“The group still needs to grow” , said the captain of France Arnaud Clement after another failure in Davis Cup his troops, beaten by Britain of Andy Murray in the quarterfinals on Sunday in London
Arnaud Clement, at a press conference.
Question: How do you feel after this elimination
Arnaud Clement: “It hurts a lot personally and for the whole group. There was a lot of hope this year. And it is still a failure. This moment is not easy for our group. “
Q: Andy Murray beat almost single whole team …
A. C: “We know the problem against a member of the Big Four. His two singles wins are logical. We knew that the double was very important. We had one of those three points and then we have all lost. “
Q: What has he failed in your team
A?. C: “A little more daring opportunistic and perhaps also in the important moments. It was dominated even if it was not obvious on the whole weekend. This gap is present. To us to question ourselves, to know where you can grab that extra together to close the gap. Otherwise, we can not do. “
Q: Why do you not aligned Richard Gasquet
A?. C: “It was expected to play the final game (against Ward). Richard arrived later. He had a foot pain which was quickly resolved. If Gilles had not been so fit, Richard would have been aligned on the first day. I have a player who plays very well and beats Top 10 Grand Slam … I say to myself: Will I take a risk? Or will I keep Richard, who will be fully restored to the last day? I find it rather logical. “
Q: The France team has a lot of very good players. Is it not a problem of having too many choices?
A. C: “I am fortunate to have Jo (Tsonga), Gilles (Simon) and a semifinalist at Wimbledon (Richard Gasquet) can go to the last day. This is an incredible opportunity. The plan was to play Jo the first day, then twice. If he had a 5 hour match on the first day, I could have Richard to double. It’s still a chance. These are questions I ask myself every time to try to be the best team possible. “
Q: This defeat is it a source of motivation for more
A?. C: “Yes. Rebounding is the key in the sport. It will soon bounce back and think about how to grow, how to be a more powerful group. “
Q: Should we seek outside help
A?. C: “We must first think of us as a group: everyone speaks and leads his own ideas on the subject. It is important that everyone is very involved. Season after season, the matches are extremely hooked. We lack a little something. We are seldom brutally eliminated. But we still need to grow even if the group is experienced. “
The reactions of players:
Gilles Simon (beaten by Andy Murray): ” It ‘ was not for me today. After the first fall, it would (in the first set). But the last (in the fourth set) hurt me in the ankle. I lost points because of that. I was surprised to come as often, but the conditions remain the same for everyone. Andy (Murray) was able to be more stable on his feet (…)
I lacked a bit of aggression and success in this match, especially in the second set. I led and he débreaké 4-4. It did not play much in that time. The tiebreak has not played much either. I knew that the transition would be hard in the third set but was OK, I felt that I could play a little longer.
I had the feeling of having brought where I wanted. I know he can play eight hours straight: I should have put more to the net. It would have been better to win the second set. But even with that, it was still far from being won against him. “
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Abdy beaten by Murray in the first singles and doubles): ” We had an opportunity to go further in this competition. They had at heart to wear the colors of France. It is not easy to collect because it invests all up. We’ll dive back into our personal careers but no one will forget what happened during the weekend. I hope we will have the strength to recover from this defeat to come back stronger next year. Today, we must accept this defeat. They were better than us. “
Nicolas Mahut (beaten when double): ” We were not good enough this weekend. Me included duplicate. Arnaud spoke a lot about us. He believed in this option. If I had just been at my level, it would have been a different game. The meeting has not played on defeating Gilles Simon. “
Richard Gasquet: ” I’m disappointed not to be back on the court today. In the second set, it was believed in the victory of Gilles. I was even ready to go to the warm-up to prepare for the decisive fifth game. There have been no feat this weekend (…). He had to beat Murray this weekend to win and this has not been done. “
Andy Murray (qualified for the semifinals of Davis Cup): ” Now that we are in the semi-finals, all games will become extremely important . I think I would get to play.
I could very well do without, and stop me ten days to prepare (the tournament) in Washington but I like the Davis Cup. The atmosphere in this competition is extraordinary. You live it in any other competition. Davis Cup is disputed matches against fantastic players. It’s hard not to be motivated by that. “
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