ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

October 29, 2025

Arthur Cazaux

Press Conference

A. DAVIDOVICH FOKINA/A. Cazaux

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. We saw that the public was really making a lot of noise, and Davidovich Fokina reacted at the end. How did you feel about this?

ARTHUR CAZAUX: Well, it's true that the blue stand and the public were really there. There is a great atmosphere here in La Defense. It was great. I enjoyed that atmosphere with the public, but that's it. That's the game.

He made his little celebration at the end. Everybody reacts their own way. It's never easy to have the public against you. That's the way he reacted.

I don't know whether I would have reacted in the same way, but all I can do is shut up, because he played his match. He was better than I was. All I can say is bravo. It won't be my fault if there is not very many French people behind him in the next rounds.

But what we can remember from this is that he made a great match today, and well done.

Q. Coming back to the match, in the previous match there had been two very tight tiebreaks. What about this one?

ARTHUR CAZAUX: Well, the first set was very tight, where I'm a bit disappointed as my service wasn't there today. I didn't look at the statistics, but I don't think that my percentage was very high. I didn't play many winning services, which is a pity, because it's one of my weapons.

He returns well, but I would have been better doing more points, marking more points with my serve.

It's true that I had a volley at 3-2, 3-1 also. I missed the return. He really hurt me in the first set. There were a lot of long rallies.

But I tried to do my best with my feelings of the day. Unfortunately, I played against a very good player today, and that's all. What I have to do is try and improve and work hard and we'll see for the next tournaments.

Q. Well done, Arthur, despite your loss. We hear a lot about the calendar and the schedule. People complain. They say they're going to remove some 250 or 500s. You're part of the players that were helped a lot by the fact that there were a lot of tournaments that there was a 250 or a 500 almost every week.

ARTHUR CAZAUX: Well, so long as they don't remove the 250 of Montpellier, I won't complain.

But joking aside, I'm no one to give my opinion about this. Over the last two seasons, every time I missed three months because I was injured. So I can't tell you what happened to the people who played 10 or 11 months a year and who played all the big tournaments, because over the past years, I had time off because of injuries.

Now I feel good and fresh, so I could continue. So my opinion wouldn't be the right one. But I hear a lot in the lockers. This is a sport where you have not very much holiday. We can't say anything to the contrary. It's not easy to plan long training periods. But I'm a player who needs to play. I have had a lot of injuries, so I don't mind to continue playing.

But you should ask other players who went throughout the season, played all the big tournaments, and maybe play at a higher level than I do. They have a word to say probably.