ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2023

Arthur Rinderknech

Press Conference

A. RINDERKNECH/R. Gasquet

6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6

Q. So I guess this tiebreak and this forehand were very good?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Yes, because it's true. This forehand when the umpire got off the chair and showed me that it was okay, it did me good. It enabled me to regroup and to go and get what I needed to get.

Q. I think it's the first tiebreaker you win this year. What do you think?

RICHARD GASQUET: Well, usually I'm not that bad at tiebreakers, but I'm surprised to learn that. Maybe I wasn't good this year. I don't know. You are teaching me.

Q. Did you lack confidence in view of your last results? Are you regaining confidence now? How did you live this beginning of Roland Garros?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Well, it wasn't a loss of confidence. As I said, in the past I haven't always played with 100%, but since I got back in Rome, I'm feeling better.

I'm okay, but before that -- at the beginning of the year I was okay in the United Cup and then it was no longer the case. As I said in the past, when I'm 100%, I like what I do, and I do it well. But if I'm not 100%, I cannot beat these players when I'm not 100% physically.

So this first victory in Roland is great. I've been expecting it for a long time. I've often played against good players. I wasn't always at the best of my physical capacity, but I've done well this year.

Q. When you left the court, you paid a tribute to Richard. What does he represent to you, and what kind of inspiration did he give in your career?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: I wasn't lucky enough to get to know all the French champions before him or at least to talk tennis with these people.

Richard is the one with whom I spent most time, I believe, and he is a champion, if he is to be defined. So I was lucky enough to meet this champion. He likes to share and to help the young generation in France, whoever it is.

I remember when we were practicing together in the Racing Club four years ago. I may have, I don't know, been 350th, and he was at the top. We were practicing, and I remember he gave me advice. Not necessarily tennis advice, but things that stuck with me.

The next week he looked at my results; and a few months ago, even though that was four years ago, he talked to me about that.

As I said, at the time I was 350th in the ranking, but he was there for me, and I believe this is the definition of a champion more than victories and titles. He is someone who wants to give to others. And with my coach, we get a lot of inspiration from him.

Q. Therefore, is it a victory that is very striking for you and that's a real pleasure?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: Yes. I'm not saying he is my idol, but he is a great example to me and to my team, and this may explain why I was maybe super tense at the end.

He missed it by very little because with two double faults of mine, he was back into the game.

Q. You are telling us about this discussion with him four years ago. Can you tell us what kind of advice he gave you? Do you remember?

ARTHUR RINDERKNECH: It's more of a private advice. I was told with the futures I was starting with challengers. He enabled me to get to the challengers with a little bit of advice to get to the next step.

I was also lucky enough to be with him in the Davis Cup several times. Outside the tournaments and the matches, we had some exchanges that were great.