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e-Brochure MONTE-CARLO ROLEX MASTERS

April 17, 2015

Gael Monfils

MONTE CARLO, MONACO



G. MONFILS/G. Dimitrov

6‑1, 6‑3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.



Q. I was surprised about the fact that you were running fewer meters today than him. Normally you play so much behind that you run more meters than anybody else. Is this a surprise for you, too? That means probably that Dimitrov was playing behind, too, or you were taking initiative from the first ball to the last?

GAËL MONFILS: I think it's because I did something else different today. I think I play a bit deeper.

Today, you know, I want to make him run a lot, left right, left right, left right, a lot of points, then I try to dictate with my forehand, move him around the court, short, back.

When you try to stay, I was like trying to play very deep and very high and heavy to tell him, Grigor, you need to stay back. At that time it allowed me to dictate the point and make him run left and right.



Q. He was only able to come to net two times and he lost both times. You were able to push him back.

GAËL MONFILS: Very much. I think I did great, played deep and very heavy. Also, you know, when we were even in the point, try to have a good, heavy ball, forehand or backhand, but very deep to show him that he need to prepare the point. You cannot be like dictate the point on the baseline. If you want to dictate the point, you need to be away.

I think I managed to do it good.



Q. Can you talk what it means to you to reach the semifinals.

GAËL MONFILS: Just very happy. Very happy. For sure I surprised because is not a period where I played my best tennis so far. I'm just happy.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be ready physically because I feel a bit tired. But should be fine, I hope.



Q. I was in the stands near your coach during the match against Dolgopolov. I heard him always trying to encourage you. Are you happy to work with him?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, he's always a positive person. He always reminds me to do good stuff. He knows that no matter what, what I hate is miss. I'm happy that the opponent win the point, but I don't like to give the point.

He try to stay very positive. When I hit a mistake like an unforced error from nowhere, I'm not happy about it at all. Kind of mentally he feel me like much better, so I try to stay positive. He helps me a lot.



THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.



Q. Was it too easy?

GAËL MONFILS: I wouldn't say that. I was very solid. The score doesn't show that, but it was a tough match. It was far from being easy. I'm tired now because I put a lot of intensity into it.



Q. You said that Chinese medicine was helping you for your concentration. Should we give credit to Yann?

GAËL MONFILS: That's different. Of course, I do an excellent work with Yann. But I would give credit to Gaetan because when I feel strong physically, I can be more focused.

Also I would give credit to myself. What is difficult in tennis is that you have to keep up your concentration at a very high level all the time. Sometimes it might team you have a letdown and you would say it's because of lack of concentration, but in reality it is because physically you have a problem, and then you can't concentrate. You try to gain time.



Q. Today you gave the impression that nothing could happen to you.

GAËL MONFILS: What I wanted to do is play a real clay court match. I wanted to stay far back and hit hard and hit the ball high.

I was a bit lucky in the beginning. After that it became more complicated.



Q. Can you give a first assessment...

GAËL MONFILS: I don't like giving assessments.



Q. But after three months...

GAËL MONFILS: No. I feel good right now. It's not the right moment for that.

He helps me tactically. I can understand what he's telling me about a player. He has his own ideas. But also we can exchange our views. I can also say what I'm feeling because a player has sometimes different feelings. That is what I like, that we can exchange our views.

My game is different from Gilles' game, for example. If he gives me tactics that don't suit me, I can tell him.



Q. Does he say very precise things?

GAËL MONFILS: Yes. He is focusing a lot on finding the right tactics and how to prepare the point the right way.



Q. Are you surprised you're playing so well so early in the season? And why?

GAËL MONFILS: Surprised? Yes, I am. I'm playing very well right now. But I also started the year very well. It sort of built up little by little during the season. First there was Montpellier, then Rotterdam, then Marseille, then a good Cup match, Miami. It was getting better and better all the time.

Here it started strangely because I had hurt my hip. I worked differently. But in practice I was feeling the ball well. What is very important for my game is that I'm able to move very well. If I play well, it means I'm able to move well.



Q. After your match against Berdych in Miami, is this a new opportunity?

GAËL MONFILS: I must find the right tactics to neutralize his game because he gives me a lot of trouble. I'm never able to control him. I trust Yann for that. We played twice this year. We must find something, we must find a solution.

Although in Miami already I felt more at ease against him. I hope I'm going to play well tomorrow. It's been a long time that I haven't been feeling so good, and mentally I feel good, too.



Q. So what gives you trouble in his game?

GAËL MONFILS: Everything. It's very difficult for me to return his serve. He can read my serve very well. Also the pace of my shots seem too help him to find his own rhythm.

I didn't find anything yet that might make it more difficult for him.



Q. But you did beat him in the French Open.

GAËL MONFILS: That was the only time. And incredibly enough, there is not a single image of that match anywhere. I mean, I can't find any video from that match. I'm so surprised.



Q. Do you like Tomas' game?

GAËL MONFILS: Well, no, because I can't beat him. But I do love watching him play.



Q. When did you start practicing after Miami?

GAËL MONFILS: I know I started practicing with Jo. I don't really remember exactly when. I believe it's last week I practiced with Jo.

I started playing again quite quickly after Miami. That was in Switzerland.



Q. Talking about that victory you had against Berdych, you have no memories of the match?

GAËL MONFILS: Well, precisely not. That's why I wanted to find a video.

I remember I was serving well. I remember when we were at Love‑40 in the fifth set, 3‑3 or 4‑4, and I was able to pull it out.



Q. What adjective would you use to describe your match today?

GAËL MONFILS: I was consistent. I was solid.



Q. You said Yann is helping you. Gilles said he was almost like a computer, he knew so many things.

GAËL MONFILS: Sure, he has a database on every single player. He can show you the player from A to Z. He has all the data from his last 20 matches. He can tell you that on a breakpoint he will serve at 85% in this particular spot. He can tell you that a given player during his last 20 matches against a top‑10 player in this particular situation will play like this or like that.



Q. Do you know how he does that?

GAËL MONFILS: Well, he has a video software that is incredibly powerful. He has very good software.

Every time he says something during a match, I think about it. Of course, he's not always right, but extremely often.



Q. So you have time during a match to think about what he says?

GAËL MONFILS: Yes. I think about what he says. For example, if I know the player will serve on the T, I sort of most of towards the T slightly.

But, of course, if the player serves too good, in spite of that, I just can't return the serve. For example, before the match he can tell you exactly this is what the guy is going to do. Even if it is not usually part of your game, he pushes you to do a certain number of things. He's very focused on tactics and on trying to unsettle the opponent.



FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports









