On the occasion of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, the most important eTennis tournament in the world, Gilles Simon spoke with Sports.fr. The former world number 6 talks about his post-career, Roland Garros 2023, the next generation of French tennis and his passion for video games.
Did you hesitate for a long time before agreeing to become the Roland-Garros eSeries ambassador?
I passed my coaching diploma this year, I am the father of my family and I will pick up my children from school. So I have free time and I accepted right away. It was the federation that contacted me. They thought of me because they know I’m a fan of video games. It allows me to combine business with pleasure.
During your career, did you spend a lot of time playing video games?
All the time ! Especially when I was in a tournament, because we have a lot of free time. Much more than during training periods, when I had to manage the children. In my last years on the circuit, I never touched my PlayStation when I was at home, but it always took me to tournaments. Even when I started my career, I always had my Game Boy on the plane. When you have six or seven hours of flight, you have to pass the time. So I played a lot of video games.
“No regrets to have stopped my career”
After stopping your career, did you go through a phase of depression, as often happens with some top athletes?
Absolutely not ! I had the chance to go after my effort to finish well. In the end, I couldn’t play two games in a row without hurting everywhere. In my last year, I couldn’t win a single match. Fortunately, I had the chance to play very well at Roland Garros. Besides, I almost regretted not having stopped after this tournament, because then I hardly won a single match until Bercy. I was afraid of missing the train of the propitious moment when it was necessary to stop. Since the second I stopped, I have never felt the slightest regret.
Read also: Paris-Bercy: Simon makes the pleasure last
For Roland Garros, were you offered a job as a sports consultant?
Not really. But at the same time, I still often said that I didn’t want to become one. I still had some contact with some people. What interests me is really talking about tennis and tactics. Simply saying “So and so double faulted” or “So and so scored a play” is not for me.
Photo credit: Panoramic
How will you follow this edition of Roland Garros?
Already, I’m not going to watch that much. Some matches will interest me and I will follow the French. But honestly, I won’t be on the site every day, far from it (laughs). As I live 300 meters from the stadium, everyone I meet says to me: “Good luck for the tournament”. I have to tell them that I have stopped. So they don’t understand what I do in this sector (laughs).
“This Roland Garros will be more open”
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are the two favorites for the final victory. Who are the underdogs?
There is a player who is less talked about lately but who is able to play very well, it’s Casper Ruud. We’ll have to go get it. Otherwise, there is a player that I absolutely do not hear about anymore, as if he had passed 70th in the world, it is Karen Khachanov. I haven’t even seen him in a single underdog list. Anyway, this Roland Garros will be more open than usual and that’s what will make the tournament interesting. Even for the favorites, they are less so than in other years since Nadal is absent. Before, the outsider was Djokovic and he was already impregnable for the other outsiders. Alcaraz can lose early in a tournament, as we saw in Rome. It is within the reach of more players than Djoko and Rafa were. Today, even Novak is more easily “taken” than in the past. We even wonder if Medvedev can win this 2023 edition, which proves that it is very open.
How do you view the new generation of French tennis?
We have several 18 and 19 year olds who are very good. Getting into the world Top 100 at that age is a very interesting transition time. In addition, they will have the chance to evolve within a generation that is more open than the previous one. Today, Carlos Alcaraz gives the impression of being clearly above the lot. But beating Alcaraz at Roland Garros will already be more possible than beating Nadal. In any case, there will be more places for our young French players, who will continue to develop.
Photo credit: Panoramic
Hugo Gaston was recently fined a heavy fine during the Madrid tournament for an act of anti-play. How did you react when you saw the scene?
I thought he was very stupid (laughs). I know him and I know he made that gesture just to piss the world off. I really don’t think he did this to cheat and start the point again. This is 100% provocation. It is true that he has an attitude problem at the moment on the pitch. He comes quickly to provoke the referee. What I find most incredible in this story is that we can fine a tennis player such an amount. I find that absolutely shameful and outrageous. When two people in an office fix an amount of 133,000 euros, it means that they have lost all notion of reason.
