President
Legend
http://www.onthegotennis.com/home/ernests-gulbis-doesnt-like-novak-anymore.html
Translation courtesy of ROB1S at MTF.
About giving interviews
I never say "no" to positive and interesting interviews. What I don't like is to talk to tabloid papers or to sports journalists who ask same questions about same topics every time. But I also feel like I need to achieve more in my career to be able to tell something more. At the moment I'm like 30th in the world, when I'll reach more then maybe I will open up more in interviews.
About feelings for the success of other tennis players.
I'm really happy for some of the guys. I'm really happy for Wawrinka for reaching semi final, for Gasquet too. I know those guys well, they are cool. Some of the top guys like Novak I don't like too much.
About dislike for Novak Djokovic.
I've known him since I was 12 years old. We trained and lived together in the same room in Munich. I remember he was a normal, cool guy. But when he achieved his first big success then the look in his eyes just changed. You could just feel it. It's not like we argued or anything, I just feel like he has changed and I don't like that in people. I like strong characters who don't change when first success or money appear - that's the most important quality for me and it's also important for myself not to change.
About money and success in sports
Everybody has their own preferances and ideas where to spend their money. We shouldn't look into other people's wallets and count their money. We should always respect sportsmen because they achieve everything on their own - you can't buy success in sports. And you have to work really hard and say "no" to many things - have to say "no" to parties, have to say "no" to most things normal people could afford to do. For example, office worker could afford to not sleep one night and then just carry on working the next day - we can't afford it. When I was 18-20 years old, I thought I could do it all, but it doesn't work like that. In this last year I've come to a realisation that only through saying "no" and through pain you can get something out of this life. I have finally started to think the right way.
About motivation and changes
There have happened few things in my life that made me think. I try to find positives in every negative. I now like what I do, I like the way I think now. I'm maybe... yeah, I'm a little bit different man now. I hope I'm better.
About mental toughness of tennis
In my opinion tennis is one of the toughest sports - mentally, because you are always alone. You are very alone on court, you don't have anybody to blame or to ask for help to, you are all alone and if you happen to have a bad day then you have a bad day and you have to deal with it. In team sports if you have a bad day, your team can still win - you could give a pass or cheer your teammate, he will score and everything will be alright, team will win and you'll still get that winning feeling. In tennis you are alone. That's the most tireing thing.
About the support of coach and father
Coach is sitting by the side. Of course there is eye contact, maybe few exchanges of words. You can see most players emotionally communicate with their box during matches. All of your team is sitting there and they too are almost like playing. My coach and my father after matches are both exhausted, tired and emotionally drained following the match and thinking about the result. Of course sometimes it's helpful to get a cheer at the right moment or eye contact from father, it helps. But for the most part you are still alone on the court.
About tennis schedule
That's why tennis is so terrible (reffering to interviewer mentioning that there are matches over 4 hours long). I really envy other sports - basketball, hockey, football (soccer) - big team sports. They always have constant time when they are going to play, they have constant schedule, they know their full schedule like a year in advance. They can plan for everything - like when they'll reach their peak form. And they have constant match duration.
About tennis expenses
You pay for plane tickets, your coach, eating - you have to pay for everything. And it just seems like if you play GS and get 20 000 dollars for losing in first round that you have 20 000 in your pocket and it's all good. If I you were from USA or England then if you play well, tennis federation helps, gives money, supports you. Raonic, for example, gets like half a million a year from tennis federation to cover all his expenses and everything he wins he gets to keep. It's just nice that you can keep some money for winning.
About reasons for playing
Everyone has their own reasons for playing tennis. Someone plays for the fame, others for records or money. When you reach your goal, you need to find another reason to continue to play for. Roger definitely played for money for some time. Then he got the money, he played for the fame, got the fame and played for records. Now that he has fallen in the rankings I think he plays to prove that he can make a comeback. I don't know if he can manage it, but you always have to have some kind of motivation. And money can't be the ultimate goal - it's not right, it's not a pure goal. If you think about money as a tool for helping yourself being a better person, helping people around you then it's a pure goal, but if you need money just to buy a new purse (reffering to things said earlier in the interview) then I don't understand those kind of people and why they do it.
About making a history for Latvian tennis
No matter what I do now, I'm making a history just because I'm the first Latvian player to be in the top 100. I hope I don't stop here - now I'm 30th, I hope I'll get to be 1st some day - that's my ultimate goal.
About the length of his career
I could play till 30 years old, for sure. For example, there's German Tommy Haas who is 35 years old and close to top 10. I don't think I'll be like him, but still everything changes - maybe when I'm 29 I will be thinking differently than what I'm thinking right now. Maybe when I'll be 29 I will find some additional motivation and will want to play another 5 years and if my body allows it - why not?
About preperation for Davis Cup
I don't want to upset any fans or something, but I don't prepare for this Davis Cup this week. I have come here with my coach and he says to me "I don't care how you will feel Friday or Saturday before the matches. It's important for you to feel good all year long and we work systematical work".
About distractions during matches
I have said some things that I feel like I've been wrong about. I have to be the one to deal with the problems that are around, not even problems, more like situations. I can't make someone do something I want them to. If someone feels the need to talk or walk around at a certain time then I have to accept it - it can't bother or affect me. I don't want to teach anybody of how they should act.
About provocations between players
To be honest I actually like to provocate others sometimes. I said few times about Nadal and other top players that they are boring in their interviews and such. Everybody just acts the same, everybody's the same. I don't want to be like all the others, I want to be different. Top players are money earning machines - if they would say something "not right" then they could lose contracts, sponsors and they are afraid of it. If you have started to act one way then you have to continue to act that way - Roger started to act as Swiss gentleman and now he has to continue to act like one, if he did something different, nobody would understand that. I'm all for individualism, I don't like if everybody's the same - acts the same way, talks the same way - human beings are different, I don't like when they act, I don't like when people achieve something and then suddenly start to act differently.
About how serious tennis has gotten
A While back I had a coach Pilic who remembered times when players trained, but there were no doctors, no physiotherapists. At the time it was almost like more talanted players always won, nowadays hard work makes up about 70-80% of results.
About American fans
In America people are just more open, they come up to you to talk. In Europe people are much more distant. I like when people know where Latvia is, I like when they know some of our sportsmen. Maybe some day they will know Latvia because there was Ernests Gulbis.
About making a family
Of course I think about it. But do I want to do it right now? No, I don't - I'm not ready for it, not so much emotionally with my mind, but more so money wise. I'll want a family when I'll be able to afford it, when I'll be able to give it the comfort and would like to give.
About women and language
To be completely honest, I like women from post-soviet states the most - Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. Russian speaking women because I don't have any problems with the language and of course Latvian speaking too. Language bonds people - you can't open up in a language you don't master. I know English well, I can talk freely, but I can't clearly put my thoughts in words, I can't, I don't know, use my black humour so that they would understand in English. In Russian - everything's fine, in Latvian - everything's fine.
About future plans after tennis
Money is not my goal. But it's like a tool for me to reach my highest goals. My main objective is to be happy just like everybody else - but you have to understand it deep. How could I be happy? By doing what I enjoy and if I can help people, who I love and are close to me, be happy and find their purpose.
Translation courtesy of ROB1S at MTF.
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