Paris -
The pride of stepping on the clay where his father won Roland Garros 30 years ago diminished the disappointment of Ecuadorian Emilio Gomez losing in the first round of the tournament, but after taking the 46th ranked Italian Lorenzo Sonego to a marathon of over 4 hours.
"I have mixed feelings. I am a bit disappointed with the loss, but I did everything I could. He slipped away from me in the second and fifth sets, he went for a bit more and found my mistakes. These things happen, I have nothing to blame myself for on this day," said the Ecuadorian after losing 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(4), and 6-3.
Gomez, who is 28 years old and is fighting to enter the world's top players, stated that there is no room for disappointment after that battle: "These have been very emotional hours for me and my family. Being able to enjoy a battle has been an honor for me. With more experience next year, I hope to do better."
- Roland Garros: Gomez falls in the first round, in five sets
The tennis player had not yet had time to speak with his father, who also did not want to be very present in the days when his son fulfilled his own dream on the land where he forged his own.
"He would love to be involved, but he knows it's better to give me space," he said.
"For my family, these have been very emotional days. I had already taken an important step by overcoming the qualifying phase in this tournament, my first Grand Slam, with all the history of my dad here. It was already a privilege," analyzed the player, who said that, seeing the family chats, "they will need a cardiologist after the last three matches."
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Gomez prefers to focus on the good experience he had, the qualification for the main draw through the qualifying phase with matches in which he managed to turn the tables on match points against him, and the five-set match he lost, the first he played since 2017.
In the crucial moments, he analyzed, he was unable to dominate, which gave life to his opponent until they reached a fifth set that "was like a penalty shootout."
Olé | With more than 4 hours of play, Emilio Gomez falls in the first round, in five sets, against Italian Lorenzo Sonego ► [link] [link-image]
— Olé (@ole)
He remembered that for many years he thought he would never be able to play a match at Roland Garros, especially after an injury suffered in 2017 that damaged his shoulder and, with it, his two main weapons, his serve and his forehand.
He was barely winning matches and distanced himself from his family, isolating himself and setting a horizon, a coin toss in which he took the risk of leaving tennis behind.
Good taste
"I won some matches and it was like a second life, I was building something new," says the tennis player, who believes that "it is never too late" to fulfill his dreams.
He knows that his entry into the world's top players has come later than others, but he believes that now "it is savored more."
"When I was 18, I wouldn't have savored this the same way. Today, I suffered a painful loss, but having fought this battle, having been here, will always be very special," he commented.
His time in Paris and having stood up to an opponent who competes with the best makes him think that he is "capable" of facing these players.
"It was a matter of time to have this opportunity. I have to fight in a different way. I would love to be able to play at this level more often, I think it is what I deserve. The more I stay at this level, the higher I will rise. I think my ranking is good but it can be much better. It's just a matter of winning a few matches and everything will start to turn for my growth," he said.
Gomez is confident that in this process, this defeat will allow him to grow and come back stronger.
"I'm going to take it as something positive and next year with the experience I'm going to have will be a better year for me," he said. (D)