When you play against a Frenchman here, it's always strange, the crowd becomes weird," says Gasquet after his first round
Facing Atmane on the Philippe-Chatrier court, Gasquet won after four sets and 2 hours and 17 minutes of play. Speaking to the press after the match, the 38-year-old player, who is playing his last Roland-Garros, commented on the peculiarity of playing another Frenchman in Paris, as well as his injuries before the tournament:
"When you play against a Frenchman here, it's always strange, the crowd becomes weird. Of course, it wasn't easy for him either, he had a physical drop in the second set and the situation lasted until the third, but I'm glad I was able to keep going and feel that I'm not lost yet.
I'm coming out of a period where I tore my calf twice, so it hasn't been an easy month. The truth is, I didn't even know if I could play here, even though, today, it doesn't hurt. Obviously, when you stop playing for a month, you know it won't be easy to play well from the first match. It was cold too, but I did it, it's a pleasure to feel that I'm still a tennis player.
Tomorrow morning, I will still be a tennis player, something I could have lost today. I'm relieved to go to sleep tonight knowing I will be back on the court, it's a very pleasant feeling.
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