R1: Grégoire tough 3-0 against Nathan

Grégoire : The problem with trying to take matches “relaxed”, sometimes I struggle mentally to get myself into the fighting mindset. It’s hard to find the right balance.

I was kind of in exhibition mode, playing some flashy shots now and then, but making too many errors and not being solid when I needed to be. That said, I was solid at the end of the first game when it really mattered! Even when I was down 9–6, I told myself: This is your game. Now stop messing around, play straighter, and wait for the right moments to attack.

Mentally, I was a bit flat at the start, which meant I began both the first two games badly and had to chase the score. But I still felt like I wasn’t under too much pressure, that I was controlling things a bit.

In the third, I told myself, right, at the start of the game, make things tough for him, keep it simple, and in the end, it frustrated him even more, and I hit the right shots when I needed to.

Still some things to fix at the start of matches, but there was some good and some not so good.

If I play Asal, as the ranking suggests, the last time we played I managed to surprise him, leading 2–1. But obviously, he’s a tough opponent! Not the easiest draw, especially here.

Making the top 16 of a Platinum event is already a good result — it’s not something everyone can achieve — so the rest is a bonus. I’m going to enjoy it out there on the glass court.