“It’s good to see you back at this level. Does this remind you of your summer 2019?
To be honest, every time you win, you feel great. You have the feeling that you are back at the top level, that you can win even bigger titles. But it’s a matter of trust. It can come very quickly but also leave very quickly after a defeat. So far, I feel very good. But there is a tournament next week and that will be another story. And afterwards, we will have to leave for the United States, manage the jet lag… But there, I feel good and I want it to continue.
“I was happy to have Andy on the other side of the net, of course. He is a tennis legend. »
This match against Andy Murray was a bit described as a generational clash. Did you experience it like that?
Already, I experienced it as a match to be taken with the utmost seriousness. Here, the conditions are very slow and the balls do not advance. At times, I felt like I was throwing weights. After, generation level, I am 27 years old, so I am no longer the new generation. I’m the one in the middle (smile). But I was happy to have Andy on the other side of the net, of course. He is a tennis legend. Every time I play against him, against Novak (Djokovic), Roger (Federer), well, not anymore, or Rafa (Nadal), it’s an incredible feeling. I was happy to play this final against him.
You had very little time, if any, to adapt to the outdoor conditions after Rotterdam was played indoors.
It was very difficult, yes, but the confidence built up in Rotterdam helped a lot. You can come here a week before the tournament and practice outside, but if you don’t have the confidence you can feel like you’re doing it right, but not getting there in the game. But it was complicated, yes. It took until the semi-final for me to feel good on the court. The hardest part was the balls. They are the same as for the Australian Open and I found them already bad there. They swell very quickly and no longer move forward. I find that they are not suitable for outdoor hard courts. And I’m not the only one to think so. Besides, I see that a lot of players have wrist or shoulder problems. I myself had to take care of my wrist every day because of it. »
