Enzo Couacaud, eliminated in the first round of the US Open: “It’s hard to swallow”

“Do you come out of this match with the same regrets as after your defeat in five sets against John Isner at Wimbledon?
It’s different. Against Isner, I didn’t really have a chance to end the match. There, I had two big ones: at 3-1, 15-40 and at 5-4 service to follow (in the fifth set). This one is harder, but that’s the way it is. It’s hard to swallow, of course. A bit runny at the end. I think I made a huge effort to come back from two zero sets and give myself the chance to win in the fifth. That’s how it is, it’s the law of sport.

Did you feel, as the match progressed, that you were gaining the upper hand physically?
At the start of the third, I quickly take the lead, I have double break points. I feel like I’m holding it well. But now, on the last three, four games of the match, I think he is playing really well. He no longer misses what he was missing for two sets. I serve a little less well, it did not help me. He managed to spin the thing. Cincinnati’s confidence also helped him. It’s frustrating but that’s how it is.

Does your service game when it comes to finishing at 5-4 reflect the difference between a top 30 player like Coric and a player more accustomed to the Challengers circuit?
Nobody wins them all these matches, except maybe Rafa (Nadal). It may be a lack of experience, a little success. I don’t think there was a glaring difference in level during the match. I don’t feel like I made a great game (at 5-4), that’s for sure. I start with a double, I pass a little less first and he raised his level. The two put together…

Afterwards, on the circuit, we see a lot of them who cannot conclude, this kind of scenario is repeated even between two players of the same classification. It’s never easy to end a match. Unfortunately, this time I was on the wrong side of the net.

Despite the frustration, what positive do you draw from this US Open, you who came from the qualifications?
I tell myself that I am doing good things, otherwise I would not have been there. There, immediately, there is a lot of disappointment and a lot of fatigue too. There are bound to be some good things. We don’t qualify for a Grand Slam by chance, we don’t come so close to reversing a match against a guy who has just won a Masters 1000 by chance either. There are positives. Later, I will analyze what is positive and what there is to improve.

What’s next for your program?
Back on the life of the Challengers! I will first cut a little, go on vacation. And then go back to the Challengers circuit, trying to stay there as little as possible, but it’s the circuit that suits me for the moment. It’s not because we played a match like that that anything is acquired or that the guys are going to give us the matches in Challengers. It’s not going to change anything.

I had a good Wimbledon, behind I had a bit complicated period. Nothing is acquired. I had a lot of fun at the US Open, that was the main thing. I produced good tennis. It will have to be done regularly if I want to come back to this kind of scene. »