Gilles Simon: "Tennis is a sport that drives you crazy"
Gilles Simon spoke about the current status of the sport a good two weeks after his big farewell to the big tennis stage. And given insights into the mental life of a tennis pro.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Nov 20, 2022, 07:09 pm
"Tennis is a sport that drives you crazy," says Gilles Simon a good two weeks after his retirement. Almost exactly at the same time that Andrey Rublev, a calm, well-organized and above all friendly young man off the pitch, seemed close to tears more than once in the first set of his semi-final duel with Casper Ruud. And he doesn't even know how to keep his nerves under control. "We're all crazier on the pitch than off the pitch," says Gilles Simon.
The Frenchman has finally renounced madness, if you will. Simon finally said goodbye to life as a professional player with the home event of Paris-Bercy, where the Frenchman notched up two great wins against Andy Murray and Taylor Fritz. And thus the best opportunity to look at tennis from a new perspective at the Scheidweg. What the veteran did on the sidelines of the ATP finals.
Simon: "Tennis is a big frustration"
"A lot of nice people make themselves stupid on the court because it causes so much frustration. Tennis is physical, tactical, technical, you can choose the weapons you want to fight with," explains Simon. "Tennis is a big frustration because we keep failing. You can have the best game of the year but you will be wrong on many aspects. It's just a series of small failures."
While this sounds like a harsh reckoning with the sport that has accompanied Simon day in and day out throughout his life, it should of course be noted that the Frenchman also has a love for the yellow felt ball. But not exclusively. "Tennis is a difficult sport because you are often confronted with your weaknesses and you always prefer to find an excuse than to face your weakness." With Rublev, sticking with the example, it often seems as if confronting one's own weaknesses is painful enough.