Ernests Gulbis, who lost a long four-set match to Gael Monfils at Roland Garros yesterday, said that his conditioning is lacking and that he must improve it if he is to join the elite.
“I need to stand for two-and-a-half hours,” Gulbis said. “If I play my top tennis, there is not going to be many guys who can compete with me when I'm playing the best. I just need to maintain my best in order to put much more pressure to the other guys. Because I'm playing attacking tennis.
"I'm going to be usually the one dictating the points against most of the guys, except a few. But I need to maintain my own top level for two, three hours, and it's going to be enough in most of the times. In general I need to last much longer in this high level if I want to win these five-set matches.”
Gulbis added that enduring tough draws at Grand Slams is not an excuse for his results.
“I want to be the player who can go deep no matter who he plays,” he said. “I don't care about draw. I want to win. I'm not interested past two, three, four rounds. And then what? It's not my goal in life. I will be happy to do it, of course I need to do it, I need to prove it, not just talk all the time.”