Roland Garros May 31 2011 - Andy Murray

A. MURRAY/V. Troicki

           

4‑6, 4‑6, 6‑3, 6‑2, 7‑5

ANDY MURRAY

    

            Q.  You've had plenty of emotional experiences in your career.  Where would that one rank amongst them?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, it was up there.  You know, the sort of day, day and a half before the match was pretty tough.

            So it was pretty stressful and tiring before I went on the court.  And then obviously today more so than yesterday maybe was tougher.  I was really nervous.  It was very windy on the court.

            It was funny, like after the points, getting like so tired in the legs, like so out of breath.  Wasn't even hitting the ball hard and was hardly doing any running.  Both of us were just sort of hitting the ball up and down in the middle at the beginning of the set.  I think it was just nerves making you very nervous, and the conditions didn't help.

            But once I went behind again, I loosened up a little bit, started going for my shots more and got through it.  Emotionally it was, yeah, pretty challenging.

            Q.  How is the ankle now and what have you had, over the last couple of days, what sort of treatment?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I've done a lot icing, taking a lot pills.  Had an MRI scan; had an ultrasound scan.  Done everything that I could to get myself as best as possible going into the match.

            Q.  How much did the ankle affect the way you played?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Definitely affected it, yeah.  I don't think many people recover from a sprained ankle and a tear in a tendon in two days.

            So, yeah, affected it.  I was told to stay off my feet totally the day in between the match, the Berrer match.  I was given crutches which I didn't use because I didn't know how to ‑‑ I had never used them before.

            And, yeah, I was told not to test that.  I didn't know how was it going to be until I went onto the court.  Then, yeah, obviously started the match poorly.  I was struggling to move off to my right.

            Then as it went on, I started to feel a little bit better and sort of deal with the pain or the feeling of just weakness in the ankle and then felt better.

            Q.  So the MRI scan showed a tear in the tendon?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah.  The three main tendons that go into the ankle, I have a partial tear in one of them.  Then I don't even know how to explain the worst part of it.  I don't know how to explain it.

            But, yeah, there's a lot sort of liquid and sort of stiffness causing, yeah, stiffness and quite a lot of sort of crunching in the joint.

            But the physios and a lot of the guys I work with have really helped.  I've got all the best equipment here, all the right advice, and made it as best as possible.

            Q.  Given that the scenario wasn't great with the ankle anyway, a good 2 hours 50 and another 66 minutes, have you surprised yourself mentally and physically about how much you can take?

            ANDY MURRAY:  The fact that I recovered well enough to play, I mean, was probably the best point for me.  I haven't really been in this position before in a slam.

            And obviously no disrespect to any of the guys I'm playing against, I felt like there's a good chance for me to do well here.  I have a very good record against Viktor and a very good record against Chela.

            And I've played Chela here a couple times here, so I felt like it was a good opportunity for me.  So it was tough, tough mentally because I didn't know how I was going to be.  I would have felt like I might have been a bit unlucky had I not been able to play, but, yeah, I managed to come back from a situation that on another day or another tournament I might not have been able to, so I was proud of that.

            Q.  Congratulations.  I watched you sitting after the match quite a while with the head behind the towel.  Could you describe what went through your mind then?

            ANDY MURRAY:  It was just very emotional for me, like for all the reasons I explained.  Last few days, last night, coming back, it's the first time I think I've had to come back and just play one set for a place in the quarterfinals of a slam, you know, with sort of the other things that have been going on in my head with regards to the injury.

            Also, once I get into the match, you know, today, like I said, I felt very, very nervous.  Was getting very out of breath.  It was relatively long rallies, but none more so than normal on clay.

            Yeah, I mean, about ten minutes beforehand I was pretty much out of tournament.  I just managed to turn it around.  So it was a little bit of a surprise, a little bit of happiness, a lot of relief probably.

            Q.  What's the risk factor about aggravating the injury?  Has that played on your mind at all looking past this tournament to Wimbledon, for instance?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Well, the problem is if you go over on the ankle again, then that's dangerous, because obviously it's weak just now.  That's why it would be ‑‑ that's why you know probably at the beginning of the match, you know, the amount that I run on the court and how important it is to my game, you know, when you have twisted an ankle or sprained an ankle, it doesn't take like one day to build confidence.

            Chasing balls down and sliding for balls, that was what was really tough for me at the start and didn't feel like I still had the strength in it.

            Yeah, that's the one thing I need to be careful with.  To go over on it again would be an issue.  That's why I had the taping on the ankle, to try and stop that.

            And yesterday, because I was unaware of the rules, when I got the trainer on to cut it off, as soon as he cut it off I hit a serve on the next point and asked for the trainer to come on at the next change of ends to tape my ankle.  But because it's an existing injury, you can't have it retaped and I didn't know that.  I know that now, a mistake I'm not going to make again.

            Q.  So did the trainer, when you had it cut off, you intended to have it replaced?

            ANDY MURRAY:  No, I had it cut off to see how it felt.  The taping, when ‑‑ I don't know if you've had your ankle taped, but it was very, very tight.  I never play with my tape on anywhere in my body because I really don't like it.

            And also, when you have some swelling in the joint, I felt like it was really tight and very uncomfortable.  When you're moving out this way, I felt like it was restricting me a little bit even though it's also protecting me.  So I took it off to see how I felt.

            I hit the very first serve, and after the next point I asked to get the trainer back on to tape it.  But because there's not any time between and it takes a good three minutes to do it, I couldn't take a timeout to have it done again.

            Q.  When did you decide that you were going to give it a go in this match?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I was always going to try and give it a go.  So, yeah, that was ‑‑ I was always going to try and give it a go, you know, but it wasn't ‑‑ yeah, it wasn't until I started playing the match that I knew exactly how I was going to feel.  Because do I do like all the warmup stuff and the little movement things?  But it's not the same as playing a match.

            Q.  Can you tell us how the ball boy affected your focus when you were onto the court?  And I would also like to know if you were already confronted to such a situation before.

            ANDY MURRAY:  I don't think it affected me.  I think I maybe got broken in that game; I'm not sure.

            But, yeah, it didn't affect me.  Yeah, I mean, it's happened before.  It doesn't happen particularly often.

            Yeah, I obviously got broken in that game.  But, yeah, it wasn't something that worried me or bothered me at all.

            Q.  Do you feel stronger now after a match like that?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I feel good about myself that I managed to come through it, you know, but like right now it's just ‑‑ like the days are ‑‑ the days feel quite long and very busy, because you're always doing stuff to try and get yourself better.

            You're not just sort of playing your match, doing the recovery and just chilling out.  You're like always having to do stuff.  So it's quite tiring in a way, but that's what you've got to do.

            Q.  You've beaten Chela here before.  How much incentive was that for you to play today, and how do you see that matchup tomorrow?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, it was ‑‑ like I said, because I have a very good record against him and he had a very long match, knowing that if I could get my way through today probably added a bit more pressure and nerves.

            But, I mean, he plays very well on clay.  He's a tough guy.  When I played him last year, it was a tough match, a lot of long games.  That was one of my first experiences of sort of rain delay, coming back the following day.

            So, yeah, he's a tough, tough player, and one that I've played well against in the past.  I need to do the same again tomorrow.

            Q.  Viktor seemed to get tight serving for the second set.  When he came out to serve for the match, did you feel like you would have a chance there?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I mean, it was just tricky because of the conditions.  You're never that sure of yourself on the ball.  But I just loosened off a little bit, hit a good return at 30‑15 for him.

            I started using my legs, moving 'round to hit my forehand more and dictate more of the points, and he missed one bad shot ‑‑ well, maybe two in a row, actually from 30‑All, I just blocked a return back.  He hit a bad backhand and then missed a dropshot which he hadn't really missed many before then.

            So it happens.  Everyone gets tight.  Just got to try and deal with it as best you can.

            Q.  Just wondered, with the injury, the movement is so important on clay, almost more than anything else.  How does it work?  Do you find going sideways more difficult, going forward more difficult?  Or is it just whichever movement difficult, whichever way you move?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Pushing off for a serve is quite tough, and then moving out to my forehand, because that's normally where you want to slide.  I felt pretty rigid moving out there a lot of times.

            And, yeah, because you're conscious of a problem, it's not like you just go out there and fling yourself at the ball like normal.  I've moved pretty well out to my backhand and decent forward.  I just didn't move that well out to my forehand for most of the match.

            But I managed to protect it pretty well by not giving him too much angle on his forehand, so he couldn't move me out there too much.  He doesn't hit too many backhands down the line, anyway, so I managed to get away with it.

                  

Roland Garros May 31 2011 - Viktor Troicki

A. MURRAY/V. Troicki

           

4‑6, 4‑6, 6‑3, 6‑2, 7‑5

           

       

VIKTOR TROICKI

           

            Q.  It's impossible for most of us to know what it feels like in a situation like that when you're serving for the match.  Can you describe what is going on in your mind and body when you're two points away from a beating the fourth seed?

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  Well, to tell you the truth, a lot is going on.  I guess this is sport.  I mean, I was really close to winning this match and didn't make it.

            I really feel disappointed right now.  I was just two points away on my serve, and he played it risky.  I was a bit nervous and didn't go for my shots at those points, and he took advantage of it, yeah, came back and won the match at the end.

            So, yeah, I mean, definitely one of the toughest losses in my career.  Not a good moment.  I mean, to go to the quarterfinals ‑‑ it was a great opportunity to go to the quarterfinals to play against Chela, to go for the semis.

            Don't know what to say right now.  It's just disappointing.

            Q.  What happened with the ball boy?  Did he disturb you or it has nothing to do with it?

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  What do you think?  No, I mean, sure, disturbed me for a couple of points.  I mean, I won that game, but still, I never saw ‑‑  haven't seen it on TV or ever.  I mean, since I watched tennis and I played tennis, I have never seen such a situation.  Kid just jumped in and messed up my point.

            I mean, I cannot blame him, but still, I was a little bit disappointed.

            Q.  Just to follow up on that, do you think you thought you should have been given the point?  If it had been against you...

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  The rule is, I mean, he came into the court right in the middle of the point and he didn't see that the ball was coming back in the court.

            The rule is if he's like in the middle of the court, we should replay the point.  But still, I mean, Andy had no chance to be back in the point, so...

            By the rules, I mean, we had to replay the point.

            Q.  Did Andy Murray seem injured to you playing against him?

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  No, not at all.  I mean, to me, he ran normal.  I mean, we played a couple of times before, so he was running full power and going for his shots.  He seemed normal.

            Q.  Did knowing that it would be Chela in the next round and knowing that would be a great opportunity, did that make you more nervous in the final set?

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  I could ‑‑ I mean, I can say yes, but still, I mean, Chela is a great player.  It would be tough to beat him.

            But, sure, I was thinking it's better to play Chela than to play Rafa to go to the semis of a Grand Slam.

            So, sure, I was thinking of it.  I knew it.  Maybe that's why I was a bit nervous in the final moments when I had to close it out.

            Q.  After the ball‑boy incident, do you think you would have reacted the same way Andy did?  I mean, it was normal for him not to say anything and just to...

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  Excuse me?

            Q.  Did you expect another reaction from Andy after the ball‑boy incident?

            VIKTOR TROICKI:  No.  I mean, he didn't do anything wrong.  He just continued playing the point.  I mean, he was lucky that the kid came in, but, I mean, I would have done the same if this happened.  It was just bad luck for me.

            But, I mean, this had nothing to do for the rest of the match.  I mean, I was 5‑3 up and 30‑Love, and ‑‑ I mean, 5‑2 first and then 5‑3, 30‑Love on my serve.  This had nothing to do.  If this was on 3‑2, I would say yeah.  This is on 3‑2.  This doesn't change anything.

Roland Garros May 2011 - Gael Monfils

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.

Roland Garros May 31 2011 - Roger Federer

R. FEDERER/G. Monfils

           

6‑4, 6‑3, 7‑6

           

ROGER FEDERER

           

            THE MODERATOR:  Questions in English, please.

            Q.  Well, you're in semifinal without lost sets.  What are you now?  How are you now?

            ROGER FEDERER:  I'm very happy.  (Laughter.)

            I'm feeling very good, and I'm obviously proud about this achievement.  I don't remember me doing this maybe here at the French Open.  Maybe I have; maybe not.

            But it's definitely always nice to be in semifinals of a Grand Slam.  Look, I mean, it's where the media attention is the highest and the matches are the toughest.

            I hope to play well here with a tricky draw ‑‑ similar to Novak and Rafa.  I think we all had tough draws.  I'm happy that I made my way through to the semis and I never diverted from my plan of focusing on myself and not on someone else.

            I'm very happy with also the way I'm playing.  So like I said, I'm very happy.

            Q.  Besides to of course win the match and going in next match and going to the final, it means something to you like kind of extra motivation to beat Novak and to keep him apart from No. 1 position?

            ROGER FEDERER:  It's not the driving force behind this match, to be honest.  For me, the plan is trying to get a step further and into the finals of the French Open.

            At the end of the day, that's, for me, the big picture, and that's why I entered the French Open.  It wasn't to stop Novak.

            So that's that situation.  I know he has a lot on the line, which we all know about.  I have been there myself before in 2004 when I was going for world No. 1 against Ferrer in Australia in the semis of a Grand Slam, as well.  So it's a similar situation.

            Yeah, and, look, I'm looking forward to that match.  I think we always really play well against each other.  I think Australia was fantastic; Indian Wells was good, too.  Dubai a bit more disappointing match.

            But I think in Grand Slams we also have tough matches, and that's what I'm looking forward to play against him, as well.

            Q.  We know you have been enjoying this happy lack of pressure and playing at ease.  What do you think is at stake in this semifinal after, you know, not being able to make it big in the last slams?  We're waiting, of course, for something big from you.

            ROGER FEDERER:  I think there's less at stake for me than for him.  He's got a lot of things going on for him.  Sure, I'd love to be again in the Grand Slam final because I haven't achieved that in a few slams.

            But nothing major for me as long as I, you know, keep on giving myself chances.  I think I'm playing really well again.  Look, even I thought during the clay court season I wasn't playing poorly.  I had some tough losses.  Okay.

            But now I can really play the way I was hoping to play here at the French Open, and I'm able to show it.  I'll give everything I have, and then we'll talk about it later.

            Q.  What do you need to change in this match in order to change the results you've had with Novak the three previous matches?  How does the clay influence the tactics, the way you have to play against him, whereas previously in Australia that was hard courts, London, US Open?

            ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, look, we've played quite a bit up until Indian Wells really in a six‑month period.  I think we played six, seven times, maybe.

            So this is obviously different.  They were all on hard court, indoor, and so forth.  This is on clay.  Like we saw today, I mean, windy conditions change everything, really.

            I mean, Gaël wasn't serving the way he can serve, for instance, today, and that's why we also have to see on that given day what the conditions are gonna be.  On grass and hard court and so forth if there is any rain you come off the court; here you can play through the rain.

            All these little things make a big difference.  But at the end of the day, I think against each other we always tend to play aggressively, you know, to take time away from each other.  Yeah, I mean, he's been playing fantastic this season, so I know I have to play some of my best tennis.

            I have a couple of days to prepare for that and come up with a good game plan.  I don't think I have to change a whole lot, but there is a lot to change because it's a clay‑court match.  That's where I have to go back in time, because I haven't played him that much on clay, and it's been a long time ago, so we'll see how it goes.

            Q.  We see that you come well‑dressed.  Down on the court, is it cold?  Hot?  What's...

            ROGER FEDERER:  Well, it wasn't hot.  (Laughter.)  This ain't Spain.  No, it was cold.  Honestly, I was warming up this morning, and already I felt like the wind blowing in my ear.  I was like, Oh, this is cold.

            So the moment the clouds were covering the sun I thought it was pretty chilly, and you definitely feel the body aches a bit more than you would in nice and warm weather.

            But, you know, as long as there is no rain I think it's fine.  So it was tricky conditions to play, and not just because of the cold.  I mean, I've experienced worse conditions than this today, but I think the wind made it tricky for great, great tennis.

            So that's why I think it was a good match.  I think I played well.  But it wasn't our best match against each other because of the tough conditions.

            Q.  Can you just give us an idea of how extraordinary you think Novak Djokovic's 2011 has been ‑ and you've obviously had experience of going on great streaks yourself ‑ and whether there comes a time, perhaps when a player is least expecting it, when perhaps mentally or physically they've just had enough and the level drops?

            ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, you just ‑‑ I just think he just tries to keep up a good level.  Sometimes the earlier rounds are more tricky than actually the later stages just because usually you play against better players, you know, and you know what to expect.  If you played a guy 25 times, it's a bit more straightforward than the guy you play for the first time.

            I think he's done really, really well.  I mean, look, he's had the best start to a season ‑‑ I don't know in history or not, but he's done extremely well.  And he's keeping it up, you know.  He's not making a big fuss about it, which is a good thing for him.

            Obviously a big question remains:  How long can you keep it up?  I said it a couple weeks ago.  It's just hard day in and day out to be asked the questions, How many more wins can you get?  You would just like to, you know, not talk about it.  Just go out there and do it over and over again.

            So I'm sure it's been tricky for him, but he's been doing a great job.  Now maybe the streak is less at stake in some ways because it's more of a big match against me so it's easier to focus just on playing me instead of the whole situation.

            But I think the No. 1 situation is the big one right now for him, I think, and not so much the streak.  But it all goes hand in hand.  It's going to be an interesting day.

            THE MODERATOR:  French questions, please.

            Q.  Given the conditions, would you say you're particularly happy with your tennis today or not?

            ROGER FEDERER:  Well, yes, of course I'm happy.  Three sets to zero against Gaël in Paris, I'm happy.  The beginning was difficult.  I had two double faults.  I had many problems at the beginning due to the wind on my service game.

            I'm really happy, because I managed to find my game back.  Then to end the match, my match was good, even though the circumstances were difficult and there were changes.

            I was broken at least once in each and every single set, so it was not just the match.  I was on the court, I broke him, and then I ended the match in three sets easily.

            So it was not just playing against Gaël.  It was playing against the conditions, playing against the wind.  So at the end of the day, I'm relieved and satisfied with my performance today.

            Q.  Today in L'Equipe, Wilander says he's got the impression you're playing your best tennis on clay since the beginning of the tournament.  Would you agree with Mats, or not, compared with the previous years?

            ROGER FEDERER:  I don't know.  I've not lost any sets so far.  So it probably means something, but it doesn't mean it all.  So I have the impression the draw was difficult for the top three, but we're still there.  So maybe it really shows that we're all fit.

            You know, it might happen that we might play well in parallel, the three of us, even though one of us three is going to win.  People tend to forget this.  This is the difficulty in this sport, in tennis.  That is, there is just one winner.

            Anyway, I'm happy with my performance, but that's when I'd like to play my best game against Gaël or Djokovic, for instance.

            Q.  Roger, you've not lost a set; that's true.  Many say you play your best tennis on clay ‑ your best tennis on clay.  Is it because you were considered as an outsider before the tournament that you feel you're totally free, you're not nervous, you have total control?

            ROGER FEDERER:  Honestly, I don't think so.  I play well.  That's about it.  I've managed my matches well so far.  I have found that on my service games and on my returns ‑‑ that is the two most important shots in tennis ‑‑ I didn't feel any pressure.

            I was feeling like ‑‑ how can I say?  I was dominating my service.  So I have the impression if I wanted to serve a good service in a corner, I can do it.  Sometimes, you know, there are moments when you can't enjoy this feeling, so I'm happy about this.

            And then on my returns, I think I had enough time to return the balls.  Usually you feel more stress.  Even if the ball has been kicked, very simply you have the impression you're stressed.

            Whereas today I didn't have this feeling, either.  So this is due to the fact I think that my season has been good so far.  I've played so many matches.  I've played rather well in the past three tournaments on clay.

            So maybe some have thought I was not really in a good form, but I was fit.  I have proven it so far.

            Q.  In France, you're absolutely popular, you're crazily popular.  The crowd was with you supporting you.  Don't you have the impression that people want you to defeat Djokovic?

            ROGER FEDERER:  I don't know.  We will see.

            In any case, I think the crowd for this match wanted to support me, even though ‑‑ they didn't have enough respect for Gaël, because he played incredible matches here in Paris in Bercy and Roland Garros.

            But how can I say?  I'm always very happy when I get this type of support or standing ovation here in Paris against a French player.  I had the impression that, you know, it's similar to what I experienced here in 2008 or 2009, 2010.  When the spectators are with me, they want me to win the tournament, I think.  That's my impression this year.

            And the difference between now and 2009 is that today I can win the matches more easily.  In 2009 there were three or four matches that were huge matches.  I reached the finals.  Whereas this year people had less time to put their hands together for me because I spent less time on the court.

            But they're still with me supporting me, and I'm really looking forward to this big match against Novak.  The spectators will be in the match, too, which will be nice.

            Q.  What do you think about Nadal/Soderling, the other semifinals?  What do you think about Rafael's situation, that is, his position and the pressure on Rafa?  He has had to answer many questions concerning pressure.

            ROGER FEDERER:  Well, it's going to be a big match between him and Robin.  You know, I played against Robin in Madrid.  I saw that he was fit, even though he lost during the quarterfinals, anyway.

            That is why he was able to show that he was fit early in the tournament.  He was hitting his balls correctly.  He was really fit.  It's going to be a problem for Rafa, even though I think that Rafa is still the favorite for me.

            So for Rafa now, it's not going to be a major problem.  He's still in the tournament.  He's reached quarterfinals.  This is where he wanted to be.  Now he can defeat another top 10 player to move forward to the semifinals.  He will be the best favorite, I think.

            Now, we don't know.  On the other side of the draw nobody's reached the semis yet, so we'll have to keep a close eye on this.  But this Nadal/Soderling match is going to be a good match.  You should watch it carefully.  Everybody should.