The young man from Nice is unknown to the general public, but he doesn’t mind. He thinks it will come with time and results. Gilles Simon is now a familiar face on the ATP circuit, as at 22, he has already spent five years traveling the planet to hit the yellow ball. His early season, doping, French players, his work with Thierry Tulasne, everything is covered without taboo.
An appointment is set this Sunday morning at the Hermitage hotel, where the biggest names in tennis gather. From Marat Safin to Juan Carlos Ferrerro and Tim Henman, everyone wants to be there for this important meeting.
Presentation of the tournament: Who will stop Rafael Nadal?
Nice Premium: How did you feel winning the title in Marseille, your first on the ATP circuit?
Gilles Simon: In my career, it’s the greatest moment I’ve experienced because it happened at a time when I was not really confident. It was even at my lowest. I was very happy to be able to play my best tennis all week. Moreover, to win the tournament after playing against such good players, it’s quite incredible for me.
N-P: Does the fact that this tournament is close to home make it even more significant?
G.S.: Yes, because it’s in France, in my region where I have a lot of family that I don’t often see. All the people I love were there so it was really a great moment.
N-P: You played against a friend, Marcos Baghdatis, in the final. Is it difficult to play such a match?
G.S.: Not necessarily because I think I had less pressure than if it were against another player. Even though you never want to lose a final, playing against Marcos loosens you up a bit because he’s a good player and I had nothing to lose against him.
N-P: This season, apart from Marseille, you haven’t managed to progress much in tournaments.
G.S.: I started with four first rounds before the Open 13. Since then, it’s been a bit better. In the United States I reached the third round twice, once against Roddick, once against Chela. I managed to beat Robredo, a Top 10 at Indian Wells. I was playing well, I had regained confidence. I haven’t won tournaments again but most players don’t win many in their career. The confidence is there; I’m 23rd in the Race (on the season, contrary to the technical ranking which is done continuously NDLR) so I want to stay in these waters.
N-P: What do you expect from the Monte Carlo Tournament?
G.S.: For the moment, not much. The draw is out, I’m playing David Ferrer (16th in the technical ranking NDLR), a round which is not easy. But I have nothing to lose in these kinds of matches. He’s the favorite, the seeded player. I will do what I have to do, I think I have a chance to win so I need to be solid and not put pressure on this match.
N-P: Your goal for the tournament?
G.S.: There isn’t really one. It’s so long. We often look at the first three rounds to get an idea. We’ll see later if I pass the first two rounds.
N-P: You mentioned that you were going through a rough patch before Marseille. Was this due to your change of coach since you switched to Thierry Tulasne?
G.S.: I was in a bit of doubt and my former coach, Jerome Pottier, could no longer really find the words to give me confidence, to motivate me. I could play well in training but as soon as I was in a match, it was much harder. I was holding back my shots, I couldn’t let go, and Jerome couldn’t help me. I had previously worked with Thierry Tulasne, two years earlier, and it had gone well. He really manages to give me confidence, and by chance, I won the first tournament.
N-P: On what level has Thierry Tulasne helped you the most?
G.S.: It’s more on the mental side because I had been training with someone else for two years, so everything I was capable of doing over a week like that, I owe more to Jerome Pottier, but being able to play so well, with confidence all week, I owe that to Thierry.
N-P: What has evolved in your game since you’ve been with Thierry Tulasne?
G.S.: I dare to move forward more; he emphasized the notion of pleasure, of being able to play my game even if I’m feeling down.
N-P: We learned a few days ago that the Monte-Carlo Master Series might be downgraded. What do you think about this?
G.S: I’m not sure. It’s strange to think that a tournament will no longer have the same ranking. We are used to certain cities for certain categories; it’s inseparable for us. It’s like if we were told that one of the four Grand Slam tournaments was being held elsewhere. There are nine Masters Series (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome, Hamburg, Montreal, Cincinnati, Madrid, Paris Bercy NDLR), I find it a shame that they would hold them elsewhere. Of course, the Spaniards will put in their veto unlike the Americans or Asians who would prefer Shanghai, but in the end, our voice, as players, does not count.
N-P: Regarding tennis in general, we are witnessing a phenomenon that we haven’t experienced for a while, the supremacy of two players. What is your view on the hegemony of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
G.S.: We had this situation a while ago with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, but since then, it had calmed down. Everyone could beat everyone. Today, there are two players who, granted can be beaten, but are very strong. Roger Federer is talented on all surfaces and even starts to play well on clay. It’s very difficult for other players to think that you’re inevitably going to face a guy who is almost unbeatable. On the other hand, there’s Rafael Nadal who is phenomenal. He’s no longer as intimidating on hard courts as before but he’s exceptional on clay.
Against one or the other, there’s not much you can do even though some manage it sometimes.
N-P: The parallel will be easy with another issue affecting tennis, doping since Guillermo Cañas who is coming back from suspension just defeated Federer twice in a row. Is it a taboo subject in the locker rooms or do you discuss it among players?
G.S.: It’s not a taboo subject but we don’t necessarily talk about it. In this sport, unlike others, it’s not all about the physique. For example, to beat Federer, it takes more than just running around. Of course, when you play a match on clay for five hours, it encourages some players to dope to last five hours, but at one point, in tennis, running around doesn’t do everything.
N-P: A player has been talked about a lot in terms of doping, Rafael Nadal. What is your opinion on this?
G.S.: He’s a very physically natural player, a magnificent beast. When I want to form an opinion, I base it on the duration. A player who plays well for one or two years and then gets injured or disappears, isn’t necessarily positive for anything. Those who run all year without getting tired, there you can have doubts. I know how to play a match; it’s tough. I have played very physical players like Robredo at Indian Wells but since it was 40°C, he physically collapsed. It was 7-6, 3-3 for him, and then it went 6-3, 6-0. He couldn’t run anymore. This proves that despite their physical dimension, I don’t think there should be doubts about these players. As soon as you see a physically fit player running everywhere, you think, “He must be positive.” There are some who are a bit physical but also show a bit of wear, maybe get injured from time to time. I think it’s too early to talk about Nadal’s case because he makes a lot of effort on the court but takes time to recover, he gets injured and he’s increasingly struggling to maintain his level of play and his position. I believe there should be no doubts about these kinds of players; he is very young. If at 28, he runs like that, we might say there’s a problem.
“David Cup is a sensitive subject”
N-P: How are the relationships among French players?
G.S.: We spend the whole year together and we get along well. When you live all year with these people you might as well make sure it’s pleasant. The relationships vary a little, they range from good competition because it’s nice to have lots of French players to a bit less pleasant things when it comes to selections or invitations to tournaments. I think you have to be quite detached. As Paul Quétin, physical coach at Roland Garros says, “The relationships are strange because we see each other all year and we get along very well but when you have to play the guy across from you, it’s a bit strange.” These are relationships that change depending on whether you’re in the depths of Croatia or playing each other in the third round at Roland Garros. You have to focus on yourself. Whatever your opponent, you have to forget who it is and win.
N-P: There are three young players among the best French players. How can you explain this?
G.S.: It’s the natural order of things. There are generations that leave, that arrive. Sébastien Grosjean and Arnaud Clément are excellent players, but the future belongs more to us than to them so it’s up to us to try to play as well as possible.
N-P: The Davis Cup took place last week with the defeat against Russia. Do you hope to join the team one day?
G.S.: Sensitive subject (laughs). Obviously, I hope to play one day. I would have even liked to play there because for this encounter, I had everything to claim a spot as the fifth man. It’s not a question of merit because the coach makes the team he thinks has the most chance of winning. I’m just disappointed not to be in it. In my head, I was thinking that if he wanted to give me a chance, that was the right time. I’m number two in the French ranking, I’m young and I’m playing well. Now, it will stop there because it’s a selection, it’s a match in the year. I wasn’t selected this time but I have other individual goals. Guy Forget called me, he explained his choices. I didn’t agree with the decision to take Paulo (Paul-Henri Mathieu NDLR) as number two but I understand him. On the other hand, I don’t understand the choice of Sébastien Grosjean as number five when he hasn’t had results for some time. A lot of players are waiting for their chance in the Davis Cup, it’s a shame not to have given them the opportunity. He was selected on the sole criterion of experience because he couldn’t be on other criteria. But currently, there are players who are better than him and had more their place in the team according to me. There are two completely different encounters between Romania where they tell you not to take risks to be sure to qualify and Russia where they tell you that you need experienced players because it’s an important match. We can wonder then when do they give young players their chance.
N-P: Tennis is one of the most mediatized sports. However, who says mediatization, says big gains. Does it change anything in the vision of the environment?
G.S.: No because we’ve been playing tennis since the age of six and at that time, you have no notion of gains. You play tennis for pleasure and because you would like to play at Roland Garros like those we go see in May-June. It’s something that comes in addition, and which is obviously a very good thing for us, but it comes in addition, it’s a bonus. There are athletes who make as much effort as us but who are not mediatized and earn almost nothing, it’s simply a passion. I would like their sport to be more recognized and for them to make a living from it but unfortunately, that’s not the case. There’s the example, with soccer notably, for the majority of people, of people who come from the same neighborhood as them and who have managed to make it. In tennis, it happens in the natural order of things. It’s different, you don’t say, “We’re going to play tennis to make money.” We play to hope to one day face those we see on TV. It’s super hard to reach a high level.
N-P: Do you consider sport as a social factor? Do parents not put too much pressure on their children to improve their living conditions?
G.S.: Sport has very beautiful values: to surpass oneself, to fight, to do what we love, to take pleasure. We see it at all levels, people practice sport only for pleasure. Sport fights against social inequalities, since there really is a mix, we don’t look at where we come from. We’re there to be the best, everyone is on the same level. It’s something we find less in life, that’s why sports are appealing.
N-P: How do you live to be always between planes, in hotels, around the world. Isn’t it difficult to have a social life?
G.S.: I don’t know, you have to ask my girlfriend (laughs). It’s never something obvious but it’s part of the job. Might as well make the most of it whether we like it or not. It’s something very nice, everyone likes to do it at the beginning, a little less at the end of the career. It’s true that being in big hotels, in the most beautiful tournaments, in magnificent stadiums, it’s pleasant and enjoyable. There’s a moment when we realize that we’re very good at home too when we’re not there often. It’s nice to be with the people we love, it’s a particular happiness and we often prefer that to big luxury hotels, let’s say. But we won’t complain, we live in good conditions. We must not forget that it lasts only a time, that as soon as we start to be thirty years old, we stop playing so we will have all the time to be at home afterwards.
NP: Finally if I tell you:
Nice: My origins
First: First victory
Côte d’Azur: Sunshine
Sport in general: Beautiful values
Tennis: My passion
An athlete: a passionate
The rest of the season: May it be as good as the beginning
