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Gilles Simon's Chat Thread #1

203K views 5K replies 138 participants last post by  *Raine 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Does anyone know him ? :confused:
I saw him play in Marseille last week, and even if he lost (but it was vs J.Johansson) I thought he played quite good. So, if you have information about this player...
Maryse
 
#1,004 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: I`m so happy he won,the crowd totally sucked today at first they were alright but after a while they were horrible a guy coughed when Gilles was serving,some jackass yelled "Ancore une fois s`il vous plat"after Simone`s serve hit the net and the granny next to me said Gilles looked like a raisin(she should talk)and I started arguing with her about how good of player he is.The good part about this is that he started playing better and better as the crowd got more aggressive.He`s gotta do something about that serve but he played a lot better than yesterday.He was so cute in his speech he said to the spectators "you were a little hard on me today":hug: and everybody started laughing.Victor left quickly but Gilles stayed to take photos and sign for a billion children.He totally deserved to win.
He finally shaved that thing off his face and he looked :hearts:


 
#1,006 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

joyk said:
He had a really crappy match today,if he plays like this in the final he`ll loose,he would have lost today if he had played somebody better.His first serve was all over the place and he made a couple of dumb mistakes.The crowd was with him today but tomorrow everybody will be against him,there`s gonna be like three people cheering for him(me,baldy and that girl that screams a lot),today I heard a guy in front of me say"Today we cheer,tomorrow we`ll boo".I hope he plays like he did in the last three games.
Hahaha, you should've counted me also but perhaps my 'allez gilles' were confused with hers since we were very close and she yelled like 10 more than I did. :lol: And of course there were the gamblers .... :p

Anyways great week Gilles!!! :banana: Congrats :kiss: Come back next year and defend :bounce:
 
#1,008 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

Great report, joyk! :rolls: "You were a little hard on me today" is adorable. :awww:

A match report here with some quotes: http://www.inside-tennis.net/tennis-news_2933_Bucharest-Simon-beats-Hanescu-for-Bucharest-title.html
His press conference also is available on the same website in the audio section.

Simon: "It feels great to win my second title. It's very different from the first one in Marseille earlier this year. In Marseille it was quite a surprise, but here I was the favorite in all my matches and once I got to the quarters I saw all the top seeds losing and I knew that I had good chances to win."
"After losing the first set I told myself to keep on fighting. I knew that I could win it if I played well and it's always very disappointing to lose a final. In the other matches I always had the crowd cheering for me but of course today they were on Victor's side.
"Now I have two weeks off before I play my next tournament in Metz. I hope that my knee will be okay by then. Today I couldn't move as good as usual."

http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/news/news6.asp
(He was already having some problems with the knee in Sopot, I hope it won't turn into a long-term issue.)
 
#1,012 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

A few pix
 

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#1,013 · (Edited)
Re: Gilles Simon

Today's article in L'Équipe:


His knee was really bothering him a lot yesterday. It's been hurting for 2 days, but on Sunday morning, it was even worse, he could barely move the leg and was seriously wondering if he would be able to play the final. But Thierry told him he had to play, that was too big a chance to reach his goal (the top 30).
He's glad about his attitude during the whole week and says he's been "a good warrior". That's why he wasn't too worried when Hanescu won the first set and people went crazy.
The journalist means you can't compare though with his title in Marseille when he beat Hewitt, Björkmann, Söderling and Baghdatis in a row. In Bucharest, he hasn't beaten any big name (Garcia-L., Korolev, Armando, Berlocq, Hanescu). But that's precisely the positive thing for Thierry. After a few matches, Gilles became the favourite for the title and since he is prone to get a bit too presumptuous at times, the situation wasn't so easy to handle. Thierry is particularly happy he won in the semi-final and in the final after having lost the first set because that's something he isn't used to.
His schedule for the rest of the season: Metz, Stockholm, Madrid, Lyon and Paris. Since he has already achieved his goal for 2007 (top 30), the next goal is the top 20. He can gain a lot of points from now on because last year, he lost in the first round of all the next events. Since he has won so many points in the optional events this year, he especially wants to do well in Madrid and Bercy now.
 
#1,014 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

:woohoo:
Gilles won :bounce:
I was at a party yesterday, so missed everything, but let's say my unconsciousness partied together with Gilles :p
And he shaved, I'm very happy about that too :D

Hopefully we'll find his speech somewhere on video, his speech sounds cute just reading it, so I want to hear it ;)

Thanks everyone for match reports and pics! :hug:
 
#1,015 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

I just found his post-match interview on a Romanian website. :D

http://www.sport365.ro/Gilles_Simon_O_sa_ma_intorc_sa_mi_apar_titlul-n34508.html

R: How do you feel after winning your second title this year?
G: It's a little bit different, no one was expecting me to win in Marseille, it was a big surprize. It's very good for me that I won here, all the matches were tough.

R: You played agaisnt Hanescu and 5000 spectators ...
G: It didn't matter that much to me, I just tried to play my best tennis.

R: Hanescu won the first set. What happened afterwards? did you change tactics?
G: It was hard for me to return in the first set, I think that was the only difference. In the next sets I played more from the back of the court and that was in my advantage.

R: You came back from one set down.
G: After I lost the first set, I tought I had nothing to lose anymore so i tried to play my best tennis.

R: Hanescu didn't break you not even once in the last 2 sets. Do you think your serve was your most important weapon?
G: Yeah, my served helped me alot today. I think I was better than him from the baseline, I just had to try and return better. I think that was the key of the match.

R: Will you play again here?
G: Yes, of course, I'll be back to defend.

:hearts: Yes, pleaseeeee.

 
#1,018 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

I just found his post-match interview on a Romanian website. :D

http://www.sport365.ro/Gilles_Simon_O_sa_ma_intorc_sa_mi_apar_titlul-n34508.html

R: How do you feel after winning your second title this year?
G: It's a little bit different, no one was expecting me to win in Marseille, it was a big surprize. It's very good for me that I won here, all the matches were tough.

R: You played agaisnt Hanescu and 5000 spectators ...
G: It didn't matter that much to me, I just tried to play my best tennis.

R: Hanescu won the first set. What happened afterwards? did you change tactics?
G: It was hard for me to return in the first set, I think that was the only difference. In the next sets I played more from the back of the court and that was in my advantage.

R: You came back from one set down.
G: After I lost the first set, I tought I had nothing to lose anymore so i tried to play my best tennis.

R: Hanescu didn't break you not even once in the last 2 sets. Do you think your serve was your most important weapon?
G: Yeah, my served helped me alot today. I think I was better than him from the baseline, I just had to try and return better. I think that was the key of the match.

R: Will you play again here?
G: Yes, of course, I'll be back to defend.

:hearts: Yes, pleaseeeee.

Such a cute photo! :hearts:
 
#1,026 · (Edited)
Re: Gilles Simon

Yes, I think Lilibel posted them at the time, but the pics still crack me up.

In the last issue of "Grand Chelem", there is a little interview of the guys who did that karaoke thing during Roland Garros, btw, and apparently, Gilles' striptease was one of their personal higlights too. Best laugh of the tournament for them and they also mention him (together with Nole and Llodra) when they're asked about who surprised them the most. :cool: I found that interesting since he seems rather reserved on the court.
And I had to think of you, Scott, because they explain Gilles wasn't wearing anything under his shorts when he came to the studio ^^ and one of the guys on the team had to lend him underpants to record the striptease.

Vous avez été surpris par l'attitude de super-showman de certains joueurs ?
Je savais que Novak Djokovic était fou, mais pas à ce point ! Même remarque pour Gilles Simon et Michaël Llodra. (...)
Quel a été la plus gros moment de rigolade ?
Le strip-tease avec Gilles Simon. D'autant qu'il était nu sous son short et c'est donc Xavier, un collègue, qui a dû lui passer un caleçon pour qu'il ne se retrouve pas à poil au moment d'arracher nos pantalons de chippendale.
 
#1,027 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

I like his draw in Metz, I hope the knee isn't bothering him anymore:
[1] ROBREDO, Tommy (ESP) vs MAYER, Florian (GER)
CLEMENT, Arnaud (FRA) vs SEPPI, Andreas (ITA)
QUALIFIER vs GROSJEAN, Sebastien (FRA)
KOUBEK, Stefan (AUT) vs [6] SIMON, Gilles (FRA)
 
#1,035 ·
Re: Gilles Simon

In Le Républicain Lorrain today:
Avec... Gilles Simon

• Si tu n'étais pas joueur de tennis ?
« Je serais joueur... de jeu vidéo ! Dix fois sur dix ! »
• Pas pianiste ? Il paraît que tu jouais très bien...
« Parlons-en à l'imparfait, j'en ai pratiqué huit ans, j'ai arrêté. »
• Morceau préféré ?
« L'arnaque, très difficile. Sinon Félix le Chat ! »
• Vieux Nice (il est natif de cette ville) ou calanques marseillaises ?
« Vieux Nice. »
• Un autre sport ?
« Golf ».
• Le plus fou sur le circuit ?
« Jouer sur un grand court avec plein de monde comme le Lenglen à Roland-Garros, le Central, je ne le connais pas... »
• Le plus embêtant ?
« Il vous faut vraiment un nom ? A part certaines personnes, ce sont les trajets. A la longue... Et l'attente avant les matches quand on a hâte d'aller sur le court. »
• Votre champion en tennis ?
« Roger ! Federer est la définition même du champion. C'est propre, beau et fluide, voilà... Il est un N°1 incontestable. »
• La championne ?
«...» (il cherche).
• Elle peut être simplement belle...
« On va chercher plus loin ! J'aurais bien dit Justine Hénin mais quand elle perd, elle a toujours une excuse. Alors, Steffi Graf, l'image de la championne sereine. »
• Succès en Coupe Davis ou médaille d'or olympique ?
« Oh, que c'est dur ! La Coupe quand même. C'est comme si on me demandait Coupe Davis ou Roland-Garros. Il est peut-être plus facile de gagner la Coupe Davis par équipe que Roland sur un exploit personnel. Bon, les Jeux sont quelque chose fort mais pour nous, en tennis... »
Translation to come...
 
#1,036 · (Edited)
Re: Gilles Simon

And here's the "translation":

• What would you do if you were not a tennis player ?
« I would be… a video games player ! Sure ! »
• Not a pianist ? I’ve heard you were very good at it…
« I used to play the piano. 8 years. But I don’t play anymore. »
• Favorite song (on the piano) ?
« The music of ‘The Sting’, very difficult. And ‘Felix the Cat’ ! »
• The Old Nice (where he comes from) or the ‘calanques’ of Marseille ?
« Old Nice. »
• Another sport ?
« Golf ».
• The craziest guy/thing on the tour ? (Actually, I think the journalist is asking him who is the craziest guy and he answers with the craziest thing.)
« To play on a big court with a huge crowd, like the court Suzanne Lenglen in Roland-Garros – I’ve never played on the Central... »
• The most annoying ?
« You really want names ? Apart from certain persons, the traveling around, after a while… And the waiting before the matches when you’re impatient to go on the court. »
• Your champion in tennis ?
« Roger ! Federer is the definition of the champion. It’s clean, beautiful, fluid… He’s an indisputable number 1. »
• And in women’s tennis ?
«...» (he's thinking about it).
• It might be just a girl you find beautiful...
« Let’s look further ! Justine Hénin came to my mind, but every time she loses, she looks for an excuse. (That's probably because of the story with Mauresmo in the AO final, lol.) So I’ll say Steffi Graf, the model of the serene champion. »
• Do you prefer to win the Davis Cup or the Olympic Gold ?
« Oh, that’s tough ! The Davis Cup, though. It's like if you were asking me if I prefer the Davis Cup over Roland-Garros. Maybe it’s easier to win the Davis Cup with a team than Roland-Garros all alone. The Olympics are big, but for us, tennis players… »

Voilà, not very interesting, but I quite like how he answers the question about the female champion after the silly suggestion of the journalist.
It makes up for the "video games player" part...
 
#2,231 · (Edited)
Re: Gilles Simon

He did play mixed doubles this year in RG, so maybe you'll get your dream team next year.
I like Tati too, she makes me laugh.

If you're not a Justine fan, you might like that (from an interview with Gilles last year):
• Your champion in tennis ?
« Roger ! Federer is the definition of the champion. It’s clean, beautiful, fluid… He’s an indisputable number 1. »
• And in women’s tennis ?
«...» (he's thinking about it).
• It might be just a girl you find beautiful...
« Let’s look further ! Justine Hénin came to my mind, but every time she loses, she looks for an excuse. So I’ll say Steffi Graf, the model of the serene champion. »
 
#1,039 · (Edited)
Re: Gilles Simon

There also is in Le Républicain Lorrain an article about Delaitre who was the coach of Gilles, Gaël and Jo when they were young. So it’s not just about Gilles, but I found the article nice:
Delaitre et son trio infernal
Le Lorrain, quand il était entraîneur national à l'Insep, a vu défiler les trois dimensions Simon, Monfils, Tsonga. Quelques années plus tard, il les retrouve avec des carrures de champion.
L'Open de Moselle n'existait pas encore qu'ils frappaient déjà à la porte de la renommée. Dans l'antre parisien de l'Insep où Olivier Delaitre, raquette au placard, s'occupait des juniors. Ou des nouveaux fers de lance du tennis national appelés à assurer la relève. « Ils étaient huit. » Trois d'entre eux ont déjà tiré leur épingle du jeu : Gilles Simon, Gaël Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Une triple réussite, à un peu plus de vingt ans. « Et encore, ils ne sont pas au bout de leur potentiel. Ils vont encore progresser » se réjouit le coach messin.Jusqu'où grimperont-ils ? L'ancien vainqueur de la Coupe Davis, sans hésitation, les imagine bien dans les top 20 des ténors mondiaux. « Il n'y a aucune raison, tout leur est possible. » Avec Richard Gasquet, ils alimentent les rêves bleus d'un avenir rose : « Certainement. Pour les dix ans à venir, on les verra sur le devant de la scène à moins que Jo, malheureusement, ne se blesse à nouveau. »Olivier Delaitre, d'ailleurs, craque pour Tsonga : « Un attaquant de pure souche. Il est un peu en retard sur ses copains mais c'est normal, un joueur de son style met plus longtemps à se construire. Il doit encore trouver le dosage régulier entre ses montées au filet et son jeu en fond de court. Une question de maturité. Sinon, Jo est un grand professionnel, un athlète incroyable. A l'époque, il était hors norme ! Quand on faisait des 400 m, il mettait 50 à 60 m à tout le monde. » L'entraîneur mosellan de comparer son poulain à des pur-sang. Genre « Noah ou Henman par le tennis pratiqué. » Pas mal... Olivier Delaitre de se souvenir qu'à seize ou dix-sept printemps, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga et Gaël Monfils affichaient des dispositions prometteuses. « Mais pas Gilles Simon ! Il avait du retard dans sa croissance. Il pesait 20 kg de moins et était plus petit de 30 centimètres qu'aujourd'hui. Si, je vous le dis : il faisait 1,30 m » insiste son mentor d'alors. Gilles Simon, le moins verni ? « Oh, non... Quel coup d'œil ! Il a toujours su contrer, son sens du jeu est inné. Il manquait juste de puissance. Quand il affrontait un adulte assez puissant, sa raquette se vrillait dans sa main. » Une main « talentueuse, capable de briller sur toutes les surfaces. »
Gaël Monfils ? Sa légende de puncheur était en marche avant sa majorité. « De la vitesse, capable des plus beaux coups d'éclats. Mais si Jo et lui avaient la maturité de Gilles, ils seraient nettement mieux au classement. » Trois as à la mentalité « très différente ». Trois exceptions. Avec un Simon « extrêmement intelligent », un Tsonga « sympa, attachant, marrant, qui a besoin, souvent, de se rassurer », un Monfils « fou fou, inconstant, cherchant encore sa direction » et dont « le talent ne demande qu'à exploser avec davantage de rigueur. Pour l'instant, Gaël se situe à son niveau. »
Olivier Delaitre ou le bonheur d'un père qui a vu ses jeunes pousses cavaler vers les étoiles. Sur le chemin flamboyant d'une renommée enflant au fil des semaines : « Et le chemin n'est pas fini. C'est génial, fantastique. Quand ils étaient avec moi, ils possédaient des classements modestes. » Aujourd'hui, ils portent les numéros gagnants de l'élite planétaire.
Delaitre explains he was in charge of a group of 8 boys in Paris and 3 of them have made it to the top: Gilles, Gaël and Jo. Both Gaël and Jo already were very promising athlets at the age of 16, but Gilles was having growth problems and was physically very backward for his age: „I’m not kidding, he measured about 1,30 m.“ :lol: But he already had an incredible eye and was a great counterpuncher with an inborn sense of the game. He was just lacking power. When he was playing against an adult, his racquet was making spirals in his hand, lol. A great talent, though, able to play well on every surface. If only Gaël and Jo had his mental maturity, they would be much better ranked. They all are special and very different: Gilles „extremely intelligent“, Jo „friendly, nice, funny, often needs to reassure himself“, Gaël „crazy, inconsistent, still looking for his way“. He seems to have a soft spot for Jo by reading the whole article, but he has pretty warm words for Gilles too and sounds thrilled by their success and their abilities.
 
#1,040 · (Edited)
Re: Gilles Simon

There also is in Le Républicain Lorrain an article about Delaitre who was the coach of Gilles, Gaël and Jo when they were young. So it’s not just about Gilles, but I found the article nice:

A summary of the parts about Gilles:
Delaitre explains he was in charge of a group of 8 boys and 3 of them have made it to the top: Gilles, Gaël and Jo. Both Gaël and Jo already were very promising athlets at the age of 16, but Gilles was having growth problems and was physically very backward for his age: „I’m not kidding, he measured about 1,30 m.“ :lol: But he already had an incredible eye and was a great counterpuncher with an inborn sense of the game. He was just lacking power. When he was playing against an adult, his racquet was making spirals in his hand, lol. A great hand, though, and he is able to play well on every surface. If only Gaël and Jo had his mental maturity, they would be much better ranked. They all are special and very different: Gilles „extremely intelligent“, Jo „friendly, nice, funny, often needs to reassure himself“, Gaël „crazy, inconsistent, still looking for his way“. He seems to have a soft spot for Jo by reading the whole article, but he has pretty warm words for Gilles too.
Thanks for the articles! They both are very funny :lol:
About 1,30m... he surely made up for that now :p
 
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