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John
White bat Adrian Grant 9/6, 4/9, 10/8, 9/3 (112m) |
 "In
this weather, at that pace of game… It was hard, VERY hard…
"The third was really brutal, there was not much oxygen on court, the pace
was so fast, we were both volleying, putting on a short game. I was down
2/5, came back 5/5, then I was up 8/7, he saved a game ball, but
eventually, I got the game 10/8, and that was crucial…
"That game harder mentally than physically, because of the conditions…
"This was my last game for the season, and as I’m not going to Pakistan,
my next tournament will be the English Open in Sheffield…"
John White |
 "I
did actually enjoy it, in a weird way. In those sort of conditions, it’s
always going to be a tough game, whoever you’re playing, because you
simply cannot kill the ball…
"In the fourth, I could feel the leg tingling, and when you are not a 100%
in that kind of weather, there is no way you can win against a player like
John…
"It’s the end of the season for me, and since my car accident on my return
from Bermuda, I haven’t done much, so I’m looking forward to start my
summer training on Monday. I’m going to work a lot on my physical
condition, and also go to Pakistan…
 "This
year, since January, has been probably my worst year, well, the first
three months have been pretty awful. I had a few personal problems which
had nothing to do with squash, but which of course affected my squash.
"Now, I’ve sorted out my life, and got it back together again. For a
while, I wasn’t enjoying my game anymore. I am now! And I now that from
outside, it looked like I wasn’t trying, but it wasn’t…
"The accident really helped actually. It’s only when the doctor told me
how lucky I was, that I could have broken my spine and been paralysed for
the rest of my life, and when I saw the car, all flattened out, that it
was a real wake up call…"
Adrian Grant
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Olli
Tuominen bat Simon Parke 9/3,
9/7, 9/2 |
 "The
second game was definitely my best game. I was more in control, I played
tighter squash, getting him behind me. I really needed to win that game,
and when I didn’t, it seemed a very long way to go…
"I’ve now taken on a coaching job at Heaton, Bradford, and from now on I
will share my life equally between coaching and my PSA tournaments. And I
will make sure that I’ll put everything into what I’m doing when I’m doing
it…
"My next tournament is Pakistan, then the English Open…"
Simon Parke
 |
 "The first and third
games were quite similar, I played well, I succeeded to keep him moving
all the time, and I won some pretty clear points.
"The second was very hard indeed… I couldn’t get the ball to the back, I
got a bit nervous, started to make a few unforced errors. But winning that
game was definitely the turning point…"
Olli Tuominen |
 |
 "I wasn’t
going to play French League this year, but Thierry and Jean-Marc asked me
if I wouldn’t mind playing for another year, and I just couldn’t refuse.
"It’s such a wonderful weekend, it’s a wonderful setting, beautiful hotel,
gorgeous meals, we spent some time in a great villa, it’s such a beautiful
way to live. Except the squash!
"I’m glad I didn’t have to win, because at 5/4 in the fourth, it was very
hard, I would have had to push very hard, and when I heard that David had
won, suddenly, I felt tired, so tired.
"It’s amazing what you put yourself through, you keep on going, you keep
on going, and then, you don’t have to, and all of a sudden, you are
allowed to die!!!!"
Peter Nicol |
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Laura Lengthorn bat Becky Botwright 9/3, 4/9, 9/1, 9/3 (31m)
|
 "In
the second, I felt great up to 4/0, and I thought I was playing well,
but in fact, I lost my length completely. So, in the 3rd and 4th, I
thought and adjusted my length, and it allowed me to win the rallies
much more easily…
"My legs are just so stiff. My match against Fiona was just so tiring,
I worked so hard. When I went to pick up my plane to come here, I felt
so stiff! I played against Isabelle, I still don’t know how I
succeeded to win that match, and today, I feel even stiffer than I did
yesterday!"
Laura Lengthorn |
 "It was a long
season!
"Today, I don’t think that either of us was playing very well, we were
both very tired, as we both played in Amsterdam.
"This summer, I’m going to train in Manchester with Laura and my
sister doing weights and circuit training, and in Pontefract with
Malcolm. If I want to reach my goal to be in the top 25 in the next 12
months, I’ve got to concentrate on my racquet work, as I have a
tendency to enjoy the physical training more…"
Becky Botwright |
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The Players in Antibes ... Day ONE |
 "Je
suis content, j’ai fait un bon match, je m’étais bien entraîné avec André.
Le court ne correspondait pas du tout à James. Il faisait tellement chaud,
il ne pouvait pas jouer son jeu, et en plus, je l’ai bien serré…
"A un moment, il faisait tellement chaud, il jouait ses amorties du fond
du court, qui sont normalement superbe. Là, j’étais sur la ligne de
service, et je pouvais les contre-attaquer… Et donc au lieu de me mettre
en difficulté, il me donnait des ouvertures…"
Jean-Michel Arcucci |
 "It
was quite a straight forward game. Fabien tried very hard in the first
game, gave it all he had. But because it was so hot and bouncy, he spent a
lot of energy, as it was practically impossible to kill the ball.
"After we knew that our team had won, he lost a bit of heart. So I made
sure I kept on top of him up to the first half of each game…"
Adrian Grant |
 "I
really didn’t enjoy the conditions… It was far too hot for me… The ball
was so bouncy, that’s not the squash I like… And I must say I was thinking
a bit that I had to keep some strength for the final tomorrow…
"And also, here we were, in the South of France, playing indoors, when we
should have been outdoors, watching tennis!!!!"
James Willstrop |
 "Les
deux premiers jeux, ça c’est plutôt bien passé, vu que j’ai gagné… Non, je
veux dire que j’ai bien joué tactiquement, parce que vu la température, si
tu frappes fort et trop haut, tu ne peux jamais finir l’échange. En plus,
comme elle n’était pas vraiment dans le match, elle m’a laissé le contrôle
de la balle et les opportunités. Puis, petit à petit, elle est entré dans
le match, elle a pris le contrôle du T, et j’ai manqué d’énergie sur la
fin…
"Mais bon, je suis contente, parce que j’ai eu de bonnes sensations de
raquette, même si j’étais un peu court physiquement…
"J’ai pris une grande décision, je quitte Manchester, et je reviens
m’installer à Chambéry. L’Angleterre, c’était très bien pour le squash,
mais je ne m’y suis jamais vraiment sentie bien. Alors, je préfère revenir
à un endroit où je suis heureuse, quite à faire des allers-retours sur
Manchester pour m’entraîner… J’avais fait de gros sacrifices pour aller en
Angleterre, mais je n’ai pas eu les résultats escomptés…"
Isabelle Stoehr |
 "It
was hot and bouncy. We were just trying to get the ball back really… So I
was just lucky that I was able to get it back more than Grégory did!
"I didn’t do anything better than him… But it’s a good win for the team…"
Anthony Ricketts |
 "John
est tellement impressionnant ! Comme il faisait tellement chaud, il n’a
pratiquement pas joué devant, mais quelle longueur de balle. Avec une
seule parallèle, il te déséquilibre tellement, que derrière, tu ne peux
pas ne pas lui donner l’ouverture.
"Et comme il frappe la balle tellement fort, et tellement précisément, que
tu ne peux pas la voir partir… En plus, c’est tellement impressionnant de
voir quelqu’un qui utilise tous les angles possibles et inimaginables d’un
court…
"C’est vraiment l’image même du squash…
"J’ai vraiment beaucoup de chance pour le moment, j’ai joué Titi il y a
quinze jours, et puis aujourd’hui John White, j’ai vraiment beaucoup de
chance…"
Matthieu Castagnet |
 "It
was bloody hot. Hot, hot, hot! But that’s our job, we play all over the
world, on all different types of court, under different types of weather…
We’ve got to adapt, that’s all…
"Matthieu is good, he is quick, strong, and he’s got the shots. I think
that he is a very strong junior, and that it's really good for him to play
with the top guys, because there is a huge gap between playing junior and
then getting on the PSA circuit.
"So the more he can play with senior players, the better… And if he can
keep a good attitude on court, and with a good coach and support team, I
think he’s got a fine career in front of him…"
John White |
 "I
was really was looking forward to my match today, because I played very
badly in Holland last week, I was not happy with my game, so today I’m
happy with the way I played.
"But I think that maybe Thierry didn’t have the same urge today, as his
team had already lost…
"Now, I’m going to enjoy two months of rest. I may go to Pakistan, but
still, I’m going to enjoy my rest…"
David Palmer |
 "J’ai
fait une hypoglycémie, je n’ai pas assez mangé avant le match, je n’ai pas
vraiment réalisé, et après les premiers jeux, j’ai commencé à avoir la
tête qui tournait.
"Je voulais vraiment bien joué, perdre ou gagner, mais au moins courir,
faire un beau match, mais je n’avais vraiment plus rien dans les jambes,
je ne pouvais pas bouger…"
Thierry Lincou |
 "Je
suis contente de mon match, car vu que c’est mon premier match en 15
jours depuis ma blessure trois jours avant Carcassonne (je m’entraînais
avec André, j’ai la chaussure qui a accroché, et je me suis fait une
double entorse), je ne pouvais pas espérer tenir le choc physiquement
contre une joueuse d’un tel niveau.
"J’étais mené 2/1 (je me prends une bonne raclée au 3ème, un coup de
barre monumental), et j’ai mis toutes mes forces pour gagner le 4ème.
Dans le 5ème, ça allait bien, puisque je menais 5/0, et puis j’ai craqué
physiquement. La raquette, ça allait, mais en cardio, rester 2 semaines
sans jouer, ça ne pardonne pas contre une joueuse d’un tel calibre.
Alors, j’ai commencé à manquer de lucidité, et à faire des fautes.
"C’est dommage pour l’équipe, parce que c’était vraiment le match à ne
pas perdre, mais franchement, je ne pense pas que j’aurais pu faire
mieux… Et puis, c’est une bonne préparation pour les Championnats
d’Europe par équipe à Prague dans quelques jours…"
Celia Allamargot
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