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ROLAND GARROSJune 5, 2015Jo-Wilfried TsongaPARIS, FRANCE S. WAWRINKA/J. Tsonga THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. Tough loss, obviously. Just how important was the crowd? They were chanting your name at the end. What does something like that mean to you? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Well, it's great. It means that, you know, they enjoyed the game. They enjoyed my game, actually, and it's good. It's good. They helped me a lot during all the tournament. That was something great, you know, to go out like this. Q. There was obviously a lot of pressure about trying to get to the final again, the first Frenchman in the final for a long time. Did that play any part in your mind during the match? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, not really. I mean, it's not the first time, you know, I join semifinal in Grand Slam. For sure it's a little bit different here in France. Of course a lot of people is behind me and it's great. They push me a lot, like I said before. It's really cool. I mean, you know, I have nothing special to say except thanks to everybody who support me and help me, you know, to live, you know, this life. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. What is your feeling today? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I'm disappointed. I wish I could have won the match. That's it. But I did my best. I tried to give my best, so I don't have a lot of regrets. I should have seized some opportunities; had some break point opportunities but I didn't convert them. I can't find the word, but I didn't seize the opportunities. So I lost, and that's logical. That's it. Q. What about the heat? Was it a problem to you? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, it was okay. It was not cold. I mean, it was quite hot on court today. Heat didn't bother me. My opponent made my life difficult. Q. So you came back in the match when you won the second set. In the third set, we were under the impression that you were dominant. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: We are not going to rewrite the history. So if I had won the third set maybe I would have won or I would have lost. Anyway, it would have been a totally different match. But as I told you earlier, I had some opportunities, but I was not clinical enough on the break point opportunities. That's why I lost. Q. Three break points in the first game, and 6‑3, 4‑2 he was head and shoulders above you. So the first hour was quite tough for you, but then afterwards you played better. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: He got off to a good start. He played well from the very beginning of the match. He prevented me from being aggressive. I couldn't control the balls very well. In the second set Stan slumped, so I managed to get back into the match third set. I could have broken him, but on the whole, he was better. He was more clinical, I would say. Realistic. Q. You have said that Stan slumped in the second set, but what about you? Did you raise your level at that time? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Both players are on court, and of course I don't think that my intensity lowered. But I was under the impression that he made some unforced errors, so that's why I managed to get back into the match. Q. You said that you would like to thank the crowd. Are you under the impression that the crowd and the public was involved? I mean, maybe we would have wished the crowd to be more fiery. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I think that the crowd was great and also fair. The crowd didn't hinder Stan, so the crowd was great. I'd like to thank them, and they clapped at the end. They applauded me at the end of the match. It's great. It's good, because when you do your best on a daily basis, when you give the best of yourself on every point, it's quite pleasant to be acknowledged and recognized by the public. Q. So you have said that you were not clinical enough. Were you tense or were you uptight? In the game you had five break points and you said on TV, I mean, we heard you, calm down, calm down. Life is beautiful. What do you think of that? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I didn't speak to myself at that time when I said that. (Laughter.) I was referring to someone who was shouting in the crowd. So I told the person, Calm down, calm down. We are not going to die. This is not a war that we are waging. And so much the better. So nothing else to add regarding that point. Q. In the middle of the third set you were playing quite well and you had some break points that you couldn't convert, but do you think you were a better player? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Not at all. You are better than the opponent when you win. But of course during my career I score more points in a match, but I lost the match. So when you lose, you lose. That's all. It was a tricky question. It was a tricky question. Congratulations on your question. Q. So with Stan, you were almost on par in terms of the ranking between the 8th and 20th. In 2008 Stan was 9th and you were better than Stan in terms of rankings. In your career, why is it so? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I don't know. I mean, if I knew the answer I would have reacted better. Q. Djokovic is the top favorite after his win against Nadal. Do you think that Wawrinka can beat the odds? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes. He did it once, so why not? If he plays against Novak, Stan won't be the favorite for the final. Novak is the player who has won almost all the tournaments. He's No. 1 in the world. He's dominant. This is indisputable. Stan won't be the favorite, but he's able to do well, to play a good game. So we'll see what's gonna happen on court. Q. So with hindsight, how would you judge your tournament? Disappointed because you are not too far or happy because you've done well, you have reached the semifinal? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: My feeling is that I'm moving forward. Had some problems and difficulties in the past and I'm back at the top. I'm in a hurry to start the rest of the season. I'm not going to stop now. This is what I hope. Physically I hope that I will be fit and in a position to play more often just to repeat this type of situation. Next time, I hope that I will be lucky to reach the final. Q. You had a tough month before Roland Garros. You were not physically fit. What was the change? What was the trigger? When you started the tournament you were not confident, but you won three matches. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: So in my work I was quite steady. When you work, when you put in the good work and the efforts, you're supposed to be rewarded and it will pay off. That's what happened. So I was quite good during the French Open. That's why I reached the semifinal here. It's good. I haven't scored lots of good results, but if you have a look at the number of matches since the start of the year, I played eight matches only. I like playing matches. I like to be competitive, and I'm very happy to have done very well here in France. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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