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ROLAND GARROS


June 2, 2017


Roberto Bautista Agut


Paris, France

R. BAUTISTA AGUT/J. Vesely

6-3, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. Can you tell us what you think about this win, this match? And now that you're reaching the round of 16, how does it feel?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: I feel good to reach round No. 4. My match was very serious and I played seriously. My returns were really good. He had to work a lot with me. He had to move a lot. Tactically, I think I played well.

Q. We don't really know who's yet won the match that's being played between Rafa and his opponent, but it seems that Rafa is up.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, Rafa is playing his best tennis at present on clay. He's almost like not lost any of his matches.

What I will try and do is play my tennis, be aggressive, and I will try and play fast, and then we will see what happens. It is going to be very complicated. He plays a very high level of tennis, he's very aggressive with his forehand. His serve is excellent.

Q. Would you say that there is something which is more difficult than defeating Rafa on a possible five-set match on clay? He has statistics 98 matches won against 2 that he lost.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: That's amazing, incredible. I know he had many, many wins but not that many.

Yeah, well, I didn't know the statistics. But, well, what's for sure is that Rafa is the favorite opponent, and it's going to be really hard. Yet I'm going to try and play my tennis and be aggressive and enjoy it.

Q. You're saying that you want to be aggressive and also you want to play with the clock. If I can say, you don't want to have rallies immediately?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, if you start with the rallies, long rallies, I will have to run, and it's going to be very hard for me.

So I will try and start slow, as slow as I can, and then return his forehands, try and return his forehands as best as I can. He's a lefty, so that's going to make things even more complicated, but I will try anyway.

Q. I'm not going to talk about styles, but what about profiles? Now, the fact that you have played against Nole on Chatrier last year and you managed to resist, would you say that psychologically you're going to be a bit more solid? Because you know last year Nole was so strong.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Yeah, that's true. That's true. Novak was totally fit at the time. He was playing his best tennis. And by the way, he won the tournament.

I think these two players are quite different altogether.

But I think it's going to be more difficult for me to play against Rafa than Nole. I think it's the case for everybody here on clay. What's also certain is that last year's match was such that, you know, this is experience, reaching round of 16 is something that's going to help me. So when I'm on the court, I'll give my best tennis, I'll try and have as much courage, muster my courage, and do my best.

Q. Well, bad luck. Had you not met Rafa, anybody else would have been more accessible?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Yeah, that's true. Anybody would have been easier than Rafa. But reaching the fourth round or round of 16 is a complicated thing to do, for anybody, any player.

All those who reach the round of 16 are difficult players, and he plays very well. But last year it was Nole. This year it's Rafa. It's the way it is.

Q. Regardless of the opponents, let's talk about the fact that you're going to reach the second week. You're reaching the fourth round. That's probably something that you're pleased with. You're going to keep your rankings.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, I wanted to do things well in Paris. Last year I played rather well, and this year the clay season for me was not as good as what I had hoped for.

But the week before, in Rome, I think I played well. And even before I arrived here in Paris, I played well. I count on that. I want to continue on the same tracks, and I hope I can end the tournament as best as I can.

Q. I don't know if you've seen what's happened to Goffin. He was injured. He, I think, twisted his ankle on the tarp or something like this. Has this happened to you, or have you seen this?
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Yes, I saw that. I think that Roland Garros' court should be a wee bit bigger, and mainly the annex courts. This court is huge, but the other ones are small. And to play on clay, you need more square meters. There is the tarp that's here just in case it rains. But with the tarp you have few square meters on the court, and it's a pity for David. He was playing so well.

Q. According to Zeballos there is something else below the tarp. It's like a small concrete step beneath the tarp. That's where he slipped.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT: Well, in any case, if it's a grade or concrete or anything else, it's an obstacle, an object. It's a risk. We tend to slide a lot. I think some of us have hit the tarp. For instance, on the Lenglen, it's tough. Lenglen is quite a huge court. But on other courts it's easy, unfortunately, to hit on the tarp.

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