Valentin Royer after his final in Hangzhou: "I can look the best players in the eye"

Valentin Royer is coming off a great week at the ATP 250 in Hangzhou. Coming through the qualifying rounds, the Frenchman made it all the way to the final before losing in two tie-breaks to Alexander Bublik.

In an interview with L'Équipe, Royer expressed great satisfaction with his performance and confidence for the future.

"It's a shame, it came down to a few key moments. In the first tie-break, I made two errors that came out of nowhere, small positioning mistakes that proved costly.

In the second set tie-break, it was a bit different. I felt he was a bit more nervous, he wasn't committing as much, even though he was still serving bullets.

But again, it came down to tiny details—just four or five points decided the match. It was incredibly close. A title is won or lost on details.

Still, it was a very positive week. I really wanted to win, but it will happen next time if I keep working hard and doing the right things on and off the court.

What I'm most proud of is the mental aspect. I managed to stay calm all week, my emotions didn't spiral out of control, and that's what I'm focusing on.

I also served better, returned better—there are plenty of positives. I never once thought I couldn't look players like Rublev or Bublik, who are close to the top 10, in the eye.

Honestly, I believe I can compete with these guys. There's room to achieve something great.

I'm happy to be getting closer, and I hope this is just the beginning."