Форум

C. ROCHUS/F. Santoro

6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4

An interview with:

FABRICE SANTORO

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. You competed against many generations, Edberg, Agassi, Sampras, and Federer. How do you look back at these matchups against many champions, generations?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, you're talking about all the greatest champions we had in tennis, so it's tough to compare Agassi, Sampras, Federeror Nadal. They are all the best we ever had. But for me, we played like seven times Sampras, six times Agassi, and eleven times Federer.

Federer is different, because when he's playing at his best, everything is just perfect on the court, what he can do with the racquet and the ball.

I remember a few matches I played against him, and I was looking at him when I was playing, saying, Wow, how is it possible to play so well? But also, playing against Agassi in the past six times was always something special, because the way he was playing was something I really enjoy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Is this exactly the match you dreamed of? You wanted to play a big match. It wasn't a big match, but there were good things.

FABRICE SANTORO: No, I wanted to have played a tight match. I wanted emotions. I think I served well. It's true that losing in three sets yesterday night late with 10 Celsius, that would have been bad. Being back on the Susan Lenglen Court, that was perfect. Well, almost perfect, because I wish I had won the fourth set to be able to play the fifth set.

But today, I feel that the game conditions had changed quite dramatically. The court was much faster. It was 10 Celsius more than yesterday, and obviously my game is better adapted to this type of conditions, so I won my serve easily. I won a winning serve, two aces. I was more aggressive. The conditions were good today.

Q. What did you think during the match point or just after the match point? Did you have any kind of memory that came back to your mind?

FABRICE SANTORO: No special memory. Not just one, anyway. There were many of them.

But I had this feeling that I was turning a page, even though I still have 10 tournaments that I'll play. But I will never play singles in Roland Garros again. So when you've played this tournament 20 years in a row, you know, in May you start wearing your clay shoes, you start preparing to be able to play for three, four, fivehours, even 6 hours 33 minutes for my longest match, so you feel next year in May I will no longer be a tennis player.

So this moment, this Roland Garros tournament will be different. I will probably play a different role. I don'tknow exactly what I will be doing, but it's going to be a different story.

Q. Your best memories here?

FABRICE SANTORO: Marat, No. 1, because there was a special atmosphere and all the ingredients were there for a beautiful day. It was Marat Safin. It was center court. Crowded, good match, quite a bit of suspense. And I won, so it was a perfectstory.

Then I won against Arnaud Clement in 2004. It was special because of the duration of the match. It wasn't a very high‑level match, but we played for 6 hours and 33 minutes, and that day I discovered my physical ability.

I felt, wow, you're capable of doing that. You're capable of playing 6 hoursand 33 minutes at 32, so that means you can continue, because, you know, 6 hours, 33 minutes at 32 means, I can play 5 hours and 33 minutes at 34 andon. Before that match, I didn't know I was capable of doing that.

And even today, I proved things to myself from a physical standpoint, because it's ‑‑ you know, out of the 15 tournaments I have scheduled this year, Roland Garros was the one that's most scary for me. I thought, is it reasonable at my age to play such long matches on clay? Then I thought, is it reasonable to refuse to do it?

So I thought, okay, go for it and see what comes out. I realized at myage, because of my game style, it's difficult for me to be real good and perform well on clay.

But I fought, and it was a match in two parts. I was dominated during the two first sets. And there were very good things. But being very aggressive and running on each ball, that's pretty tough, especially when the court is very slow like yesterday, because yesterday was very difficult.

Q. Doyou have a feeling that your relationship to the crowd here in Paris has changed?

FABRICE SANTORO: All my relationships have changed: with the people out there, with my profession,with the media ‑‑ I mean, that's up to you to say ‑‑ and my relationship to life, more generally speaking.

I don't know if I could use one word to sum it up. That would be experience. I no longer understand my job today the way I did when I was 16, and over the last couple of days, my profession is easier. My opponents are more difficult to beat.

Everything related to my profession is easier. Practicing, defining my objective, communicating with the people, with the crowd out there, or even talking to you guys is more easy for me now than a few years ago. I wasn't prepared for that. I wasn't trained. I was trained to play tennis but not to be a professional tennis player, which is not exactly the same thing.

Q. You talked about Agassi and Federer. Now,what about Safin? What kind of pleasure did you have in controlling Safin and driving him mad?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, I don't know. You need to ask him that question, but, you know, before we played our first match, he said, That's the worst draw. I don't want to play Santoro. And he had just won Bercy.

So all this started before we played our first match. He had lost the match before he played it.

And then he always said he didn't want toplay me because he didn't like my game. He didn't know how to play me. And then what he said, my winning our matches gave much confidence.

Q. And from a tactical standpoint, was there anything?

FABRICE SANTORO: Yes, but nothing that big that would prevent him from winning.

Q. Many people said you were the last guy having such a variety in his game. Would you say that tennis became standardized and you're one of the last having such a great variety of shots?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, yes. When I look at the top players today, I think that, yes, none of them play like me. On the other side, if I could play like Federer, I'd love that, so...

Then the way the game has evolved has led to players being stronger. When you've grown more muscles, when you're taller, when you're stronger, you want to use it with your racquet.

And once again, I use what I have. That means not a lot. Many players are 15 kilograms heavier than me, 15 centimeters taller than me, and when they hit the ball, they want to hit it strong. And I can understand that.

My game style was out of date when I arrived on the tour. I got on the tourin the '90s, and my style dated back to the '70s. So when I arrived, I was, you know, 20 years late already. So managing to get good performances for 20 years when you're 20 years late, that's difficult enough. But that was my challenge. And that's the beauty of my career, if I may say so.

I always tried to find solutions to, you know, to be a problem to these guys, to be performing, to be able to continue playing. There was one thing important to me for my career. I wanted to live my passion. Even before thinking I want to be in the top 10, top 20, I wanted to enjoy and have fun as long aspossible, so I had to find solutions, but there is always a solution.

Q. Were you disappointed you were not scheduled on the central court, and there was not something special for you at the end?

FABRICE SANTORO: No, central court/Susan Lenglen was equal for me. The organizers gave me a choice between court No. 1 and Lenglen, and I said Lenglen, and that was fine. As for the something special, there is something scheduled.

Q. You know this arena very well. What's your favorite place here at Roland Garros and why?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, there are two special places for me. One is the bedroom I used to have when I was 16, and I was living there for two years in 10 square meters with my stereo and my small bed. I went back there.

I was so happy there,and I played my first tournament here when I was still in the training center,like Rufin today.

The second magic place is the corridor thattakes you from the changing room to the central court, and this is where youhave many memories coming to your head. You know, you walk out of the changing rooms, you turn right, you havethe stairs, and you walk on the court.

And when you get there, well, youhave to fight. You can't hide anymore. Yeah, you need to be there.

Q. Roland Garros was a major step for your last year. Now, what's your worst? Do youhave any specific dream, if any? Andbased on your answer, I'll ask you another question.

FABRICE SANTORO: Okay. So you mean if I have no dream anymore, I have to stop right now? Okay. So despite the fact I'm 37, I'm convinced I can play a beautifultournament in Wimbledon, so I'll do everythingI can to achieve that this year.

This is "the"tournament in which I really could have done things, and I was veryunfortunate. When I started developing agame which was adapted to grass, then I started getting injured, and all myinjuries occurred in Wimbledon.

So I know my serves are good for that surface. The two last sets I played against Rochus I was very aggressive, you know. Playing like that on grass is pure pleasure. So this is what I want to do. I want to make huge efforts to do and be infull shape for London.

Then I'll have the 69th Grand Slamtournament. This is the US Open. That's going to be a very special moment. And then indoor. I want to go to Tokyo this year, because I never played in Japan. I never played in South Africa. I went to Johannesburgin April, and I would like to play in Japan before I stop.

So Tokyo and then Metz, Lyon, Bercy.

Q. Talking about Bercy, it would be good to play in Bercy and facing Marat Safin who will be putting an end to his career in Bercy. Isn't it a dream for you?

FABRICE SANTORO: That would be fun, and weird, perhaps. But we'll see. It's a draw, so we'll see, but it would be fun to play one against the other for our last time and playing Bercy. I have not thought about it.

Q. Talking about the match, how did you manage the evening last night?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, I went back home late. I did my physical exercises, the one Iusually do. I put my legs against the wall for a quarter of an hour. And then I slept for six hours and a half, which is ‑‑ I went to bed yesterday night, and I ate a plate ful of pasta. Anything else you want to know? I went to bed alone. I woke up alone. Oh, it's horrible. It's a shitty life. Trust me. (Laughter.)

Q. Is this why you want to put an end to your career?

FABRICE SANTORO: No, but that's why I didn't manage to win. (Laughter.)

This morning ‑‑ I usually warm up for half an hour, but this morning it took me an hour, because I really wanted to be ready. When I walked on the court, I was very happy to see that the temperature was 10 degrees more than yesterday.

I was very happy with my first game, becauseI had two winning serves and then aces, and I waited for this game at 5‑4. I had dreamt about it yesterday before I went to bed, and I think I was very close to changing the entire situation.

Q. What was missing from the game, for the match to be different? So my question was what was missing for the match to be totally different?

FABRICE SANTORO: What was missing was that he was not clumsy enough. I played five perfect points. Then 15‑Love on his serve. At that stage I had one opportunity to get tothe net. I didn't take that opportunity,so this is a regret.

And then afterwards,nothing more. He played well at 15-All. At 30-15, he won. At 40-15, I had a volley, and I missed myreturn. No, he played well. He was very robust during the last game.

Q. At the beginning of the match, the game conditions were awful, cold,wind, et cetera, but were you afraid?

FABRICE SANTORO: No, these were the worst conditions for me,but I know that it's when I'm a bit afraid that I can play my best tennis,because it's the adrenaline I need to reach my best level. But yesterday was horrible. Wind, cold.

I had decided to playfrom the baseline at the beginning, and I didn't want to use my chip to preventhim from controlling the game, but the ball was too slow for me to do that. So he took control of the match for one set.

So after the first set, the question I had in mind was should I continue or get more aggressive, but getting aggressive ona very slow court is something very difficult to do. So I tried to do that ‑‑ I tried to continue playing from the baseline at the beginning of the second set, and hetook control very quickly, so I realized I was making a mistake, and this iswhen I thought, well, I'm going to change my tactics.

And he started coming to the net, soI came to the net on anything and everything. I managed some beautiful volley shots, making the good decision. But practicing that kind of tennis in such conditions, that's very difficult. These were horrible conditions to me. But that wasn't out of fear, no.
And today, I mean, I knew that wasmy last Roland Garros tournament, my last games, so my mindset was exactly thesame when I walked on the court. But the conditions made it possible for me to express my style better, especially with my serve.

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