What does it mean to you to compete in the Olympic Games?
CM: It’s something I follow, obviously. It’s a bit like the link that is made between all sports. Like a meeting every four years, it’s something unique, a super prestigious competition. We represent our country beyond representing ourselves. And then, it was a goal also recently, when I learned that it was going to be in Paris, in our country. So there you have it, this is obviously one of the biggest objectives over the last two years. I played a lot of tournaments, I always had that in mind. And so, to succeed in getting my place this year, it’s a bit of a goal that comes true and also a childhood dream.
During Roland-Garros, your coach Petar Popovic told us that when you injured your wrist quite seriously at the 2023 Australian Open a year and a half ago. You immediately thought about the Olympic Games, saying that maybe you were going to miss them. At what point did you start to think that it was possible to participate?
CM: It’s true that the first thing I thought of, because I already had it in mind before my injury, where I had planned my year also to have the necessary points. I had that in mind, obviously. And so, when I got injured, I wondered how long my injury was going to keep me out of class and that that also played a role in the decision to start playing again, even if my injury was not yet healed, to don’t waste time and give yourself a chance to be at the Olympic Games.
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So it really set the pace for our last year and a half, where each time, the decisions were really made with a view to participating in the Olympic Games. It’s true that it was complicated. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster and it was quite physically demanding because I played a lot of tournaments despite injuries where we turned a bit of a blind eye and tried to cope. So it was very hard physically and emotionally too, because I didn’t qualify until the last tournament. So it was really intense.
While preparing for the Games, you visited all the countries, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Morocco. You did Challengers in Croatia and Italy before Monte Carlo. It was quite a journey… and quite a motivation!
CM: Yes, it was dense. And then, there are often decisions when you are a player, obviously we all play with different pains, but there are times when it is more, how can I put it, more intelligent to rest, to take a few weeks rest to heal certain injuries. And there, we didn’t have much choice. In fact, I absolutely had to play. I had some points to make up. So, we traveled a lot, chained up a lot. Normally, we played tournaments over weeks that should have been training or rest weeks. And so, there was little rest in the end for a year and a half. And so, I’m happy that it paid off in the end, because it was really intense. And I knew that what we were doing wasn’t necessarily ideal. Usually, but these were different circumstances.
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You were in contact with Adrian Mannarino, who told you quite quickly that he would not make the Olympic Games, since the fact that he was not participating also freed up a place. Did it also matter in the final stretch to know that the place was attainable?
CM: Actually, yes, I definitely wouldn’t have gone if he had participated. So that left me room. Afterwards, I didn’t know until we officially knew, because it’s not just the players’ choice. There is a whole registration process to do. Things are more complicated, less simple than we think. And so, often, when there are such important decisions of this kind, I really wait for the official announcement so that I can be sure that I am there, so that I don’t get any false joy. But in any case, it’s nice of him to give way too. He felt that perhaps other players had a better chance than him of achieving a result. So, I think that Adrian gave up his place at the Games, it’s courageous, it’s respectable. Above all, he also thought that he could bring home medals. He left his place to people he considered more powerful than him…
As soon as they announced the date, I really told my former coach that it was a must.
We saw that you had a great relationship with the public, that it carried you, that it was this which also helped you to seek victories…
CM: Yes, that changes everything. It changes everything because even more so at Roland-Garros, because there was my family, my friends, all my loved ones who were present. So, we also play in front of them and that happens once or twice a year, maybe also at Bercy. So it’s always a special moment. And then also, I think that in recent years, the public at Roland-Garros has evolved a little, in the sense that I think it is a more engaged public, more present to support the players. They are more numerous, and noisier too.
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It’s true that it changes the atmosphere a little and we can communicate more with them, share more. And in fact, it creates something strong, in the end, on the pitch, when everyone is together. And so, that’s what also makes me like playing at home, it’s special. The atmosphere is different from all the tournaments I’m used to playing. And we feel supported and we can share a lot more than when we play in front of people who don’t support us or who are simply fewer in number.
Has the fact that the Olympics are in Paris increased your motivation tenfold?
CM: As soon as they announced the date, I really told my former coach (Laurent Raymond, Editor’s note) that it was unmissable, in fact, that the Olympic Games are every four years, it’s is in Paris. It’s something unmissable. It only happens once in a lifetime and I’m lucky to have access to it. So, I can’t miss the opportunity. I can’t miss the appointment. So I told him straight away. And then, I’m curious to see how it will unfold. I think that like everyone, we are a little curious to see how the Olympic Games will go. And I’m curious to see if there will be people in the stands. What an atmosphere there will be… Really, we are entering the unknown, but I am extremely motivated to be able to participate in this event.
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What do you dream about the most? The village, an athlete that you would perhaps dream of meeting?
CM: It’s also one of the reasons why I wanted to participate in the Olympic Games. It’s a moment when we discover. I don’t watch a lot of sport, not generally on TV. So, I know little about the world of sport. And so, I find that it is also an opportunity to meet other people, perhaps to become interested in a sport, by meeting a person who makes you want to be interested in their sport. And then, as I say, we are all in the same boat. We all experience the same things despite our different sports.
But suddenly, it would be super interesting to meet the journeys, to hear about the journeys of other people, how they perceive their sport, how, the way in which they train. I think it’s super rich. There is a lot to learn, I think, from others and from other disciplines, from other people. And so, if I have the opportunity to meet athletes, I would be the happiest. Besides, I wouldn’t have this point of view of looking at them a bit like stars because I don’t know anything about it. So, it’s really meeting the person first and foremost and then listening to their story. And it’s true that if I have the opportunity to do that, I think that the Olympic Games is the best time to do it.
The full interview can be found on the Eurosport France YouTube channel in the program Retour Gagnant:
