to prepare the Davis Cup here in this tournament.  I will try to play as many matches as I can, and I know the Davis Cup final will be something totally different.  But it's good to be in the competition right now.

Q.  But can you play here without giving it all?
RICHARD GASQUET:  I can give it all.  Of course I'm hoping not to get injured, because this season I had many injuries already.  So I'm very careful.
However, this tournament is a very big tournament, and it's a bit different this year with the Davis Cup coming up.  But it's an important tournament for me.

Q.  Is it important for you to win matches before this Davis Cup?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Yes.  It's good to make the same efforts day after day and to repeat your shots all the time.  But I know the Davis Cup will be totally different, and whatever I do here, it will not make a huge difference.
It's better to win matches, of course.  Each player is different.  But for me it's good to play matches.
And also the surface will be different, so these two events are different.

Q.  You were supposed to go to Valencia or Basel and you didn't go.
RICHARD GASQUET:  I had some problems with my thigh after the Berdych match.  My muscle was pulled.  I had to stop for a while.  And now that I started working again, I have been playing for three, four hours a day, a lot of tennis.
But I didn't want to take any risks in playing Valencia or Basel because I was not prepared, and in my mind, even less.

Q.  Did you practice on clay a little?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Not at all.  We have time, or at least I have time after this tournament.  There is enough time to prepare.  So I prefer to practice on hard court.

Q.  How many tickets do you have for the final?
RICHARD GASQUET:  40, 45?  Like in the French Open.  The same.

Q.  Do you have any left?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Not much.  Not many.

Q.  Could you spare one or two?
RICHARD GASQUET:  No.  I'm keeping them.

Q.  You're going to create a sort of contest?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Well, many people want to come.  I think it creates a lot of enthusiasm.  You can see that in the streets everywhere, but people don't even maybe know there is a tournament in Bercy.
Everybody's talking about the Davis Cup, and there is a major tournament to be played here.
And it's 45 tickets a day.  But the seats are not all warm.  You will need to have a coat.  The seats are different.

Q.  You were saying you had some injuries this year.  Do you just think it was bad luck, or are you playing the efforts of last year?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Well, some players had very tough seasons and very good seasons and they were not injured.
But since the beginning of the year, I had problems with my back.  I can't tell you where it comes from, but I had three injections during the season and it affected me.
Now, I'm trying just to be serious about playing this tournament, about playing the Davis Cup, and now I will try to practice to be good next year.

Q.  I think you pulled out from Asian exhibition?
RICHARD GASQUET:  Too tough.  Yes, I did.  After the Davis Cup, I will not be ready to go to Dubai and Asia.  I'm not physically or mentally able to do that.  It's too difficult for me.  I mean, two weeks in a row is really tough.
If I do that, I will have to give up totally the month of January, so I think it's wiser for me to prepare the next season.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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