“Can you come back to your pain? She came suddenly?
Suddenly, yes. When I took support for the return, which was not violent, I had a sharp pain. A real dump. On the outer side of the left knee, towards the top of the calf. At first, I walked, stretched and thought I was fine. And when I got up, I felt that I was in much more pain than I thought and I said to myself that I had to call the physio. And I started to worry about the ligaments, but he reassured me. He bandaged me tight and told me I could go for it because he was thinking muscle and not ligaments. From the moment he told me that, I was pretty calm, although it always takes a game or two to forget about it.
By your attitude while waiting for the physio, we thought you had to give up.
In fact, it pissed me off. I was frustrated because it was okay and then something happens. And it pisses me off… I put myself in my bubble, I told myself that it was going to be fine, but I was frustrated. I was good in the game, I knew I could play better, I was adapting… So why am I hurting myself? Frankly, it annoys me and I’m frustrated. I tell myself that I can’t stop like this. In addition without any shock, without falling.
In the end, there is victory and a return to the top 200.
Honestly, I haven’t watched because I know I’m way off. Maybe I’ll watch more at the end of the year hoping for good things. But my priority is still to win matches. The ranking is good, but I mostly watch the game and I tell myself that I’m starting to have a base, I’m starting to be solid again. I have been injured for a long time, but when I start playing again, I have a solid level. The proof, I win a top 10 (Tsitsipas in Montreal). I’m back to a very good level.
“You see that the sentence, I’m over 20, it makes sense.”
Bublik (27th), Tsitsipas (4th), Norrie (15th), that’s a good hunting record in a few weeks.
I’m starting to win matches again, yes. And I lose against Griekspoor who makes final behind. I play Chris Eubanks who has his best ranking and I play a good match. Vukic, the same. I’m starting to get better and I try to continue without putting too much pressure on myself. But we may have to slow down. I feel like I’m playing well, but my body is starting to pull. I haven’t played so much for a long time. I have been in America for five weeks, starting with UTS, then Atlanta, Washington, Toronto and now Cincinnati. And without stopping. So, yes, we may have to take a breather. I ask a lot and inevitably it pulls a little. And you see that the sentence, I’m over 20, it makes sense (laughs). »