“How are you approaching this clay court season?
Sometimes there are surprising results at first. The hard court season was very good for me. We’ll see what I can do on earth. Last year, I played well here (loss in the semi-finals against Rune), and then I didn’t play well (notably a defeat in the 2nd round at Roland-Garros against Altmaier). It’s going to be hard. It’s a surface where I usually struggle a little, but I’m excited to come back and do better.
You talk about difficulties. Which ones?
This is not the surface where I feel most comfortable. I feel better on hard. Which doesn’t mean I’m not a good player on earth. I played my first Grand Slam quarter-final on earth (Roland 2020). I did a shift in Rome (in 2022). Last year was not my best season on earth. Hopefully I can do better. I trust. It takes time. From the ages of 14 to 20, I trained a lot on land. Afterwards, I played more on hard courts on the Tour. I’m excited to be here. If we can make friends with the earth, that can help (smiles).
What does this tournament mean to you? And what are your expectations?
I really like this tournament. I’ve lived here since I was 18, I train here. It’s a conducive environment. We feel safe, it’s good for privacy. There are plenty of gyms, dirt and hard courts and lots of players to train with. During the tournament, there are many Italians among the spectators. I love playing here. Expectations are not so high for the start of the gravel season. The goal is to be ready for Roland-Garros and the Olympics. We will take this week as a training week hoping that there will be more than just one match.
How do you approach the Olympic Games?
The Olympics are on the “top list”. This will be my first experience. I missed the last few because I wasn’t feeling well. It must be a unique atmosphere with the other athletes. It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes, it’s a pretty unique situation to go on grass before coming back to earth for the Games…
We see young players who are very physically fit reaching the top. Did you do a lot of physical training when you were young?
I didn’t lift cast iron when I was young. It’s dangerous for the body when you grow up. When I was younger, I wasn’t physically ready compared to those my age. They were more powerful than me. But I took it in a positive way because that’s how you learn to play tennis. You need more timing, knowing how to move. It helped me become the player I am. Now, I do more “gym”, often more time than on the court! »
