Virgine Razzano French Open Press Conference May 30th

Virgine Razzano French Open Press Conference May 30th

V.RAZZANO/T. Garbin 7‑5,7‑5

Q. You know Samantha Stosur. What do you think of your next match?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: I’ve already been asked this question today. First of all, I would like to say that I’m very happy to have played today and that I won. That’s what counts. And to talk about what I did today, I’m very happy today.

And for your question, I haven’t thought about it. It’s not the issue today. It’s two days away, so I still have time to think about it, to prepare myself to play Samantha. I don’t want to project too far. Yes, it’s true that I’m going to face her in two days. You know, it’s neither today nor tomorrow.

Today I’m very happy about my match, and that’s what counts. I want to enjoy this victory. You can ask me the same question about Samantha tomorrow. Yes, why not.

THEMODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. Congratulations. You frightened us during this match. There was turbulence in the first and second sets, and then you reversed steam. How do you explain it? Was this simply an off moment, or was the Italian simply playing better at that time?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, it was not easy for me today, because the conditions were more difficult. The wind was swirling. Sometimes you would have the wind with you, sometimes against you. Yes, it was blowing quite hard.

Maybe the people out there, the crowd on the stands, didn’t realize. But then if you’re down there on the court, I can tell you that it’s difficult for both of us.

So today, that was it. I had to be more patient, and I had to better negotiate these points, because I played against a player who played really well, and I said, Be careful.

It’s not because I played against Tathiana Garbin that it’s going be easy. On the contrary, it’s a pitfall, because she defeated Marion Bartoli. Maybe that was not an excellent match for her, but still it was the third round against me today, so it was not something to be taken lighthearted.

I didn’t do that, by the way, because I knew she could play excellent matches. I mean, Tathiana, she showed that today. Today I can tell you that as far as I’m concerned, my game was not perhaps extraordinary. Perhaps not my best game.

If I look at the past two rounds when the conditions were more difficult, you know, it is something that bothers me, something that bothers me when I serve. For instance, my first serves were not as good as usual. I was a bit bothered, and I think it’s the same for my opponent.

We have the same conditions, I mean, both of us. So we had to be mentally strong so that we could both overcome these tricky moments.

Q. Was it different types of wind compared with the wind you have in Nîmes?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, you know, in the south of France the wind blows a lot more strongly. It’s called the mistral wind. But here,what’s different is that we are in a bowl. You know, the wind goes swirling around, and each time the balls are different.

You know, today against Tathiana, I can tell you that her game, like, neutralized mine. Not to start with, because I was up 5‑0, and with my game she couldn’t do anything.

Then that’s when perhaps I started playing not as well as before, and that’s when she seized this opportunity to do what she does best, and that was to neutralize my game. I made more unforced errors or errors, you know, the way I played.

And therefore, that’s when I thought to be more patient. You should remember, as well, that today the conditions are different, I thought. So I didn’t want to rush in for anything, but I remained serene.

Q. Was that a problem for you when it was 3‑0? You asked for someone to come in, and you discussed.

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: No, I didn’t ask this person to come in. I was starting to think, can’t she stop for a while? It was somebody from the WTA. I had a patch, you know,on my polo shirt, and it was not positioned correctly. The problem was this woman wanted me to change my shirt. It was 3‑0. We had started the match, so I was a bit pissed off.

I said, I can’t change my polo shirt, because all my T‑shirts are patched exactly the same. It’s sewn on the T‑shirt. She wanted to use a pair of scissors to remove it. I said, You’re going to ruin all my T‑shirts. I had my three white T‑shirts in my bag, and they were all with the same logo at the same place. It was sewn this morning.

It’s my mistake, I know. I knew I couldn’t place it exactly here. It had to be placed on the side, on the shoulder, almost. She said, Well, you have to use another T‑shirt, otherwise you might be fined. I said, Please try and find me a T‑shirt,because I said I have no other T‑shirt. Either it’s bare chested or naked or this way, and never mind the fine.

You know what she said? Well, she went away. It was 3‑0 and I had something else to think about, I can tell you. I was thinking about the match. I didn’t want to bother about this. I didn’t want to get angry about this. I appreciate this woman. She’s kind. I was well into the match. I was playing okay.

The only thing I wanted was to be on my own, and this is when I was up 5‑0, and I was still, you know, how can I say, thinking about this. It was at the back of my mind. I said, Never mind the fine. I’ll have the fine. I’ll play. I’ll play. It was not easy, you know.

And then after playing the match she came back to me, and she said, Well, you know, it’s a near miss. You’re not going to be fined, but you could have been fined. You have the right to have this logo, but not at this place. I said, Well, sorry. I didn’t know.

And yesterday evening people said, Do you mind wearing this badge on your T‑shirt? I gave to Cedric and Stephane and I said, Can you have them sewn on my T‑shirts? And I got ready. I said, You can place them here and there. I didn’t know the rule,I can tell you that. Sorry about that.

I was there playing on the court. I thought, I’m not going to let it bother me for two sets, no. She was great with me, because I was not fined.

Q. Why were you not fined?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: I don’t know. I didn’t ask that many questions after the match, you know, because, well, I won this match. It was not easy, as you know, today. And in addition to this, had she been stricter with me, she would have fined me. I would have paid it, of course.

But, you know,she didn’t give me this fine, because I think she knew I didn’t do it on purpose. It was not my intention to place the logo where it shouldn’t have been placed.

Q. How often have you already played on the central court or equivalent courts in your career with that many people?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: How many times? Let me see. It’s the 11th year I’ve played here in Paris. I played Anke Huber, Justine Henin once or twice, Mauresmo here at Roland Garros, the French Open. I couldn’t really count. I think I played mostly on the Suzanne Lenglen, like against Zakopalova last year first round.

Otherwise, the central court, I didn’t really know the central court before. The landmarks are different. The atmosphere is different, too.

You see,I have the impression that on the central court, the atmosphere is special compared with Suzanne Lenglen. It’s different,or different from No. 1. They’re all really great, but this one, you feel like in the arena, like for a corrida, fora bull fight.

Q. I have another question concerning the match point. Everybody was standing. Could you tell us more about this? The Italian kissed you just afterwards. It was a great moment.

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Oh, yes, match point. This match point was the best I’ve ever played, ever. It was extraordinary, and she was well into this point. She returned several times. She would run here and there. She would return all the time. I had to volley.

I was almost like jumping onto the clay, to the ground, I mean, and then I had this nice volley at the end. But it was something very difficult I had to fight for, and I was very happy. I don’t know how long it was, how many volleys we played, but then she lost after many volleys. It was extraordinary.

Then the whole crowd decided to stand up and put their hands together for me for this match point. It was something I deserved,really. We deserved because we fought till the very end, and to end with such a match point, this is like a dream.

Q. Cedric has said that you didn’t feel any stress when you got on the court, and then stress is something that you felt little by little because you started realizing you were on the central court with the crowd around you.

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, I was a bit excited, like it’s been, you know, for the first two rounds and today, as well. It was tension like anybody else. We always have this in our stomach before we start playing a match, otherwise it would mean we’re too relaxed and we don’t give a damn about being here. It’s not normal.

I was a bit tense before I got into the court. You know, it’s my job. After this, I managed to unwind a little to relax until 5‑0, and then maybe I was a bit tense, that’s true.

I don’t know if the conditions were more difficult as the set was developing, but I think I was slightly taken aback by these conditions. It was difficult for me to keep my focus and to be accurate enough not to give points. Tathiana played well.

On the contrary, it was always the same type of game. She had moon ball shots, and also kick points. She did whatever she could. I’m not used to playing with these players who have such a variety of shots.

Agains tMedina Garriques, it was not an easy game. She varies so often, and she’s also very much an attacker. Today it was different, because she attacked. But not always.

Also, she played not too quickly and a bit too soft, so not much weight in the balls. I had to be careful not to rush physically, I mean, so that afterwards I could negotiate the upper hand. It’s not always easy when you have a very soft type of ball that’s not strong enough to adapt your game and react.

Also, she was quite surprising, because her forehand, she would move around and then she would hit really strongly. I couldn’t see the ball. I can tell you it’s the pace, the rhythm, and to adapt my physical condition, I had to change all the time. That’s what’s difficult, not to be always playing fast or to have the same tempo, the same pace.

Sometimes I had to go slowly, to adjust. I had to change my position, and it was more difficult to manage.

And Cedric is most certainly right. I didn’t discuss this with him after the match, but I think that ‑‑ well, yes,afterwards you’re a bit tense, which is normal because the other girl was going up. That’s when you have to win these sets and remain aggressive.

Q. Do you know the name of this woman from the WTA or not? I’m curious. I’d like to know this woman’s name. I have nothing against her, and I have another question, which is: Tathiana Garbin said that you played a lot better when it was important, because you had more courage. Do you think she’s right in saying this? She said, I was too weak when it was an important moment. I had not taken as many risks as Virginie.

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: I think she’s right. I played well at the most important moments. At the right time I was more aggressive, and I won these points. That’s when I could stand out.

I think that as Tathiana has said, maybe she was not bold enough. She was not daring enough to win the game or to surprise me with something she wanted to do at important moments; therefore,she was always trying to neutralize my game.

Sometimes she would aggress me a little. That’s her type of game, and I could stand out because I used a more varied game and I managed the important moments better than she would. Yes, absolutely. That’s how I could stand out. That’s very important.

There was this, and then…

Q. (No microphone.)

VIRGINIERAZZANO: I like this woman. She’s really kind, but…

Q. Will you tell me who she is?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: I don’t know her family name, but her first name is Pam. Oh, poor girl, she’ll see she’s going to be in all the papers tomorrow. She’s going to be angry against me.

Q. Well, for the general public, French women’s tennis is all about Alizé Cornet, Mauresmo, Marion Bartoli, and the other girls. Do you think this year this is a bit of a revenge for you, or do you consider yourself as the French No. 1?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, as far as the media are concerned, I think it’s a bit of a pity. Because when we have many women players, it seems that the papers only focus on No. 1 or No. 2 or No. 3, the French No. 1, 2, and 3.

Because, you see, we have young French players. We have George Goven’s young player. She plays well. And even, you know, people look at Arravane and others, as well behind her in the ranking. They are the newcomers and they play well. These girls play well, so it’s apity.

We can’t, unfortunately, focus enough on them. Maybe it’s the results that count. I think it’s all very nice to focus on one player, like Arravane or myself. Okay, so far we’ve played well. Our matches have been really good.

Well, you know, we had to fight for these matches, and it’s covered by the media,okay? But we deserve it, to some extent. We are French, okay? We play here at home, so why shouldn’t we be covered as much as other players in France compared with Mauresmo, Bartoli, or Cornet?

Unfortunately,they have lost already. It’s a pity. Everybody is not on equal footing. I don’t mean that we should all be, how can I say? We shouldn’t be one qual footing, though. Amélie is better ranked than me, Marion as well, so is Alizé. But I think that when your results are good, when you win a match, it’s normal that we’re covered by the press. It should be deserved. We shouldn’t be in the shadows.

If you’re in the shadows it’s a pity, because you might have won a match. It’s a bit of a pity, as I said, not to be covered by the press, because we work hard, as well. We practice a lot. We spend time on the court. We want to do even more. We want to be amongst the best, whether we are the best or not.

But the most important thing is to do our best to succeed, and then I don’t know if it’s going to be covered. I don’t know. Everybody has his own job. I think it’s important to focus on the other French, not just the top three French. You should also give importance to these players and look, of course, at the results they’ve had.

Q. (Off microphone.)

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, I don’t know. You should look at the irresults, these statistics of all matches. I can’t tell you anything else. The most important thing for me is to focus on what I do and what I have to do during my tournaments. Then if it’s No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, okay, okay. I’m not jealous, you know, compared with the other French.

The only thing I would be jealous about is if a girl steals my man. That’s when I would be jealous. Frankly, if anybody goes close to my man, no,I couldn’t stand that. That’s when I would be jealous. That’s all. Don’t get close to my man.

Jealous about Amélie or others? No, I have other fish to fry, you know. I have other concerns and problems. Life sometimes is not easy, so let’s look at the bright side of things. That’s all.

Q. It’s your second week now, because you’ll be playing on Monday. Is it like a new tournament for you?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, yes. It’s not over yet. That’s only the beginning. Okay. Round of 16. Wonderful. Great. It’s only the beginning.

We’re going to start again, week No. 2. There are many matches to be played. That’s all. I’m not making projections. I will take each match as it comes. In two days it’s going to be difficult. It’s Stosur. I don’t want to boast about it. I know Stosur can play really a nice type of tennis. She defeated Dementieva.

I’d say it’s still a danger again. I have to do this. It’s always been the case with me. That’s the way I am. I shouldn’t take things too lightheartedly,especially in a Grand Slam.

Q. You’ve said you don’t understand why some girls or women players or female players are in the shadows. Do you mean that you think it was your case for a while?

VIRGINIE RAZZANO: Well, yes, maybe. That’s possible to some extent. I can’t tell you when, though. Maybe a little. I was not saying this just for me, but Arravane, as well, and all the other girls who are behind in the ranking.

Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, it’s not changed my life. I have other things to do, as well. I’m very happy about what I do and my success. All this is something I deserved because I’ve worked hard. But all the rest, you know,whether I’m covered by the media or not, you know, I’m what I am. I’m simple. I try and be kind with people, and I want to progress in my private life and professional life.

I was thinking about the other players, the other female players. Even though their ranking is not as good,even though sometimes their results are not good enough because it’s always tough to play a good match, and it’s the same for me.

Therefore,when one woman plays well, you should talk about her because she works hard. They work hard. They know they work hard all the time, so it’s important for you to focus on these players, as well. We should support each other. These players should be supported by the French press, as well. I was not just talking about myself. That’s for sure.

Interview from RG
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images