Olivier Golding Interview
Wimbledon 2010
By LadyDragon
WIMBLEDON, United
Kingdom --(LadyDragon.com)
02/07/10-- Olivier Golding Interview after his match.
Q. How do you
feel you played today?
OLIVER GOLDING: It wasn't great. I played better matches.
Tried maybe a little bit too hard, I think. Just, yeah,
trying to hit the ball too hard and just snatched at it a
little bit.
Q. Was that because of the occasion or just one of
those days?
OLIVER GOLDING: One of those days and maybe the occasion
a little bit, as well.
Just, yeah, I've been playing so well all week. It would
have been lovely to play as well as I had been. But you
can't play great every match. It's just one of those
things.
Q. Do you think it was tiredness, the fact that you've
gone so far in the tournament? Were your arms and legs
starting to feel a bit knackered?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not massively. I mean, I'd had some quite
tough matches. I had five in the third on Wednesday, four
in the third on Thursday, so it probably took its toll a
little bit.
But, I mean, I didn't feel that tired out there.
Q. You had a bit of swaddling around there and
something on your shoulder. Was that just a bit of
precaution?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, that wasn't -- there was no pain
there.
Q. Is there anything in particular you feel you've
learnt about yourself this week?
OLIVER GOLDING: Uhm, I thought I coped with like playing
in front of the big crowds pretty well. I coped with the
pressure pretty well.
Just like serving out matches. Served out a couple of
matches really well, likes 6-5 in the third and 5-4 in
the second set in my second round.
So, yeah, I've taken a lot of things from this week. I've
played some really good tennis. I've had a good week. So,
yeah, just keep that going now.
Q. Is that the biggest crowd you've played in front
of, do you think?
OLIVER GOLDING: Uhm, yeah, probably.
Q. You like that, don't you?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, I mean. Yeah, I love playing in
front of big crowds. Unfortunately, they did their best
today, but I couldn't do anything.
Q. When you started this week, what was your ambition?
What were you hoping?
OLIVER GOLDING: I mean, I was just taking, you know,
every match as it comes and trying to do my best. But I
still think I've had a good week. Semis, you know. Would
have been great to have won the tournament, but I've got
another year next year. I'll be back to try to win it
then.
Q. Obviously you felt if you played your best you had
your chance of winning?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah. It was frustrating because, you
know, I wasn't feeling that great out there on the court.
I wasn't hitting the ball that cleanly. You know, maybe
on a different day, if I'd been playing as well as I
played in the other rounds, I would have had a chance.
I've got to give some credit to him as well because I
think he played a great match. He was quite a different
sort of player to everyone that I've played against so
far. I mean, most of the guys that I've played against
I've been able to dictate most of the rallies and sort of
play my game, whereas he forced me to sort of play more
his game and was rushing like the tempo quite a lot.
Q. Had you played him before?
OLIVER GOLDING: No.
Q. You didn't know what to expect?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not massively, no. I mean, I spoke to a
couple of people before the match to ask them sort of how
he played. They sort of gave me contradicting opinions,
really. It took me a while to sort out what to do.
But he's a great player. He played a great match.
Q. How has this week affected your determination to
become a professional tennis player?
OLIVER GOLDING: Uhm, not massively really. I mean, I
always had the same determination. I think it's been a
great week. But I knew at some point I was going to have
these great weeks, and the some points you're going to
have bad weeks as well. You've just got to keep the same
all the way through.
Q. The week you had will give you some memories to
hold onto when you're up at 7:00 in the morning having to
hitting more balls?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it makes you
want to keep going. Makes you want to have more of these
weeks. You've just got to keep that in your head the
whole time.
Q. Is it correct that you were prevented from playing
sort of in your mother's house, on the courts there? Is
that correct, or have I got that wrong?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, about two years ago there was a
problem with the neighbor. She didn't like it. But the
tennis court has been there for ages, like before she
came and stuff. She moved there knowing it was there and
caused a problem. But I think she's gone now.
Q. It's in the back of your mother's house?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, yeah, a tennis court in the back
garden.
Q. What surface is that?
OLIVER GOLDING: Just hard court.
Q. Did you grow up playing on that?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, pretty much. From when I could
walk, I was out there.
Q. Do you like that surface more than grass?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not massively. I mean, I like playing on
grass because I've got a big serve and I hit the ball
quite hard and flat.
So I think probably grass is my favorite surface.
Q. So you had to stop playing because of this issue?
OLIVER GOLDING: She tried to stop it. She like took it to
court basically. But I think we won Planning Permission
in the end, so...
Q. What are your aims for the next 12 months now?
OLIVER GOLDING: Just to do well in all the junior slams
and try to repeat my performances here at the US Open and
then all four Grand Slams next year, and then to try to
get my ATP ranking up, as well.
I had a point, but I actually lost it because it dropped
off after a year. I've been really unlucky. I could have
quite a few by now. A few close matches that went the
other way. Hopefully I'll get that up soon.
Q. Have you got your exam results this summer?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, hopefully. Touch wood. If the exams
go -- if I get the right results, I'm done with
education.
Q. Give you more time to devote to tennis; is that the
plan?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yes.
Q. No university then?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not yet; I hope not.
Q. Are these A levels you've just done?
OLIVER GOLDING: A levels.
Q. What subject did you do?
OLIVER GOLDING: I've done Spanish already, and then I'm
waiting for the results of English.
Q. After having such a decent week, are you going to
be taken out to celebrate by your mum or anything like
that?
OLIVER GOLDING: I don't know. You'll have to ask her. I
hope so (laughter).
Q. You're clearly not afraid to show your emotions on
court. Do you think that might be something you will look
at today, get rattled, something your opponent can pick
up on?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah. Obviously when everything is going
good, I'm getting pumped, it's great. Sometimes I can get
a bit negative on myself. I think it was just pure
frustration today because I wanted to play well so badly
that almost I think it probably stopped me from playing
well.
But the more times I get in those sort of situations, the
more I'm gonna deal with them in a better way. So, yeah,
I mean...
Q. Is that because of your acting past?
OLIVER GOLDING: I don't know, maybe it's just my
personality.
Q. When was your last acting role? Did you do a school
play?
OLIVER GOLDING: No, I haven't done any of that for a
while. I can't remember actually. It was a good couple
years, I think.
Q. What's your favorite memory from having been a
child actor?
OLIVER GOLDING: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was good.
Q. What about Keira Knightley?
OLIVER GOLDING: I was a bit too young to remember that?
Yeah, Christopher Lee, the first time I saw him, he just
went, like, You've got the face of a very naughty young
boy.
Yeah, that was good memories. I think I was a bit too
young to remember Keira Knightley. I think I was like
five when I was in it with her, so...
Q. You were in the Vauxhall Astra advert?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah.
Q. Were you the one that goes (making sound)?
OLIVER GOLDING: No. I was one of the other babies in the
background who started clapping.
Q. How satisfying is it to have given some good news
to British tennis? Obviously, last week all negative.
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, it's great. I mean, there's a lot
of guys doing a lot of hard work. So I think it's fair
that they get some recognition. Not everything is bad in
British tennis. I think there is a good future.
Q. You're hopeful there are people who are coming
through that can improve things?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, definitely. There's a lot of us in
this sort of age group. Yeah, I think there could be some
good results in the future.
Q. After all the attention this week, can you tell us
what a typical week for you entails?
OLIVER GOLDING: It will probably be like training once in
the morning, then fitness. Yeah, tennis training in the
morning, then fitness, then another bout of tennis, then
some days another session of fitness. Some days just one.
Q. And it's possible in the next couple of years there
would be Davis Cup openings. How would you feel about
representing your country?
OLIVER GOLDING: I'd love it. I think it's one of the
highest honors you can get, is to represent your country.
I'd love to.
Q. Where will you be watching Andy?
OLIVER GOLDING: I'll probably just go home and chill I
think now. I've had a tough week. I'm pretty tired. But
I'll be watching it.
Q. Has he said anything to you this week?
OLIVER GOLDING: A little bit. He said 'well done' to me.
I saw him in the changing rooms after the quarters. He
said 'well done' to me. I haven't seen him that much.
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