R. FEDERER/G. Monfils
6‑4, 6‑3, 7‑6
GAËL MONFILS
THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.
Q. It looked like in the third set you had a big chance. What happened?
GAËL MONFILS: To be honest, I don't think I have a big chance. I think my biggest was in the first set, because I was up the break and I was leading the match. My biggest was in the first set.
Q. You seemed to be limping, struggling in the final set. Was there an injury?
GAËL MONFILS: No, just stretch a bit my adductors, but nothing very special. Hope so.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.
Q. You said it was during the first set.
GAËL MONFILS: Yes, the first set.
Q. You were leading 3‑1, he was not playing really well, and then you were not really in the match either, I think.
GAËL MONFILS: I don't know if he was not playing that well, but it was not easy with the wind to start with. You know, he missed more shots immediately. And, you know, as far as I'm concerned, my big weak point today was that I couldn't serve at all.
It was a handicap, I think. Serious handicap. With more serves I would have been more dangerous.
Q. Was it due to the wind, or physically you were not really good?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, the wind, the wind. It was difficult for me to adapt. Maybe I could have served with my second serves as if it were a first serve, but I wanted to have good first serves so I missed many of them.
Q. Did you focus too much on this?
GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, absolutely. And even though afterwards, from the baseline, progressively I felt better and better. I was playing well. Even though it was windy, I could have better control. I was more aggressive.
So it's when I served. It was really my weak point today.
Q. Physically after playing against Ferrer how did you feel? Did you feel you had enough power?
GAËL MONFILS: I think so, yeah. I was not too bad. We played two‑and‑a‑half hours, I think. I didn't show too many signs of fatigue. I was not 100% fresh.
But as I said yesterday, you know, when you're on this court, you forget about being tired or any injuries. You know, you are in the match 100%.
Q. Did you feel that when you managed to be more aggressive you were bothering him?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, of course, necessarily. But I think that today I played a match that wasn't too bad, the conditions, again. You know, I think I've evolved a little.
I can remember this awful match in the same conditions in New York against Djokovic during the quarterfinals. That's when I really didn't manage the match correctly.
So today I was a bit more "satisfied." Mentally I was more in the match. I could play tennis a bit better.
So, yes, aggressive, that's true. But all in all, not too bad.
Q. Well, as far as he's concerned he kicked a lot of his serves, and this really bothered you on your backhand, I think.
GAËL MONFILS: Well, yes. You know, I managed these serves rather well, I think. I was more happy with myself. I returned not too bad. Usually it's difficult for me to read his serves; whereas today, you know, that was okay.
Yes, when he kicks the balls this way it bothers me. But otherwise, no, I managed to take control of these points.
Q. What bothers you in his game? Is it that he plays fast? You don't have enough time?
GAËL MONFILS: Yes, he changes the pace, and he changes the pace so quickly. This hurts. He's the only one almost to hurt you that much, that quickly. All of a sudden he strikes the ball.
Frankly, my feelings are a bit like mixed or strange, because I was feeling not that bad. And the conditions, you know, I could manage these conditions. I could have managed them even better.
Maybe I focused too much on my service. Then from the baseline he made a few mistakes today. So I was in between today.
Q. From where we were, we thought maybe you could have done better. What about you? You've lost a three‑set match. Do you have the feeling, as well during the first set?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, I don't know if I could say I had these feelings. I could say he was stronger than I was. I had occasions. I had opportunities.
Would it have been different had I been leading 4‑1? I don't know. He managed the match better. He was stronger than me.
Q. You said you didn't feel that bad. We saw that you were frustrated during the tiebreak. Was that your feeling at the moment when you were playing the tiebreak, when he was leading immediately in the tiebreak?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, it's not really my shots, you know, but I had the impression that sometimes the ball was like almost swirling a lot or there was a lot of spin in the ball.
I was trying to pay attention to my footwork. This was frustrating because my shots were not that bad, I think, as such. For two days I've been hitting strongly. I'm quite aggressive, I think.
But with gusts of winds, you know, it's very frustrating. I could maneuver not as well as I wanted to. With these conditions, you know, the physical impact is less important.
It's more difficult to have longer rallies, intense rallies. It's something like, Oh, be careful. Think about your footwork. It's like needlework with your footwork. You have to wait until the wind blows the ball to the side.
Q. Now that you've played against Federer, what do you think about the semifinals between Federer and Djokovic? Who's going to win this?
GAËL MONFILS: Who's going to win? I have no idea. As usual, you know, Roger, as I said yesterday ‑ we tend to forget this, by the way ‑ Roger is always very much present. He's got a lot of ambitions still.
However, today I wanted to offer a good match to him. But as usual, he was present. He was there. But Novak plays so well that there's going to be an incredible match, a wonderful semifinal. I'll be the first one to watch the match.
Q. What about your two defeats against Roger here? What about their weight? Do you think he's got more leeway against you, and therefore, when you're on the court this has an impact on you?
GAËL MONFILS: No. I think I managed to set this aside and not think about it. But today, again these were the conditions on D‑Day. I wanted to do my best, but he was stronger than I was.
When I was on the court last time I won ‑ I had won once ‑ I know I can do it, I thought. But today he was stronger than I was.
Q. What about the tactical options that you've chosen with Roger? Because to start with, I had the impression you wanted to have big strokes on his forehand; whereas afterwards you were turning and moving around your backhand and you wanted to go more to the net.
GAËL MONFILS: Well, yeah, to start with. But I had forgotten about the wind option. Then I had to come back to basics, if you will. Everybody knows that Roger is more fragile against my backhand.
But, you know, without wind it was not the silly tactics. You know, on his forehand I knew I had my legs with me. When I played backhand, it was not that bad at present.
So I thought, Okay, big forehand shots. And even though he plays forehand along the line, that he plays really fast, I could have hit earlier and played crosscourt. That's to start with.
But then afterwards and with Roger we realized we had to change our tactics immediately to play more like basics, simpler, to play more on his backhand, to come more to the net, as you said. But he found the solution to this.
Q. As usual, the same question: What are the things you would take away from this Roland? Even though it's just finished for you.
GAËL MONFILS: Well, each time Roland is the same type of thing. I'm always like, I want more of it, like I'm a bit angry now, right now, because I can't make it. I can't go closer to my dream and touch my dream.
It's a good tournament still. I'm a bit frustrated. I want to go deeper, and I always stop against the same players. That really is a pain.
But all in all, it's okay.
Q. Well, by the way, you said you wanted to go to the next round. So what did you miss today?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, a bit of success, because I play better now. I played better when I needed to play better. Okay, that's a defeat. But I think this is an honorable match, yet a bit more luck or success.
Some have five days off and they're in semis now, and for me it was back to back. It's not easy to play Ferrer and then the next day play Federer and then perhaps the day after Djokovic and then the day after Nadal.
So a bit more luck for me.
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