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ROLAND GARROS

May 27, 2018

Fernando Verdasco

Paris, France

F. VERDASCO/Y. Nishioka

6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. May I ask you your feelings after this crazy game with very specific atmosphere at the end?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, it was difficult match with many up and downs for both players. But, you know, if I explain everything about the match, it will take a long time.

So I will say that I'm just happy with the victory, with the fight, and with everything I gave on the court. There were, like, very, very difficult moments along the match.

And I just fight and try till the end, and I finally win the match. And now I have the possibility in second round to try to play better and to don't make it that long.

So like I said, happy to finally win it. I think he played also a great level of tennis. And, you know, I just feel sad for the part that he was, like, that bad at the end of the match. But when you play five sets in clay, these things can happen. So I'm just sorry for him in that thing with all the crampings and everything to handle that, because it's very difficult.

But for my side, I'm happy that finally I won the match.

Q. Maybe you know very few things about your opponent today, Nishioka. Also, after that match, what was your impression on Nishioka?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: He played a great match. You know, I saw him play few times on -- not a lot, but I know and I knew that he was very fast opponent with his legs and talented with his hands. You know, both lefties. So, at the end, I knew that it was going to be a difficult match, physical match.

And first set, I think, was very intense. It was also hot. And I felt, after the first set, that physically he was a little bit tired. I start to hit a little bit harder and I start to make more winners, and that made possible for me to win the second set and the third set.

And then, in the fourth set, at the beginning of the fourth set, I start feeling a little bit tired. And I saw him that he start to move again much better than the two sets before.

And it was also a very tough set that I had my chances. I couldn't make it. And then at the tie-break, after being 2-Love up, I finally lose the tie-break and then start all over in the fifth set.

So I think it was a long battle with opportunities for both players. And just lucky that I finally went through and being the winner of the match. So now I have the possibility, in second round, of playing better than today.

Q. It's pretty obvious that he was cramping. I think you knew about that. So how difficult it was for you, for your side, to play against that kind of player? And at the end you showed very, you know, sportsmanship, shaking his hand and maybe exchanging some words. So could you tell me about that?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, at the end, he has been fighting also the four hours and a half. And, you know, I'm the one that I always think that when you lose or you win after five sets, I think both players deserves to win no matter what happened. Because when you are there for such a long time fighting to win, it's just a shame that one of the two players has to lose. And today, I was the winner.

I played so many matches during my career five sets, and I lost so many. I won many also, and it's just so hard to lose like this, and even more when you are cramping and you are just not able to give your 100 percent.

But in clay, like I said before, many times happens, no, that with all the tension and all the nervous from the match, when you are just there, the muscles doesn't respond and then it's easy to cramp.

It happens to me also many times during my career, and I just try to handle them. And, you know, you start to take anti-inflammatories and all kind of pills to try to avoid that. And sometimes it goes away, sometimes not.

So I think that for my side it was tough to play against him because you see him that he's cramping. But at the same time, once the point was playing, many times he was still running well. I felt that he was still running quite a lot for how was looking in between points sometimes.

And I needed to push hard. It was not enough to just put the ball in the court because I guess that also for him he was a little bit more loose. He was a little bit more like, Okay, I cannot move. I have to hit harder. And then he start to make winners also like forehands down the line, forehands cross-court short.

So it was not hard for me either. And I just, like I said, I just tried to run for every ball and fight as much as I can, and I finally made it possible.

But it was a tough battle for both of us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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