Freed by the announcement of his retirement at the end of the year, the Frenchman carried by the euphoria of a 1is “unreal” turn overcame his fatigue to get rid of the American Johnson. Here he is, at 37, at 3e Roland-Garros tower.
Two days after a match concluded victoriously at 1 a.m. against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta (seeded n°16), Gilles Simon emerged victorious from his 2e round against American Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6). The Niçois (37 years old; 158e world) is living his last season on the circuit and is enjoying every moment with intensity. And the public fervently shares the highlights of their tournament. On the Philippe Chatrier court, hot, he launched to spectators in heaven: “ Thanks, that was fantastic. I had a lot of stress coming in and I was trailing 3-0, I felt like I sucked… I was surprised to have played such a game two days ago and I don’t I didn’t want to make a disgusting match. I said to myself ”it has to come”. And then I tried to manage my energy to finish. There are times when you feel lonely in the year and there I had the impression that everyone was with me. I think of my wife and my children, my four hooligans who don’t see me playing often. In a press conference, Gilles Simon, calmly but with stars in his eyes, evoked the pleasure felt, before letting his gaze wander towards the 3e round and a terrible opposition of style against the Croatian Marin Cilic (seeded n°20). A player who has often succeeded in the French strategist who leads 6 wins to 1 in their head-to-head.
1is tour-2e turn, similarities and differences: “It was different feelings. The first one was really special. It was a really unique atmosphere. And that’s only possible when you play this late, with fans who are crazy enough to stay this late, to watch the game until the end. So it was really a very, very special moment. Today (Thursday), on the Central, it was also very special, because the match was different. I was very stressed. It was more difficult for me to communicate with the public. I could feel he was there from the start, ready to help me. But I was more nervous, more impatient, and even sometimes, I found that he bothered me a little, between the first and the second service. I said to myself: ‘come on, calm down, it’s the last Roland-Garros, you’re so lucky. to be here, enjoy every moment”. I had the match under control a bit, for 2 and a half sets and I just wanted to keep that until the end, where I really had no energy at all, at the end. The end of the match was very, very difficult. It was difficult, mentally, to finish and conclude. But at that time, I reused the crowd, and we found an excellent relationship on the court. They were beautiful feelings. »
2022, return from hell: « It’s a difficult season. But the worst was the one before. So it was difficult on the pitch, for a long time now – I would even say, since the start of Covid. It was really very difficult. I decided that this was going to be the last Roland-Garros, because that’s how it felt in my head, in my body. I am 200% sure that no result will change my mind. Maybe thanks to that, and with the prospect of giving myself 100% of what I have left for the next 6 months, maybe mentally the burden is less, because you tell yourself that it’s going to be over, so I feel lighter in my head. Maybe that’s what helps me play this tennis here. »
The audience: “We still have an audience that is ultra-respectful, but who is warmer, I find, than before, more ready to go, and “go ahead, let’s go, we push together”. It’s super pleasant. Obviously, it makes matches rotate because obviously, it is important. But for a player like me, who played in environments where I made the Davis Cups in Argentina, damn, that’s not Argentina yet.«
And now Cilic: « There is a mixture of excitement and worry. That’s really how I sum up, for me, this last Roland. I have concerns at many levels, at the level of play, at the physical level, at the level of pain, or physical recovery, to hold 3 sets, 4 sets, 5 sets etc., to hold out for great efforts. But an excitement, because I had the chance to play a great match, and a second. And there, I have the chance to make a third. And it’s my last, so I want to make the most of it. I try to manage, to find the right balance in there. »
