Mar 04
 Lawn Tennis Association |
The Surbiton Trophy |
Feb 20
| Andy Murray falls at first hurdle in Rotterdam |
Feb 15
[World News Network] The Star
MARSEILLE: France’s surprise Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered a disappointing return to France on Wednesday as he was beaten 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) in straight sets by
Feb 14
One of the French favorites, Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, is already out of the tournament, but that doesn’t mean the Open 13 in Marseille is without some marquee second-round matchups. Highlighting Thursday’s night session will be Robin Soderling and second-seeded Richard Gasquet followed by sixth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis and Ivo Karlovic.
Jan 28
[People's Daily, China] Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy after the men’s singles final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbo …
Jan 27
Transcribed interview with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during the Australian Open 2008.
Date: Sunday, 27 January, 2008
Q. What are your thoughts after the match? What are you thinking?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Lot of things. I’m very proud of myself. I’m happy for Novak, because he played unbelievable today. I don’t know if I have to be sad or happy of this final, but I feel great.
Q. What was your feeling coming in? Were you nervous at the start of today’s match?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, no. I was okay. Like every day. Very relaxed. I don’t know what say. I think Novak played very good today, and it was tough.
When you have a match, you have one player and one opponent, and you don’t know who’s gonna win. At the end, all the time you have a winner. So today was Novak.
Q. Now that you’ve been in the final, how hungry are you to be back in a final again?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: It’s just unbelievable because the crowd was unbelievable. A lot of noise and everything. I had frisson (goosebumps). It was crazy (smiling).
Q. You seemed quite happy about the amount of time he was playing between points. You mentioned it to the umpire. Do you think it’s fair the gap between points?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, sometimes, you know, when you have to return, you are like this (ready). When your opponent take a lot of time, you go for be ready, and after not, and you are like this (back and forth). When he serves, you are not ready because you are like this (back and forth).
It’s very difficult. Between points you have like 25 seconds for play. When it’s 40 seconds, the umpire have to say something, you know.
Q. How does it feel to be in the top 20?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Pretty good (smiling).
Q. Does this give you the confidence now to maybe break into the top 10?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course, of course. Not everybody can beat player who I beat. So I know Richard or Youzhny or Rafael, they are very good player. And beat them, it’s very difficult, and I did it, so…
Of course, I’m confident now.
Q. How good was it having your mom and dad fly over for the match?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: For me it was very important, because one of the dream of my father, it was to come here, and I did it, so it’s good.
Q. It was a dream for him to come here to see you play?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.
Q. How long has he been speaking about that?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Since a long time. I don’t know. I cannot say the time. Maybe since I play tennis.
Jan 22
Transcribed interview with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during the Australian Open 2008.
Date: Tuesday, 22 January, 2008
Q. I suppose it’s a bit cliche, but can you describe the emotion and the feeling you felt when you won that match point and collapsed to the ground?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I don’t know how to say that. It’s like I want to cry, I want to smile, I want everything. And it’s a lot of emotion, so…
Q. You were very emotional when you spoke to Jim Courier afterwards. Was that part of the process of the long road back that you have had from all those injuries and just sort of overwhelmed you?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, of course. I have a lot of image in my head, and it’s coming like (indicating) like this, and it’s very — it’s very big. And, yeah, it’s a lot of emotion.
Q. When you had those injuries, was there ever a time when you thought of giving up, of not coming back, and that this day might not happen?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Sorry? Yes, not really, but, yes, sometime it was like, oh, it’s too tough. I don’t know if I will do it.
Q. Can you just talk briefly about obviously the semifinal and how you see a matchup with Nadal. How will you approach that?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I don’t know. Like every match before. I try to stay on this world and that’s it. I will do like every time I do before, to be relaxed on the court, and we will see what’s happened.
Q. Nadal is a different player from every other player.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, maybe, but he has two arms and two legs like me, so we will see on the court.
Q. Have you played Nadal before?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, one time.
Q. US Open?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: US Open.
Q. Youzhny is a player with a lot of big wins. He’s won against Nadal, won against Federer. Was it a sufficient match, and what was the approach for you before you went into the game?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: To the game? No, I know it will be a tough match. But I play better than last year, and I’m very confident in my game, so I will see. I will see after tomorrow.
Jan 20
Interview with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after defeating Rickard Gasquet in the Australian Open.
Date: Sunday, 20 January, 2008
Q. What was the difference between you and Richard today?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I don’t know. At the end, I won, and him, he lost. I played well. I was very good in my body. I felt everything good, so that’s the difference, maybe.
Q. When you first looked at the draw, and you had Murray in round one, did you think the winner of that match had a great chance of making good progress here in the championship?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course, because when you take a seed at the first round, you know after you have his draw. So it’s — you have better chance to play some player not seeded. So it’s better, of course.
Q. Are you gaining more confidence as the matches roll on? Do you feel you could match it further in the tournament?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: With who?
Q. With the rest of the players.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I feel good. I work a lot before this tournament, so I’m ready to play. And I just take every matches, take step by step, and I do my best, and then I see.
Q. Having beaten Murray in the first round, was it important to you to back that up, beating another player of equal ability and seeding?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course. It’s good for me, because it’s lot of confidence to beat a player like that. He’s very good. And for me, it was a test, you know. When you beat somebody like this, you know you can beat a lot of guys, so…
Q. Was it difficult for you to put it out of your mind that he was your friend?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Who, Richard?
Q. Yeah.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, yeah. It was difficult, but now we play like four times in six months, so that’s — I have to play against him all my career, so… Now I would like to say it’s normal.
Q. You’ve now played two matches on Rod Laver Arena. What is your impression of the court, and how comfortable are you on this stage?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I’m very comfortable on this arena. Every time when I played, it was full, so there is a very good atmosphere, and I feel very good on this court, yeah.
Q. What do you think about the comparison between you and Muhammad Ali (laughter).
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I don’t know. It’s just an honor for me for me to be compared with him, and that’s all.
Q. Do you fly like a butterfly and…
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, that’s the difference. I’m not flying on the court like him, but I try to fly.
Q. Was it more difficult mentally preparing for Richard as opposed to playing Andy Murray in the first round? They’re both the top-10 players.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Was it more difficult? Maybe you have to — like you say before, it’s difficult to play a friend, and you have to separate everything, say, Okay, we are friends but when we are on the court, it’s different, and I need to do my best for beat him. And that’s the difficulty.
Q. How excited are you at the way you’re playing at the moment?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I’m very exciting, because it’s my best results for the moment. I’m very exciting. But I want to see far, and I have a quarterfinal to play. And I’m just exciting to play this quarterfinal. So I will do my best, and I will take fun and I will see after?
Q. You spoke of center court, enjoying playing there. How important is the crowd there? You said you enjoy the crowd and enjoy the atmosphere and try to pump the crowd up. Do you draw from the crowd?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Sorry?
Q. Do you get confidence from the crowd?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course.
Q. Do you enjoy that?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah. I don’t know, it’s my third or fourth Grand Slam. And I want take every moment. I try to take some strength, because it’s just unbelievable to be there. And a lot of people would like to be there. And me, I’m there. And I can play. I can play with the public. I can make a lot of show. And that’s just cool. I’m very happy to be on the court.
Q. A lot of players say that this Grand Slam, because it is the most relaxed probably of the four, brings the best out of them. Do you feel that, too, that you are nice and relaxed, you’re playing well and that it’s an exciting situation for you to be in?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I don’t know if it’s the more relaxed, but me, I feel very good there.
Q. More relaxed than the French, probably? More relaxed than playing at Roland Garros?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I don’t know. I never played there. I just played one just one time, but I lost first round. I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m just happy to play tennis. If it’s at Roland Garros or here, I try to be very, very happy to be there and see the chance I have.
Q. What was going through your mind during the second set when you were serving for the set, and then you missed that, and then you lost the set in a tiebreak?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I lost the set and I said, Shit, shit, what’s wrong with me? And I say, Okay, stay on the court. And I said, Okay, he played the second set like me, and maybe he’s going to be tired, also. So we are equal, and let’s go for the third set.
Q. The last few years in Australia there’s been players that have been the story, I mean, like Baghdatis two years ago and González. You’re looking like that player this year.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.
Q. How do you cope with all these people and extra attention and being the focus of it all?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Oh, I don’t know. I try to stay focused, very focused. And I played — I played junior before, and it’s helped me because when I played junior and I was in semifinal or something like this, it was exactly the same experience for me. So I have some experience of this moment, and I try to stay focused.
Jan 14
Transcribed interview with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Date: Monday, 14 January, 2008
Q. Very tight match to come through.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, it was tough. But I played well. I don’t know, I’m just happy to win today because it was very difficult.
Q. What pleased you most about your game today?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I don’t know. I served well. I go to the net. It worked, so…
Q. Did you have some leg problems?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, some leg problem, cramping. I don’t know why. Maybe of the stress.
It was tough because the third one and the fourth one was very difficult. And I tried to, you know, keep my body healthy, and I won.
Q. How good does it feel to have beaten someone ranked so high?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: So good because it’s my first win here, so I’m just happy it was on the Rod Laver. It was just nice. I don’t know what to say about that. Unbelievable.
Q. Were you worried when he came back so well in the third? How worried were you at that stage?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, I said, Okay, we have to play a fourth one and a fifth one if I need, so…
Q. Is consistency something that you’ve got to work on?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Sorry?
Q. Being consistent.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I try to. I try to. I think it’s the way to go for me, you know, play on the baseline, go to the net. I just try to be – I don’t know how say that – like complete, no?
Q. You missed a couple of years with injuries.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.
Q. You’ve had some good results at the U.S. and French Open. Your development is a bit slower than Marcos, who is the same year as you. Are you confident of continuing that push through to a top 20 or top 10?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah. If I can do it, I will do it. But for the moment, I will see. I have to play a next round here. I will see what’s happen.
Q. Are you worried about a let-down at all?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, no.
Q. How do you avoid that, to make sure you keep going on, to remain concentrated?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I do my best, that’s all. Try to do my best and I see after. Yeah, just do my best.
Q. How do you stay mentally tough in a very stressful situation like that? You talked about your leg cramping up because of the stress. How do you deal with the mental side of the stress?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I just say in my head, you know, I practice a lot all these months before, and I say, Okay, I practice is not for nothing, so I have to do it.
Q. You won the support of the crowd out there. Did you feel that at all?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I feel it. I feel it. It was unbelievable. The public was great with me. Amazing. Just amazing.
Q. You approached the net 102 times. Is that usual for you? Did you go in with a game plan of coming to the net a bit more often against Murray?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, I don’t know. I think it is the evolution of my game. So I have to go to the net.
Q. Do you think the doubles performance in Sydney helped that aspect?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course. Of course.
Recent Comments