“It was your first 6-6 super tie break in the fifth set. How did you experience it?
It was hard all the time because I didn’t feel like I was playing badly or making the wrong choices. For a while he punished me at almost every point and took a clear lead (8-4). Fortunately I was able to earn all the points on my service, it was very important to stay in touch. And then these crucial points at 8-7, 8-8, 9-8, I’m glad they went my way, of course. But it was the whole game that John made difficult.
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Starting 8-4 for Millman, you scored six straight …
It doesn’t often happen that we play super tie-breaks and therefore have such a delay to go up; in fact, it is quite long. As long as it’s not a match point, you still have time to go up. But it is a very sensitive balance to find, you must not force because it can rock very quickly. This moment was quite unique. Returning a great tie-break in this atmosphere was crazy, it was fun and I couldn’t be happier than now. It’s a big relief.
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Besides the result, we saw you miss a lot in forehand, with 48 direct faults on this side. Does Millman’s ground cover partially explain this waste?
I have nothing against the guys who make the statistics but on a match of more than four hours, you will inevitably miss a lot. What exactly is a direct fault? Is it one on a ball that reaches you at 120 km / h, for example? In any case, John pushed me to give more and you know me, I will not stay at the bottom and dispute long exchanges all the time. I’m going to try stuff, so I’m going to miss a few. I also think it shows how slow the courts are.
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“If I play tennis, it is also to live epic matches like this one
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Here is a great tie break at 6-6; at Wimbledon, normal tie-break, but at 12-12; at the normal US Open tie-break at 6-6; at Roland-Garros, no tie-break at all. What do you think of all this?
I think it’s important that we have different ways of finishing each Grand Slam. I make sure I have experienced them all before I stop playing (to laugh). In fact, I’m okay with the four formulas, they all have a purpose. I am a historian and I love when it can go on forever but I also saw Mahut-Isner (70-68 in the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2010). If something like this happens to you, you have no chance of winning the tournament afterwards. It’s just impossible.
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How do you feel after such a long fight?
I believe that if I play tennis, it is to try to win titles, to win as many matches as possible and have fun on the court, but also to live epic matches like this one. And it doesn’t always have to be a final. As long as the public is involved and you have an opponent in front of you who you admire and respect, it’s a good feeling. “
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