“It doesn’t go far this Wednesday against Casper Ruud. For a set and a half, you are the boss on the court. There is this break point at 2-2, where perhaps you could have done better?
On this ball, I have to keep this confidence. I go there, but I don’t really go there and she dies in the net. Afterwards, I also have a game where I am at 0-30 on his serve (at 4-4). I have to do better, be a little more aggressive. Afterwards, I didn’t have too much success with the break point drop shot at the start of the third set. If it passes, I think he doesn’t have it and that could change something. Then I give him credit. Honestly, in the third he served well, he played well, he didn’t give me many opportunities. A big Casper.
However, this defeat does not take away absolutely anything from your good performance here, in the momentum of what you have produced over the past month?
No really. It’s important and it’s a continuation of my start to the year, of my desire to gain strength. We played a lot here and it’s okay (smile). The last matches I lost, I lost them all in a fight. I lost in three sets against Cobolli (in Montpellier), I played tennis less well, it’s not great, but I still went into the fight. Afterwards I do three sets on Sinner (in Rotterdam), where we are really going to fight, then three sets on Mensik (in Doha), three sets on Ugo (Humbert, in Dubai), three sets again on Ruud in the fight . I hope to be able to take a little experience from each of these defeats, even at my old age, to see the positive. My goal, if the body holds, is to raise my average level to be able to try to win a few more matches than one or two.
“I don’t have a ranking goal
In the next ranking, you will be 47th, you will return to the top 50 for the first time since the end of October 2022. Has there been any progress in recent weeks?
Yes, there has been a long way. But we will do the accounts with Roland (smile). I don’t necessarily watch that. I don’t have a ranking goal. I want, in the ”big picture”, to return to where I was. I got injured, I was 15th, I want to get back there. Before, the road is long.
What’s next, is Miami for you?
Next week yes. There, I’m going to stay here for a few days. »
