Google News
Before the match against Felix Auger-Aliassime, lost in two sets, Gilles Simon did not stop being Gilles Simon. The mind is always ready to elaborate a new thought, to find that blow that can put one's opponent in difficulty and also affect the mental equilibrium of the strongest.
Gillou has worked hard to make his dreams come true and become part of the world's tennis elite. And, step by step, he gained the respect of the best players. The Frenchman took fourteen ATP titles, participated in the Finals and reached the sixth position in that magnificent 2008.
A year he will hardly stop thinking about. The year he defeated Roger Federer twice and one Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal: the Big 3 of tennis. The year in which he came close to the final at the Tournament of Masters and forced Djokovic to a very tough third set, then taken home by the Belgrade with a score of 7-5.
Simon: "I still feel so many emotions inside me"
A few minutes after the last official match played on the ATP Tour, Simon tried to put together the pieces of a puzzle built with pride, discipline and personality. He said: "I feel the same pressure I feel before every game, because it's the usual routine.
You have a match to play, a tournament to prepare and you need to be ready. That's why it's easier to focus on the next match: to be ready for a game is what I have been doing for 20 years. I feel so lucky to have been a tennis player.
He is who I have always wanted to be. I have been a professional tennis player for a long time, so I feel doubly lucky. I have always loved this. sport and it was always interesting to analyze the details. So many things to study from different points of view.
Physically, technically, mentally. It is a very beautiful sport, the best. I have always enjoyed myself, so I tried to get to know the game in the best possible way. Tennis professor? I think a lot and try to explain my ideas with words too.
I'm not good with emotions. I rely on logic, that's how I am. There are many different personalities on the circuit. It is not a team sport, mentally you have a lot of pressure because you are alone. I am calm, because I was convinced of making this decision.
I made the right decision, this is a certainty. All of the games this week reminded me of why I was so confident. The stress before the game, the pain, playing one game after another, was becoming difficult for me to bear. There comes a time when you feel the same stress and pain, but you don't win anymore.
That's where the story changes, when you feel you are not progressing everything becomes more difficult. It has been a difficult week, these three games that have left me empty. There's a part of me relieved to stop."
