the conditions during yesterday's match was indeed very challenging. the humidity in addition to the heat was absolutely gruesome, the air was thick and it was difficult to take good breaths in and out - i'm in complete awe of all the players that competed out there without the implementation of the extreme heat policy. there was a lot of turnover from the crowd because many couldn't sit out there for too long....i'm surprised i managed to do it, though at times i must admit i felt lightheaded - and i was just sitting there!
before the match, gasquet had a brief hit with tommy robredo - which in hindsight was quite interesting, as the spaniard will be his next opponent. he looked to be moving quite comfortably, staying relaxed, with his team.
gasquet's game has certainly started to get back to form compared to his exhibition matches and the first round clash with guez. the serve was more reliable (only footfaulted three times !!) and as already mentioned, the backhand is regaining its consistency. movement was more fluid, although i still don't think it's quite close to how he has been moving last year. but i think the incredibly stifling conditions had quite an influence on that, and playing someone who will try to move you quite a bit on the baseline if you let him such as davydenko, it demonstrated that weakness more. this was definitely the case in the first set, and at moments during the second as well. it felt as though gasquet was pushing to keep the rallies short (understandably!) but was doing too much, resulting in some unnecessary errors. glad to see that he realised getting hot headed because of the conditions was not going to allow him to barge through for the win, and he pulled back on the over-assertiveness a little. he was definitely rewarded.
one thing i'd like to say again, because i think it's an aspect i really enjoy seeing in gasquet's tennis, is his perseverance and determination to find a way to get through the match even when beautiful tennis may not always be present. his focus was admirable through the match, and whilst he did get a bit frustrated with himself at times, he found a way to win with the class that you can on a hot, sticky day like yesterday. he did mention something about his sweating to his team at times, and had an off-handed comment to the chatty crowd one time (the umpire had to politely ask the crowd to be quiet as an intervention), but he remained mostly collected, which i think will be important for the rest of this slam, where things will only get more challenging.
the time that gasquet was out playing yesterday was definitely hitting the most uncomfortable part of the day, and his practice today was also conducted just moments before the tournament imposed the extreme heat policy. the practice went for around 45mins, with grosjean and his new physio (?). he indicated to a spot of discomfort during the session, but hopefully it's nothing to worry about.
thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow, but it will most likely not matter much to gasquet's match against robredo tomorrow evening. however, despite the cancellation of the scorching sun overhead, the humidity is still present when the stadium roof is closed. so i hope gasquet will make sure he hydrates well in preparation, and keep on munching those bananas to prevent cramps from being an issue.
as long as he continues to feel comfortable with his body, and persevere to keep as clear-headed as possible without over-forcing the play, i think he's progressing along steadily and under the radar, which is what seems to work well for him in the first week of a slam. the weather conditions will be something that the tournament will not change its stance upon this year, so it's important to understand those rules, and try his best to adapt and adjust to these conditions. but i do agree it's a worry that the heat policy is so wishy-washy, and it's the duration of time the players are exposed to these conditions that's the issue, more so than the amount of heat generated by their muscles compared to other sports....it BURNS to be on the court, you sweat as a way for your body to adjust to the increased temperature, but when it's so humid that the sweat doesn't evaporate but sticks to you, it's like being slowly smothered in a veil of moisture...and not the nice top quality skin moisturiser way !!!
praying for more pleasant tennis conditions tomorrow night !!!
Easy first round for Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman won 6/3 6/3 against the Slovenian, Blaz Kavcic, and started the best way in a tournament he absolutely wants to win. For Richard, the Open 13 is one of the goals of the season.
Richard, how do you feel after taking a little rest last week?
Richard Gasquet: After Montpellier, Davis Cup, Rotterdam, it was too much and I was very tired. Besides, I 'm not sure to return next year. (Rotterdam?) At home I have recovered, but it was difficult. From the first day when I arrived, I was forced to hit balls.
You seemed determined when entering the court at the Open 13?
RG: Marseille is important to me and I am eager to play well here! I never went very far. I'll try to do better than the quarterfinals.
Your service was solid today. Is it a weapon here?
RG: The surface is fast, I know this, I have to be focused on my game. I really want to go further! I came when I was young and I would like to play well here before I stop.
During these two sets, we felt you were quite calm?
RG: The score was in my favour and suddenly I felt comfortable on the court. It is always easier when you're ahead. I know I'm capable of doing well.
What might make this the right year?
RG: I am physically fit, without pain. I don't have any sore parts, not the arm or back ... Then, I feel my game is good, it's on track. I have confidence and I really want to do something here.
The collaboration with your coach, Sergi Bruguera, it begins to bear fruit?
RG: I love his company, his personality. We talk a lot together and it is going very well. Our way or working suits me perfectly. Sergi is a perfectionist, demanding, it makes me work and I think it will work out.
Inscrit le: Oct 27, 2006 Messages: 963 Localisation: USA
Posté le: 20.02.2014, 15:18:17 Sujet du message:
Let's hope Richard does well here, it sure would be nice. I'm delighted he is happy with new coach Sergi - let's hope they do well together. I would like his team to nudge Richard on more when he is playing as it seems to get him more motivated.
Hi - there are two French articles today, one from Seb and one from Richard. Here are the translations - please feel free to correct any mistakes I've made.
Sebastian, how does Richard Gasquet feel before the start of the US Open?
He is much better today than yesterday, or how he was a week ago. It was more the level of service that was restricted than rallies. He played 2hrs 30 minutes with David Ferrer and served well, without pain. It is rather positive. We have to see how he will recover from a big session like this, but he is on the right track.
Will he play the tournament with the handbrake on or jump straight back in right away?
He must not jump straight back in, but play his tennis and try to put aside the injury... disregard the pain he had to the abdominals and shoulder a little bit before. He has to play his tennis and not think about it.
It's a frustrating season for Richard, with his many injuries this year... while we were waiting for confirmation of his semifinal US Open last year...
Yes, after everything it's Richard who is the most frustrated. He's had a series of injuries. There was obviously the semi-final at the US Open last year but do not hold onto it. There were several excellent tournaments, he played at the Masters (WTF) etc. It's frustrating because of these injuries. He was not able to play some of the Masters events, and now we must ensure that this does not happen again.
Is the defence of many points from his semi-final last year an important factor when approaching the tournament?
Not at all. Tennis players defend points every year, it's the ranking system. If you are ranked 100th, you defend less points than if you are in the top ten, but it's better to be in the top 10 to 15 rather than 50, 60. This is part of the ranking. Now, he must play this years's US Open as a Grand Slam, and not based on the result of the previous year. He must focus on his tennis and then we'll see.
Is making the 4th round possible in his current physical condition?
He's worked hard physically lately, maybe a little less on the service, but he's hitting the ball well. I think he must focus well on his tennis. It will be two weeks since he played a match. It's going well, we'll see what happens.
I feel better. I've managed to train well since the problem with the abs (abdominals). I'm still not 100% on service but it's getting better and better. The first round is always difficult, I'll know more afterwards, but I have no abdominal pain. I practiced a lot and I took precautions by not playing in Toronto and Cincinnati. I think it was the best solution. There was definitely a risk of making the injury very, very bad. Now I think I'm ready for the US Open and beyond. We will try to play the best possible. It's important to be here, to play, to win matches to rebuild confidence, and equally for the Davis Cup. But we'll all be ready for Paris.
Is there a dilemma between performing well at the US Open and not giving too much before the Davis Cup?
We can not say that we will miss the US Open to prepare for the Davis Cup, it's not how it works. Everyone needs confidence, everyone needs to win games, the need for reassurance, even though we all know that afterwards we have a huge goal in the semi-final. But I'm here to try to go as far as possible.
It's a frustrating season for you, with injuries that have prevented the results ...
This is the major problem for me, the back injury that stopped me for a long time, the arm, a lot of things ... I've hardly been able to do serious practice this season, except maybe here. But I think the best is yet to come with the US Open, the Davis Cup. All is not lost, there are still great things to do and which motivate me. I know I risk losing points here, after the semi-final last year. I don't know which round I'm going to stop this year, but the most important thing for me is to be healthy, to feel the best I possibly can physically, and tennis-wise too, even though I know that that will return.
How do you see this US Open, with the absence of Rafael Nadal?
I still see Novak Djokovic as the favorite, with Roger Federer, who also has a chance. It is true that the absence of Rafael Nadal makes a big difference, but the favorites are the same. We are not immune, anyway, to see an underdog go very far, like Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray, or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is playing very well right now. Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, David Ferrer, there are 5 or 6 players who can go far, behind the two favourites, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
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