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ROGERS CUP MEN

August 12, 2011

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

J. TSONGA/N. Almagro
6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Talk about facing Djokovic or Monfils, what you expect.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: What I expect? Of course, GaÃ«l for the moment is playing not as good as Novak. I hope GaÃ«l, because he's French and because it's more easy for me (smiling). Also because it's a good friend, if he beat Novak, it's good for him.
I mean, anyway, I will play a semifinal, and it's going to be an occasion for me to go through this and maybe play a final. That's it.

Q. Is there something outside tennis away from the court that you really care about and you would like more people to know?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: What I care about?

Q. Off the court, a passion outside of tennis.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I don't know. A lot of things. The most important for me outside of tennis, it's maybe a relationship. I like have a good relationship with peoples. This is the most important for me outside of tennis because without other people, I'm nothing. This is the most important.
So when I don't play tennis, you know, I try to meet people. I can have a good day just if I speak with somebody, and that's it.

Q. What do you like most about your game this week?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Maybe my backhand. Today was not so good, but I think I improve a lot my backhand. I'm a lot more aggressive and I can do a lot of thing with it.

Q. People always talk about your power. You look at the key point in this whole match where you broke in the second set, the forehand led to the lob, which took speed. Would you like to get more credit for the speed?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, everybody speak about my power. But I think Rafa, Roger and Novak will tell you I can do some good dropshot, too.
No, I can play a lot of things. I think I can do a lot of things on the court. I can slice my backhand. I can go everywhere with my forehand, you know, even short cross-court. I can play some lobs sometimes. I go to the net. Sometimes I defend. I can do a lot of things, I think.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Apart from being down in the middle of the second set you played well and this incredible lob gave you the adrenaline to finish off the match.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, indeed, I was a bit tired today. I lacked energy. The match yesterday took a lot of stamina, and today my energy level was low. Therefore, I decided to focus on only a number of return games and try to focus on holding my serve. It was a way for me to save the energy I had left, not playing hard every game.

Q. Since you have an aggressive game, it uses up a lot of energy. Can you describe what kind of energy you need to keep this attacking game going.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Well, I have to tell myself I need to go ahead and I need to get involved. This is what takes more energy, just the fact of being totally committed.
Against Federer, for example, I can't stay behind the baseline, so all the time I have to think, Go forward, go forward, and this takes a lot of energy.
I could compare it with a boxer as opposed to a more subtle player. My game uses up a lot of energy.

Q. It must be terrible to be unable to relax and to have to think all the time that must keep it going.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, it is not terrible. On the contrary, it's rather exciting that, as we said, it uses up a lot of energy. Now, I wonder whether it is not even more stressful to stay behind the baseline and wait never knowing what the opponent will do.

Q. Every time you beat Federer, for your next match everybody is waiting to see whether you will repeat the same kind of match. Last time you beat him, you didn't confirm your success, but this time you did.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Last time I played Djokovic in the semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament. Here I played Almagro in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal. That time against Djokovic, I believe I played well and Novak just proved he was a great player. I believe I confirmed my good game in the former match.
I hope tomorrow I will again confirm my success.

Q. What happens when you beat the top players? Do you feel you're like in a dream?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No. I feel tired. The difference between the three or four top players and all the other players is that they are able to play match after match with the same intensity. In tennis what is frustrating is that you can practice for 10 years and still not feel good for a given match because during a match you use muscles that you just can't train.
If I have to play Roger, then the next match Rafa, then the next match Djokovic, it is extremely tough physically and mentally. But the more I play those players, the more chances I have to beat them.

Q. And now you have to play doubles with Wawrinka.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes. I hope we're going to have a lot of fun on the court and that it's going to go well.

Q. Does the crowd help when you play those top players?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: The crowd is never the determining factor, but it can help to pump us up. Sometimes it might just be enough to make a difference.

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