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We thank the umpire and I run over to my player’s box and launch myself up to hug Papa, Victor and Noah. It feels like I’ve just won the final. Fuck the cup; this right here is a career-high win.
Percy Jones is on the court as I return to gather my things. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I walk out to greet him. Today, he’s wearing tan chinos and a white shirt; there are large sweat patches under his armpits.
‘Great game, Gabriel,’ Percy says. ‘Earlier this tournament, I said you were playing with the skill of a second- or third-seed player, and here you are, advancing to the semi-final after defeating the second seed, Lukas Froebel. How are you feeling right now?’
‘Tired,’ I admit, and laughter vibrates through the stadium. ‘It is always hard playing Lukas; I think I had very good luck to beat him tonight.’
‘You received a lot of love for your statement this morning,’ Percy says, and the crowd erupts again. Rainbow flags flutter around the stadium. ‘What’s it been like to come to play and receive this sort of response from the crowd?’
‘Incredible,’ I reply, emotion making the words catch in my throat. ‘Obviously, this situation was beyond my control, but love is love, and I’m pleased to have such a warm welcome from my fans and the people of Australia. I wanted to try to come out here tonight and put on my best performance . . . and to have such a good reception after an unfortunate event is . . .’ My voice wavers. ‘It makes my heart feel very light.’
The crowd cheers again.
‘And finally, before you go,’ Percy says. ‘What can you tell us about your mystery man over there—is he an Australian? Will we be seeing you Down Under more often?’
I risk a glance at Noah, and he smiles back. ‘He is Australian, but it’s still new and very private, so for now I cannot answer those questions.’
Percy pats me on the shoulder, though I know I’ve not answered the question to his liking. ‘Good luck in your next match, Gabriel; you’ve certainly wooed many with that performance.’ He turns back to the camera. ‘That’s fourteenth seed, Frenchman Gabriel Madani, into the semi-finals of the Australian Open.’
Lukas is waiting for me in the hallway and immediately pulls me into a headlock.
‘I knew you could do it!’ he says, ruffling my hair. I push against his rib cage, trying to free myself. We wrestle in the hall just off the court, laughing so hard it hurts. Finally, he lets me go, and we lean against the walls, catching our breath.
‘See you in Brazil, then?’ Lukas asks, wiping the sweat from his brow.
I shake my head. ‘I’m taking a break. No Brazil for me. I’m going to focus on Roland-Garros.’
Lukas gives me a knowing smile. ‘I remember being in love. We give up a lot for tennis, but so do our partners.’
‘Gabriel.’ Victor appears at the end of the hallway, pulling me away from Lukas. ‘They’re ready for you.’
‘Go,’ Lukas says. ‘Don’t let those journalists get to you. You beat me fair and square today and you’ll beat the next sorry bastard who has the misfortune to come up against you.’
I hug Lukas goodbye. ‘See you in Paris?’
‘You know it. Won’t let you win so easily next time.’
I meet Victor at the end of the hallway and he takes my kit from me. ‘Let’s get this over with,’ I say.
‘You spoke well. Even when Percy threw you the hairy ones.’
Clearly, now that I’m embroiled in scandal, my press conferences are the place to be. People even line the back wall, unable to get a seat in the main gallery.
Sucking in a deep breath, I steel myself and take a seat at the table, grabbing one of the complimentary bottles of water and cracking it open. ‘Hi, everyone,’ I say into the microphone. ‘I won’t be talking about personal matters, so please do not ask me about my relationship.’
The questions come in a flurry:
How do you feel you played tonight?
‘Very well. It was a rough match; Lukas plays very good tennis consistently, so I knew I had to be in excellent form to beat him.’
Pejo Auer is the first seed—you’ve never played against him. What’re your thoughts about that possible final?’
‘If I get to the final, I think it will be an excellent match for me, experience-wise. Pejo is a great player. I would have a lot to learn from playing against him, but I am not focusing on the final. I am focusing on my next match.’
Speaking of the next match, you’re either playing Aleksis Dimitriou or Mikhail Stepanov in the next round; what’s your mindset going into that match?
‘Both opponents present their own challenges, but I have played both many times in the past. I’ll do what I always do; recover well and do my best to prepare mentally and physically.’
