J. GAJDOSOVA/V. Razzano
6 3, 6 1
VIRGINIE RAZZANO
Q. Can you just tell us how difficult it was for you to play today?
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Today it's a big pain on me. I don't have a word for to explain. I think it's a big dolor and a big pain.
Q. Did you at any point think about not playing? Can you explain your decision to go ahead and play?
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: This decision, it's from my fiancé, Stéphane. He would like to try for me to continue my life. For him it's energy, and to play here homage for him, and for me, too, it's maybe to try to have continue to fight on court.
Q. Can you tell us who some of the family and friends were here for you today in the stands?
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: My family, yes. I have a lot of friends and family to come to watch my match today and to support, because in this moment from few months for me I played for few tournaments, and with the problem of Stéphane, and I try to continue and to play few matches.
Today with family and friends and the public, I try to do my best and to keep my emotion for to try to play and for to play for him.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.
Q. Where did you find the strength to walk on the court?
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, I can't explain this strength. It's a strength. It took me a lot of courage to get on the Philippe Chatrier court today. I had lots of emotions and sighs because it's difficult for me to be here today. It's difficult.
It's painful. It's hard. If I did it, it's for Stéphane. But also for me, because what he wanted, he wanted me to play. He wanted me to continue to go on with my life, even if in these very painful circumstances, very difficult circumstances.
But he has faith in me. He knows I have this strength that he also had, and this is also why we worked so well together. We had courage. We fought together day after day.
And if I played today, it's because I had to do it, and this well, there is no word. It was as if it was something written. I grabbed all my courage. I don't have much. I'm very fragile. I feel lonely, and even though there are many people around me supporting me, but I still have the strength in me that keeps me standing up and moving on step by step.
I'm mourning right now, and it's difficult, especially when you lose someone, someone who was I'm sorry who was who will forever be the man of my life whom I love and will always love. I have beautiful memories in good times and not so good times. And that's a history that's alive; that we built together for 11 years.
And I'll continue to build through my sport, through my passion, tennis. That gives me strength. That gives me courage and mental strength.
Q. You sent a beautiful letter to L'Equipe, the French newspaper, and to all the journalists where you explained all this. This was very powerful. Is this something that helped you? Because what you said was absolutely wonderful. It was far beyond tennis.
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Yes, I wanted to tell who Stéphane was, how he was in the daily life, what he would do with people, how he was when he was with me. I wanted to share who this man was, why we were together with regards to many things, love and many other things.
I just wanted to tell you what was strong between us, what will still be very powerful for me, because I will recover. I will go through my mourning period, because that's very recent. That was just a few days ago.
I think he was never judgmental. He had never any jealousy towards other people. He was very respectful to everyone. He was going on in life, and every day he had to fight.
And he had so much courage, so much strength, that I also had within myself, and the two of us, we tried to continue to build our life, to continue with our job.
He was my coach. I'm losing two people at the same time. He was two people at the same time, and he was my half. So the two of us, we were just one, and that was very powerful.
Today I feel I'm a bit lost, and that's quite normal. I'm still recovering from the shock, and it's going to take me a bit of time to get back.
But I just wanted to say who he was and how he was in life, because he was a great person for me. The happiness he brought to the world, to people, and the happiness I can try and give to people around me, to those people who know me well, I will continue doing that, because this is what I try to share.
I want to give love to people who want to take the love I can give, and I want to share things.
Q. Just after the match you said it was a very different match, even for your opponent. Can you say what you said at the end of the match? Does the necklace that you're wearing have any specific meaning to you?
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: To answer your first question, yes, I think it wasn't easy for her. I think while many people talked about it, whether in WTA and everywhere, and all players shared a lot of compassion, they were very moved in their own way, because they did not necessarily know Stéphane. And they have known me because I have been on the tour for quite a long time. They've also learned to know me through tennis and through the discussions that we had.
And of course it wasn't easy for her, because she had to be focused. She had to play her match. But I think she was also sort of standing in my shoes, and when she came to the net and shook my hand and she said, Good luck, and I'm with you. So she had to win her match, because she wants to continue with her job, with her own passion.
And that's important for her, it's a Grand Slam, it's Roland Garros, as it is for me, but we're not in the same situation, obviously.
As for this necklace, it's Stéphane’s necklace. I offered this necklace to Stéphane a few years ago for Valentine's Day in Antwerp, and he was wearing it all the time, because it's as if I was around his neck.
He was wearing it around his neck, and I was with him all the time. He was wearing this necklace until his last breath.
At one stage I thought, and I'm certain, I am the one who needs to wear it now, because it was me with him, and now it's him with me.
So I got it back, and I will always wear it. Of course, I can't play with it because it's a very heavy chain, but it's comforting. It's for me to feel that he's with me.
Q. Playing is going to be your therapy. Is it going to be a way not to forget, obviously, because you'll never be able to forget, but to move forward, to move on? Will it be more difficult if you have more defeats now?
VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, yes, you're right. I hope I'm not going to lose too much, but I need to go through this mourning period, because I need it.
I know that I'm supposed to play Birmingham after Roland Garros. I worked on this schedule with Stéphane all the way to Wimbledon, so I said I'll play Birmingham. I said then I would come back home to be with him, and he said, Well, we'll see. So it shows he was already feeling that things might turn out differently.
But he said, You have to play Roland Garros and Wimbledon. These were two important tournaments for him.
Then afterwards, I have no schedule that I worked out with Stéphane, because we said, Well, we'll see then.
So I don't know. I'll try to recover fast, because I lost a lot of weight because of stress, because of many other things.
And then I want to mourn, take time to mourn, and then get back on the courts to practice.
As for matches, I'll do that the best I can. I'll manage that the best I can, and if I don't feel in good shape for a match, I'll manage, I mean, but I'll allow myself to take some time. I can't tell you more.
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