Winning return for Arthur Cazaux. After a break to treat a few injuries, the 8th finalist of the recent Australian Open returned to the courts and to success in Dubai. Coming from qualifying, the Montpellier native won his first victory in an ATP 500 table on Tuesday against the Italian Musetti (6-4, 7-6). A big piece awaits him in the next round with the Russian Rublev, world No. 5. Affable and smiling, the member of Team BNP Paribas Jeunes Talents took the time to talk about the changes in his life in recent weeks…
How did you digest your Australian epic?
ARTHUR CAZAUX. Everything was new for me, especially in terms of performance. Sportingly, I was really happy. I felt efficient without overdoing it. When I returned to France, I felt all this strange and surprising enthusiasm. I’m not used to doing interviews for two hours and seeing my face all over social media. It’s rewarding, even if I feel like it was a bit much. Honestly, there are still 85 guys ahead of me in the rankings! This made me laugh more than anything else.
However, you had to cut back a little before resuming this week in Dubai…
I didn’t have time to settle down and recover. My body sent me some signals to tell me that I needed to stop for a while. There was a lot of emotional fatigue. My little inflammation in my foot didn’t come by chance.
Has your outlook changed?
Not necessarily on the circuit, where I discovered my first ATP 500 table. It was more when I was at home in Montpellier. You have days off, you go out with your friends and there are people who stop you, ask you for photos… It’s strange to do young things with your friends and hear “thank you” when I don’t even know why! But it’s nice to see that I was able to convey emotions to people.
Has your entry into the top 100 changed your preparation?
The areas of work remain the same. I know where I need to improve and I have a lot of room for improvement in my movement technique, my support, my intentions, continuing to be aggressive and playing forward, etc. It’s more the programming that changes. I will have to play more ATP events, therefore fewer Challengers. I’m going to go to the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami and there’s a good chance that I’ll enter the draw directly (he’s never played a Masters 1000 yet).
“I didn’t set anything on fire!” »
In two months, you have won more than a third of your career prize money (around 260,000 euros out of 710,000). What does this mean to you?
(Laughing) Big car, big gear… No, not at all, I didn’t burn anything! Already, behind the gross amounts displayed, there are the taxes to pay. So you can already remove half of it. I am still in training, it is essential to continue to invest in my project. I’ve had a physiotherapist following me at tournaments for almost a year, and I’ve been working with a new mental trainer for several months. My staff is growing little by little. The higher I go, the more we will have to grow the team.
You start to blossom at 21 and a half. When you see the Brazilian Fonseca (17 years old) or the Czech Mensik (18 years old) shine, do you already feel old?
(Smile) At the same time, I’m not one of the precocious ones either! It’s normal that there are younger ones arriving. It’s the same in all generations, recently with Alcaraz or longer ago with Nadal. Everyone has their own rhythm. I find it beautiful that there are young people who play so well and that is good for tennis.
You are very attached to your city of Montpellier, its football and handball clubs… Do you also follow the results of the French table tennis team?
Of course ! We have known each other very well since we were little with the Lebrun brothers. I played team tennis with Alexis, who is just a year younger than me. We even won the regional championship together! He played ping-pong and tennis before devoting himself to ping-pong. We rarely meet each other but we follow each other on social networks and whenever I can I watch their performances. It was magnificent to see them reach the final of the Worlds against the Chinese. Obviously the step was very high but they had a great campaign.
They are clearly aiming for a medal at the Paris Olympics next summer. What does the Olympic event mean to you?
It’s a childhood dream which has become a goal and which is necessarily in my head because I’m not far from the cut (there will be four places). The Olympics in Paris are crazy motivation. I hope to win my little place. As a big sports fan, this is the absolute Holy Grail, my ambition for the year. In addition, Roland-Garros is a legendary place. Tennis is not necessarily the discipline that symbolizes the Games, but there is no better showcase to showcase our sport.
A journey to follow in “Bleu Horizon”
For five years, Arthur Cazaux has been the guiding light of Bleu Horizon, a web series from Team BNP Paribas focused on the daily life and progress of some young people it sponsors. The first episode 2024 has just been posted online.
“It’s true that now I’m an old hand,” smiles the Montpellier resident. The Team is mainly there to help young people under twenty but I remain attached to it because they helped me a lot in my junior years and I continue, for example, to have access to the seminars which are organized, I can do a project with the apprentices of Auteuil where each point I earn helps children go on vacation, etc..”
Over the seasons, some hopefuls have disappeared from the screen. “Everyone has their own evolution,” observes the world No. 86. In 2019, I played in juniors with Alcaraz. He had incredible progress, I have mine. We all have our destiny. I’m quite happy with the progress we’ve made…” Still at the dawn of his career, Cazaux hopes to set a good example.
“In the minds of the youngest, who arrive in the Team at 13, I necessarily seem old with my almost 22 years,” he slips. But I haven’t proven anything yet. There are lots of firsts for me and I have so much to discover… If I can serve as inspiration, that’s great. It gives me pleasure to pass on things, the little experience I have. »
