THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 11, 2021

Joachim Gerard

Press Conference

J. GERARD/G. Reid

6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You wait all these years for a Grand Slam singles title, and two come along in one year. How does that feel?

JOACHIM GERARD: Amazing. Yeah, I knew I could do one. I knew I could do two. And I know I can do many, many others. Winning is a completely different things.

Yeah, I made an amazing week in singles. Very disappointing about my results in doubles yesterday. The Brits were better. Now such amazing results. I just want to keep focus for the next tournament.

Q. You played Queen's. Your singles you were disappointed, but in doubles you were happy. What did you and your team work on between Queen's and now to give you the edge?

JOACHIM GERARD: The Queen's was more a tournament, like, that we go for fun. We try to take pleasure because my clay season was really bad. We just wanted to do our best, take back pleasure on court. Yeah, that's how we arrive in the Queen's.

Then when we came back, we pushed back like we were working before. We just arrive here and be the best prepare like the other tournament.

Q. The way you play your game has changed. Your backhand has always been scary, but your forehand is getting ferocious now.

JOACHIM GERARD: We work a lot all the shots. I think I always have the shots. But like today we see I start to the push the ball, I start to make mistakes, I start to move less. That's how I can lose many points in a row.

I think where I improve a lot in my mental. Always have good shots. I'm not going to say the best shots, like today, but I have good shots in the practice. When I arrive in a match, I can be stress, I can start to move less just because it's a match. That's how my game start to be less good.

Yeah, so my mental, that's where I practice a lot. I think I improve a lot.

Q. You mentioned on court you love playing here because it's not that the crowd are against you, it's just for the Brit. How distracting is it to have random songs about Gordon Reid sung at you while you're trying to play tennis? Which was your favorite today?

JOACHIM GERARD: I don't have favorite one because I try to not listening. I'm in my bubble. For sure we hear it, but it's always the same. I have always the one of doubles in my head, Gordon Reid and Alfie. This one is in my head for years already.

How you do to play against that, yeah, that's a big mental process. Few years ago I would have been pissed off because I heard that. I will do mistakes because of that. Now, yeah, I just focus on my game, do what I have to do, and that's the difference.

Q. Are you playing the British Open?

JOACHIM GERARD: Normally I play.

Q. Then Tokyo. Is the sky the limit for you this year?

JOACHIM GERARD: There is no limits. My goal is to be the world No. 1, then to stay the longest time I could - I can. There is no limit.

Q. What do you think is the secret to your current form? Is it the mental work you've been doing or something else as well?

JOACHIM GERARD: I think it's one of the key. The mental, like I said, is one of the huge parts where I work a lot and I improve. But we still working a lot with my coaches in physical and tennis. I think you cannot push only one part of the practice, you have to do everything together.

My team is really close to each other and help me to improve every day. Not only on my sport skills, but in my everyday life, too.

Q. Who was in your box today?

JOACHIM GERARD: Sorry?

Q. Who were your two team members in the box?

JOACHIM GERARD: That's my tennis coach and my physical coach.

Q. One is Damien?

JOACHIM GERARD: The tennis coach is Damien Martinquet. I work with him for nearly two years now. I think he's one of the person who push to improve everything. The other one is my physical coach who I work with for four years now. Yeah, he push me harder every time when we were in the gym or even outside.

Like I said, it's two of the people who push me stronger and stronger every day.

Q. Back in 2016, Gordon won his first Grand Slam title, Australian Open, then Wimbledon, then part of the gold. How do you feel you are shaping up for trying to improve on your bronze medal in Rio?

JOACHIM GERARD: For the record, he made a final in Roland Garros. I made the first one this year. It's not the same.

My goal, like I said, is to be world No. 1. I will do the best that I can in every tournament. So the Paralympics will be my goal to go for the gold, for sure. But we know we are many players together. Everyone want the best medal that we can win.

Q. What was the main difference today that enabled you to get past Gordon? What did you do well today and what were your strengths?

JOACHIM GERARD: I think where I was the best from 0 to 6-2, 4-1, I was more aggressive than him. That's my game. I could play the ball, put the ball better everywhere. I think that made the difference at the beginning.

Then I start to push more the ball. That's where he could come back, go more to the net, win more points. I stay calm once again, like two days ago against Stephane. I could stay calm and manage to reattack in the tiebreak where I leaded nearly from the beginning until the end.