Monday, June 3, 2002

M. SAFIN/A. Di Pasquale 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6

Q. We felt that the match was fairly close. Did you
really feel the same as the spectators?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: Well, I'm going to try and analyze
everything. But I'm angry at myself because I felt that
if I had played more simply, then it would have been a
tighter match, that's all. That's all. That's why I'm
angry at myself. I think I fought well. I thought that
I did what I had to do right through. I was trying to
remain positive. It wasn't easy all the time. But I did
try. I think if I play cross-court, I really can hurt
my opponents. Against a guy like Safin, who is a
hard-hitter, he's got a good backhand, but I was able
to keep him in check at some stages. Now, I think if I
had played simply, it would have been a far tighter
match. That's the feeling that I have at the moment. I
don't know whether my analysis is all the best at this
point. I don't know.

Q. Are you a little bit tired? Were you a bit tired in
the third and fourth?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: No, I feel quite okay physically. I
felt that I could run around everywhere, I had no cramps.
There were a few difficult points. I felt a little bit
down at stages when I lost points. But I haven't played
a big match like this for a long time. I think I have to
go back to basics. I think I played quite well, when all
is said and done. I tried to clear my mind. I tried to
tell myself that I was playing an opponent. There was a
big crowd there. I think a lot of things changed. I haven't
trained on big courts like that. I'm not saying I was
totally lost, but I'm happy with what I did. If I did
take stock of what I did, well, I didn't expect to be
in the fourth round against Safin. I did win one set
against him. That's quite a feat. You have to take all
that into account. I think my game is becoming established.
I'm understanding more what I'm doing.

Q. How did you find him?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: You mean physically (laughter)?
Q. No, his game.
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: As regards his game, he's a great
player. I thought he would use his forehand. But my game
is to play to the backhand. I tried to vary things. He
didn't serve very well. I tried to play cross-court, but
he was really holding up and he was able to accelerate.
He's very powerful. Even his cross-court backhands were
very powerful, so it was really tough - really, really
tough. But he does serve quite well anyway. And he came
to the net more. He has such powerful strokes. I stopped
the two volleys. I thought I had made some progress.

Q. In review, do you think it was positive overall?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: Yeah, really, because of the first
three matches. Perhaps I wasn't playing opponents who
were clay court specialists, but had played at Roland
Garros quite a bit. I mean, even if my tennis wasn't
really there, I felt that I didn't play all that well,
it was still really sound. I felt that I was fairly strong
in my head, and I was really fighting in my match. I won
my first three matches fairly easily, even though I lost
one set in one match. The two matches after that, they were
sound, as well. Today I was playing somebody who was far
stronger than the other players, so it's been fairly
positive. I mean, I was ranked in the 280s, I had a lot of
time off. It's true that -- well, I did quite well at
Roland Garros. That's pretty good, too, to re-experience
some really nice things here. I like challengers, as well.
It's good to play some challengers, do a Grand Slam, be
applauded, so on, so I'm happy.

Q. What about Grosjean-Safin, how do you see that match?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: Grosjean is in great form. I think
he'll win in three. Grosjean, he's really in good shape.
He's really impressive. He was really impressive in Monaco.
I started to be tougher to defend, but when he wants to make
the difference, he did. As regards the match with Safin, I
think with his forehand, Grosjean, if he keeps him at the
back of the court, he can win. Physically, he's good today,
at the moment. I think he can beat Safin - perhaps not in
three, but I think he has every possibility to win because
he's playing very well.

Q. Were you upset by the wave?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: Not at all. I try and -- I try and
stay focused. It's true that you say you have to concentrate,
be focused. It's great. I say, "Don't smile," then I end
up smiling. The wave didn't bother me at all (smiling).

Q. Are you coming back here in September?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: What do you mean "back here in September"?

Q. Is everything on in September?
ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: September's a long way off. Lots of
players ahead of me at the moment. I'm ranked 280. Soon I'll
be 145. As regards my play, there are lots of players better
than me. There's lots of other players. Quite frankly, I can't
think that far ahead. Perhaps Polo has a better chance than me.
We'll see. We'll see. I dream of being part of the team, of
course, but we'll have to see. It's too far into the future.
We have to calm down. If I start thinking about the Davis Cup
now, then...

Q. Where are you playing?

ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: In Italy. I'm going to play two challengers
afterwards, then maybe I'll go into the Grand Prix.

Q. (Inaudible)?

ARNAUD DI PASQUALE: No. My knee is okay. My knee is quite okay.
There's nothing wrong with it. That trouble is over.