Benjamin Bonzi: “This year, there are animals in the stands and it’s so cool when it goes well”

Le Nîmois a dompté ses émotions. Midi Libre – Alexandre Dimou

Benjamin Bonzi managed to win during the first round of qualifying at Roland-Garros, Monday May 20, after a complicated match against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien, but ultimately won 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 thanks to great emotional control and the help of the Parisian public.

How do you feel after this big fight against Dellien ?

I'm very happy to have had that match, to have been consistent in what I put in place and in the intentions of the game. It's certainly the first time in the game. year when I managed to master these parameters so much so it’s cool. It’s a great victory.

What was going through your head after losing the first set?

In itself not much, I managed to control my emotions and the guideline was really anchored in me. I felt that it wasn't far off, that the intentions were good and that we had to manage to put in a little more to make the scenario work. And let go a little more on certain shots.

Also read:VIDEO. Roland-Garros: Benjamin Bonzi comes out in the first round of qualifying after losing the first set

Isn’t this last point like your match where you didn’t give up on a player painful and catchy ?

It reflects the state of mind I had, I didn't want to give up. I managed to enjoy myself throughout the match, to maintain a real direction and I managed to do this lob on match point… hellip; Today it worked out for me and I managed to provoke it, to make it happen.

#RolandGarros | 🇫🇷 Ça passe pour Benjamin Bonzi !

Le Français s'impose en trois manches face à Hugo Dellien 🇧🇴 : il sera au 2e tour des qualifications !

📺 Suivez le direct : https://t.co/aLEodq8b73 pic.twitter.com/VB9eM22wS5

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) May 20, 2024

What do you like about this victory?

For me the most important thing in this victory is the control I had over my intentions. I managed to go all the way, play aggressive, and not hold back my shots even in moments under pressure. And that hasn’t happened much this year, so I like it.

The audience who arrived little by little helped you a lot this evening ?

Yes of course. This year, there are animals in the stands and it’s so cool when it goes well. It is important to all French players to play well in this tournament but sometimes we go a little too far by wanting to do too well and it becomes complicated. They gave me extra energy and I managed to transform it only into positive so it was just a pleasure to experience on the court.

What do you expect from this second match against Kovalik ?

I'm waiting for a tough match against a player who beat me a few weeks ago. But I have good certainty after this first match, I found sensations that I hadn't had for a long time. Wednesday will be another day, I'll do my best to arrive in the same state of mind and put out another big match to take my revenge.