Clement: 'I don’t want to be a caricature of the player I was'
He has pretty much done it all in professional tennis, but former world No. 10 Arnaud Clement is set for a new challenge when he leads France’s Men’s 45 team at the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour 35-40-45 World Team Championships in Portugal from Sunday.
The 44-year-old Frenchman spoke with itftennis.com about leading his team into battle in Masters competition, why he put himself as France’s No. 2 player, and why there’ll (probably) be no sign of the famous bandana and sunglasses when he takes to court in Portugal…
You were part of a Davis Cup-winning team as a player and reached the final as a captain. Do those memories drive your desire to compete for France again at the Men’s 45 ITF World Championships?
It’s always something special to play for your country. It was of course different when I was professional, but it’s still a responsibility. It’s my job as a captain and I take it very seriously. I contacted all my players and I think it’s going to be serious, but it’s going to be fun too. We are all really excited to come to this event.
You’re captain of the team, but you’ve been modest in allocating your No. 1 player…
Yes, I’m the captain of the team, it was a decision of the French Federation. We’re a really good team of four players - the other three are playing really great. I put Marc Gicquel as No. 1, me at No. 2, and the other two are really good players – I lost against one of them a couple of years ago. But yeah, it's going to be interesting. They all trust me and they said, ‘you're the captain. You take the decisions.’
So Gicquel (a former world No. 37) at No. 1, even though you had the more decorated ATP career?
I think he’s just a little bit better than me these days. We practice sometimes together and last time we played I didn’t win a single game! He’s in really, really good shape. I think it’s important in this kind of competition. We’re going to have to play every day. For me physically, sometimes my back is a little bit painful, so I think it’s a good decision. He’s playing, practicing and coaching maybe a little bit more than me!
Spain won men's 45 title last year, though France won the two previous editions of the event. Are you the favourites?
I think it's also the case for Marc Gicquel, as a former Top 40 player, that we are the guys to beat. It's maybe a bit of pressure for the opponent, but it's also very big motivation for them to say ‘okay, I can beat an ex-pro!’
For the over 45s, if you’re playing regularly, even if you were not a professional player, it’s going to be tough – the guy is playing regularly, he’s very motivated. Just because you had a good ranking doesn’t mean you’re going to win a match.
Some professional players who reached the heights that you did on Tour have since hung up their rackets for good. How important is it to you that you continue to compete?
I started to play at age seven and tennis was my passion from the first day, and it still is. I’m not playing every day now, but I really like to play. When I’m not playing for one or two weeks, I really want to go back on the court. I really like the feeling and the energy you have on the tennis court.
I know a lot of ex-pros aren’t playing anymore, but I still really like to play. All my other activities are also around tennis. I’m Tournament Director of two ATP Challengers, I’m commentating on tennis for 10-12 weeks a year for Eurosport and for the big tournaments and Grand Slams. It’s still my passion and I’m still happy to have the chance to go on the court and do a few competitions.
You were well-known for your distinctive bandana-and-glasses while on Tour. Will we see that look again?
I’m not playing with them anymore. Maybe I’ll have the bandanas and the glasses in my bag. It was a thing when I was a pro… but I don’t want to be a caricature of the player I was. Maybe it’ll be in my bag, but maybe it will stay in my bag!
How will representing France in M45 competition differ to leading the team to the Davis Cup Final as captain in 2014, and helping them win the title as a player in 2001?
It’s not the same responsibility to be honest – less pressure for me! The pressure you have when you captain the team, especially the French because it’s always a competitive team to win the title. You're not playing for yourself, you have the responsibility of your team, even if it's for the over 45s. We all want to win and it’s something I’ll take very seriously.