TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 4th of June. A. Murray d. G. Monfils 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-0. An interview with Gael Monfils
Q. You made a great effort coming back into it. How did the fifth set slip away so quickly and easily?
GAËL MONFILS: Well, I don’t think I have the answer yet. I think I played a good first game. I think it was 15 30. Then everything happened very fast. I missed a few shots, and I don’t know. I don’t really know what happened.
It was very fast. You know, very fast. I start to miss a lot of balls. I felt not bad, so it was a very strange feeling. Very strange.
Q. The fifth set was played in very dark, failing light. Do you feel that it made better sense for the fifth set to be played tomorrow, or do you feel that it would have been better to continue today?
GAËL MONFILS: The real thing is it will be better when we gonna have lights here. For sure he rushed me a little. I wanted to finish today because I knew that Andy was tired and I was better than him.
And then I thought maybe that’s why I rush a bit my shot and try to be very aggressive, and then didn’t come.
Q. You came in without, as you said, many matches here. And to feel disappointed losing in a quarterfinal, you have had a good tournament all the same.
GAËL MONFILS: No. I don’t think it’s a great tournament. You know, I’m still sad, you know. I need to work more and harder, because this match, that’s the key for me to be a champion.
Q. At the beginning of the fifth set it was getting dark, and we saw Andy talking to the referee. Did he want the match to stop? Afterwards, did you think he was bluffing?
GAËL MONFILS: That’s the only thing that’s not very nice at Roland Garros. I’m sorry, I have to say that. Because if we both agree to stop, it would have become a match. But I wanted to go. I rushed it. I probably over rushed it in my fifth set.
Well, it went very fast, but the referee came and he said we have 20 minutes more.
Q. But Andy, before the fifth set, what did he want? To continue the match?
GAËL MONFILS: I’m not quite sure. I don’t know. I don’t think so.
