TENNIS US OPEN – 2nd of September 2014. G. Monfils d. G. Dimitrov 7-5, 7-6, 7-5. An interview with Gael Monfils
Q. The obvious question: People always talk about your showmanship and say if the guy buckled down and played the way he can, he’d do even better. Seemed like you were really down to business today.
GAEL MONFILS: Yeah, I think I played good. I’m in better position today. It’s easy to say, but, you know, I think every time I’m the same. So I will say I’m a bit more lucky than I was maybe sometime in the past. I think I haven’t changed a lot, to be honest. I haven’t changed a lot. I just play maybe solid today, but I’m still the same.
Q. What does this victory mean to you?
GAEL MONFILS: For me, it’s mean I’m happy to be back in quarterfinal in a slam. That’s it.
Q. You mentioned that you’re doing some of the same things, maybe doing them a little bit better. How have you lifted your game, do you think?
GAEL MONFILS: Well, to put me in quarterfinal, I guess. I think I always play good, always played solid. You know, sometime just didn’t happen, you know. I remember here played a good fourth round against Rafa, but he just was better than me. You know, I always have tough battle here or at the French. For me, I’m just happy because today I was a bit lucky. It’s one point, it’s two points, and today I think I was able to have more luck than him.
Q. Everybody is making such a big deal out of the fact you don’t have a coach. Is it easier for you to focus without having someone else talking to you?
GAEL MONFILS: You know, it’s been a year and a half, so I just manage to don’t have anyone. For sure it’s better to have a coach. I won’t lie to you. It’s better to have someone to help you. I need it, you know. But as I say all the time, it’s not easy to feel someone. That person has to be — has to be, for me, like good, first of all, but has to be hard and also understand my personality. Because I don’t think I’m easy, but I think I’m quite a good worker. So, you know, most of people that I know is good, so I sent like some message to maybe somebody here. I want to work with people, but they are not ready to travel that much. That’s always trouble, you know. I think is few good coaches that I really want to work with, but they’re able to travel and just part time, and I don’t think I need that.
Q. You’re very mentally focused today. On the days when you’re struggling for focus, what kind of crazy things get through your mind?
GAEL MONFILS: Well, I don’t know. Just sometime — I don’t know how to explain it. Like straightaway it’s — for me tennis is a sport, you know. It’s not a job, you know, it’s a sport. Sometime if I’m fed up with that, you know, just leave it. For me, I don’t know if it’s bad to say it and for sure I will use like bad words in English, but it’s like, you know, don’t give a shit. You know, it’s like okay, next one. It sounds bad in English, but what I mean is I care about the match. I don’t care about, you know, other things. It’s like if I’m not happy, it’s okay. I want just to be happy, you know. If I’m not happy, fine. Have it, you know.
Q. Is that what you mean by calm your mind when you were talking before about keeping your mind calm out there?
GAEL MONFILS: Yeah. You know, I just try to be relax, because I’m always been a relaxed person. I try my best for everything. If I don’t feel happy, I don’t do it.
Q. Forgive me. I may not know your past enough. I don’t think I have ever seen a player drink Coke during a match. Is that your thing normally?
GAEL MONFILS: (Smiling) well, sometime, you know, I just feel like I want a Coke, you know, and I drink a Coke, you know. (Smiling.)
Q. You mentioned a moment ago it’s a little bit about what it’s like to face Roger Federer. What would you describe what Roger Federer’s career has meant to you and what an opportunity to play him on this stage would mean to you?
GAEL MONFILS: Well, he’s definitely the legend of the tennis, you know. I think right now he’s the greatest tennis player we ever had, and for me it’s always challenging to play against him. It’s always great, because no matter what, you know, I will say to my children, you know, I played against him. Even I kill him, you know. And this is cool. And when you have this chance, you know, it’s why, you know, I think I play tennis for, to play against a big legend, big court, show time. That’s what I train for. That’s why every day I wake up and I wish I could play those matches, you know. It’s like, for me it’s the best thing can happen is to play against that guy on that stage, you know.
