Thursday, May 30, 2002
S. GROSJEAN/J. Blake 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5

Q. How did you manage to recover after the match
yesterday?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Well, massage and everything. I
think I managed well because Blake played very well.
I'm very happy that I won.

Q. How did you manage to be so fit?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Well, this morning was a bit
painful. Then in the afternoon, everything was fine.
I really felt fit physically. At 5-1, I had a bit of
a lull. He was able to get back into the match at that
point, but then broke down at the end.

Q. Was it a physical problem on his side?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: No, no. I think it was not physical.
He didn't give me any points. He took risks. After, he got
back into the match very well. At the end, it was a very
tight match, but he made a number of mistakes at the end.

Q. (Inaudible)?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: The more you go, the more it gets
difficult. I had an ultrasound yesterday. Everything is
fine, it's holding fine, there's no problem.

Q. It's not getting worse?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: No, no.

Q. What makes you most happy thinking about this last
match?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I think I played a better tennis than
yesterday. It was a different opponent. He hits the ball
very hard. He moves to the net. With Clavet, it's more
difficult to maneuver because he plays very differently.
In this case, I was trying to control the game all the time.
I think it was a very, very good match. I think that was
positive because I was dead after the match yesterday.

Q. Do you have a different vision about the tournament now,
having played those two matches?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: No, it hasn't changed. I'm going in the
same direction. I'm taking it one match at a time. I think
the match today was good. Tomorrow I will need the rest. It
will do me a lot of good. I will see about the next round.

Q. What is the schedule for tomorrow? Watch the football?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes, 1:30 I'll be watching the football.
Q. Can you tell us up to which point your injury creates
problems? You were not sliding on the court. Did it hurt
during to play?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Not too much at the beginning. But the
more I get into the match, the worse it is. It's getting
harder and harder as the match progresses. I'm avoiding
sliding, but in certain cases I have to do it because they're
important strokes. I have to go for it. My injury is still
there, but it's not getting worse. It's a good thing because
these are very hard matches.

Q. How are you managing this injury on the psychological side?
You're preventing yourself from sliding, but at certain times
you're sliding. How do you balance it?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Well, I'm very clear when it's an important
shot, and therefore I know this is a case where I have to go
all the time. This is the way I'm trying to manage that.
It's very difficult because the opponent is playing very well,
too. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by what they're doing on the
other side.

Q. Have you looked at the draw, the way it's opening up?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: I'm not looking, I'm not seeing - I never
do (smiling).

Q. So you'll be playing Spadea. What do you think? Spadea is
coming back very strongly. He's been very good in that match.
Are you surprised?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Well, I think he's more confident. He had
problems, but before that he was ranked 20. We should keep that
in mind. Even when he was losing, I thought he was a good
player. But he was lacking confidence in himself. I think he's
played challengers, he's played a number of matches. He came
early to Europe to go to the Masters Series. He was playing the
way he was playing last year, but he's playing more confident
because he's been winning.

Q. Yes, he's been winning more than other people that are
in the draw.
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes, I think he was lacking that experience.
He was lacking winning a number of matches. By playing
challengers, it's much easier to win one victory after the
other.

Q. Did you play him?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Yes, a couple of times. Two years ago in
Nottingham, two or three years ago in Indianapolis. I don't
think I've seen him in the last two years.

Q. Did you see him against Pioline?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: No. I didn't watch that match.

Q. What do you think about the French soccer team? How far
can they go?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: All the way, I hope. Well, I think they
really wanted to get into the competition because they were a
bit fed up with just practicing and training. I think they
really want to get into the real game.

Q. Even without Zidane?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: They're a team. I'm sure if he's not there
for the other match, the other players will cover up. I'm sure
he'll be fit for the next match.

Q. Back to Spadea. When he was in his losing streak, everybody
was laughing at him, I think. He was not even going to the
locker rooms.
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: Well, yes, you could feel that he was not
playing well. He was not really present on the court for important
shots. Even after Wimbledon, he played against Rusedski, then
decided to go back to the States. I think he was lacking
confidence. He was even fed up with tennis, I think. I'm happy
he's back. It's difficult.

Q. Were you laughing at him?
SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN: He had the reputation of somebody that had
lost 21 times, one after the other. I see him in Florida since
we both lived there. We were training and practicing together
on occasions. It's difficult to say. You didn't want to lose
against him because he was having that streak of bad matches.
There was a bit of hesitation on our side.