The Italian tennis player also praised his opponent who-in turn-expressed himself on the match against Sinner and on his future
“There was an incredible atmosphere here on the Philippe Chatrier. I know you were rooting for Richard but you were a very honest crowd. You supported him with fairness and I thank you for that. Gasquet is a player who has given so much to tennis. It’s very nice to still have him here with us. He’s still capable of playing great tennis and I wish him the best.”
Jannik Sinner qualified for the third round of the Roland Garros after beating home player Richard Gasquet in straight sets. The Italian champion, in the on-court interview, thanked both the crowd at Philippe Chatrier and his expert rival, who was nevertheless able to offer a good performance against the young ATP no.2. In the same on-court interview, the young Italian analyzed his performance in more detail, praising his team for the work he is doing.
“After the first meeting with Eubanks we tried to improve on various aspects. On the off day we trained very intensely.
This is a special tournament and I hope I can play some good tennis. I felt better than the first match, I’m trying to improve day by day. It’s nice to have Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill next to me. They are two high level coaches who are trying to help me. And I try to help them with the right attitude. Thanks to all the crowd for the support and see you next round,” he explained.
In the third round, Sinner will face Russian Pavel Kotov, who defeated Stan Wawrinka on the Suzanne Lenglen.
Gasquet, instead, played what could be his last match at the Roland Garros, and was visibly excited to play in front of his own crowd at the legendary Philippe Chatrier. In the press conference, Gasquet shared all his emotions for playing in front of his crowd, also crowning Sinner.
“Without a doubt it was an evening full of emotions, it was wonderful to play at night with all these people. It’s the first time I’ve played on this course at night and it was fantastic. The game was very fast on both sides although the balls were heavier at night and it is difficult to spin the ball in these conditions. I didn’t serve very well but he was better and it was evident. It’s been a long time since the last victory in Paris and I didn’t do it in Australia either, I’m happy I did it here.
Now I faced the number two in the world. And it was fantastic, I hope to play at this level for a while longer. You always want to win a set or serve better but sometimes you just lose to a tennis player who was better. I don’t know if this was my last time in Paris, I play month by month, it’s hard to say when to stop and right now I don’t know. I’ll try to find out, in the meantime I want to stay in the Top 100 and try to climb the rankings,” said Gasquet.
The Frenchman then praised the young Italian: “He’s a tennis player who plays very quickly, he hits his backhand like Novak Djokovic but he also has a very quick forehand. He also has an excellent serve, I’m sure that – together with Carlos Alcaraz – they will be number 1 and number 2 for many years. He is a great ambassador for this sport and we are talking about a great person. He plays really good tennis and his timing is extraordinary. He’s a great player.”