Thirty-one-year-old Edouard Roger-Vasselin, finalist in the last edition of the Aircel Chennai Open and the reigning French Open doubles champion (with Julien Benneteau), said his first round match with Gilles Muller on Monday will be tough given the fact that the Luxembourgian possess a huge service.
“It’s always been close with him,” said Vasselin, who has a 4-3 record against Muller. “He has a very good service. I am looking forward to the match. The first match of the season is always tough,” said the Frenchman, ranked 87 in the world, in an interview.
Excerpts:
On the French Open doubles title: It was the best moment of my career. I felt great to win a Grand Slam at home. I couldn’t have dreamt of anything better.
On not playing doubles here: My partner (Julien) Benneteau is playing in Brisbane (in singles I think). We will be playing together in Sydney next week.
On not being able to play in the Davis Cup final against Switzerland: There were four strong players, all in the top 25, in the team. I was the fifth or sixth in the team. I know I have to stay in the bench.
“It was a bit disappointing, but I know it is tough to be in the French team. This year I hope to be part of the team. I know I have to work hard to be better than I am now.”
On combining with Rohan Bopannain 2013: We reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon and a won title in Tokyo. It was a good partnership. He is a good friend of mine and we had good results together. But we couldn’t make it to the World Tour finals that year. Our partnership started from Wimbledon till the end of the year, playing 10 tournaments together.
Goals for the new season: Feel good, play well and be healthy. I was ranked 35 in the world in February last year. I want to break that record.
