After months of struggle, Grégoire no longer puts Barrère in tennis

At Roland Garros,

“Thank you Grégoire, thank you Grégoire, Thank you! Unleashed after more than three hours of a fight in five sets, the boiling public of court 14 did not hide their pleasure when Gregoire Barrere finally raised his arms. On paper, the match of the 209th player in the world against the Japanese Taro Daniel, 105th at the ATP, however, did not have enough to raise the crowds. However, it was without a doubt the most beautiful atmosphere of this first day at Roland. The football stadium atmosphere based on “Chalalalala”, “Po po po po”, Ola and even Marseillaise clearly carried this big PSG fan to the second round of Roland-Garros.

“The public was boiling hot, it was really nice. When they chant your name, let them sing the Marseillaise, you have a little chills. You have to succeed in refocusing well, but that necessarily gives you more energy. In important moments, it helps you to engage more and get points. They supported me throughout the match and I thank them,” rejoices, full of stars in his eyes, the 28-year-old player.

It must be said that there are still three weeks, Grégoire Barrère did not even imagine passing a round in the qualifications of Roland. The fault of a catastrophic start to the season where he accumulated the galleys on and off the pitch. Car stuck in a parking lot, Covid, delayed start to the Australian Open and crisis of results, it took a miracle to see the player in full confidence on the clay courts of Porte d’Auteuil. But the click took place at the beginning of May at the Challenger d’Aix where Barrère reached the final of the tournament. Enough to land a wildcard on the wire.

A decisive discussion in Split with his coach

“It’s a heck of a hold-up! In the first round in Aix, Jo (Tsonga) served for the match and he rarely loses while serving for the match. I’m very happy to have killed him like that”, Barrère room very close to Tsonga in real life. “I couldn’t see myself here at all three weeks ago. I’m very happy, I’m very relaxed, I play liberated, I don’t worry. It’s pretty cool what’s going on. »

A new state of mind that Barrère attributes above all to a decisive discussion in mid-April in Split. Released in the first round by an Australian, the tennis player is then curtly cropped by his coach. “There are always important conversations in a career and this is one of them. I was a bit lost, I didn’t train very well. The intentions weren’t there and my coach really fucked me up, which is very rare on his part. When he does, it’s not going well at all. We went back to training, things got better and little by little, confidence returned. He knew how to get inside me and find the words. If I am here today, it is thanks to this conversation. I didn’t think it would pay off so quickly. »

This PSG fan hesitated to celebrate his victory in the style of Mbappé

Qualified for the second time in his career in the second round of Roland-Garros, Barrère will face American John Isner on Wednesday. Not necessarily a gift but do not count on him to take the lead. Rather than talking about the rest of the tournament, the big PSG fan preferred to talk about Mbappé’s extension in the capital. “I’m glad he announced it yesterday [samedi]suddenly I was quite calm for my match today, ”smiles the player.

“On the other hand, I’m a little struggling with my physical trainer who is for Real. I hesitated to celebrate Kylian at the end of the match to finish him off but I didn’t dare,” concludes Barrère with a big smile. Too bad, the celebration would not have gone wrong on this court transformed for the space of an afternoon into a football stadium. Can’t wait for Wednesday to catch up.

source site