SIMON Gilles

General
FATHERHOOD
He often plays tennis with his eldest son Timothee, but says Timothee does not always seek his advice. "Sometimes I play with my son Timothee and he gets angry when I give him instructions. He often tells me not to tell him anything, because I'm not his coach. I want to see my son happy so when he tells me that, I take a step back. Several times, however, I have seen him happy to play tennis with me because he knows that I am a professional player and he wants to learn from me. Tennis players don't spend a lot of time at home and unfortunately that means I miss a lot. When you come back after playing a lot of tournaments and spend a few days at home, you feel that things have changed a lot. When my son Timothee is 15, I will be 40 and we can do a lot together. For now I'm still competing. My children are everything to me and I wanted to have them at the right time. I could have waited until the end of my career to start a family, but it would have come too late." (jeusetetmatch.blog, 14 Jun 2020)

FUTURE PLANS
In 2020 he said he was keen to become a coach once he retires from tennis, but that he had no immediate plans to stop playing. "As a television pundit, I find that you are in a passive position. Being a coach means being active. You speak directly with the player to try to find the right mechanisms. This is something that interests me much more. I see myself more on the actor side than on the spectator side. I will continue [playing] as long as it takes. I love to play tennis, even if it drives you crazy, and I will play as long as I am able. Both mentally and physically." (tennisactu.net, 21 Dec 2020)

AUTOBIOGRAPHY
In 2020 his autobiography 'Ce Sport Qui Rend Fou' [This Sport That Drives You Crazy] was released. (tennis365.com, 28 Oct 2020)