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ROGERS CUP MEN

August 13, 2011

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

N. DJOKOVIC/J. Tsonga
6-4, 3-0 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Could you talk us through the problem, what happened.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I have pain on my arm. I've had this since three days. At the end, at 1-0, after that it was really difficult for me to hit the ball well and enough hard. That's why I took this decision.

Q. You said three days. Did you almost not play? Was it bad enough where you might not have played don't?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, but since three days I feel the pain. But the pain is worse day after day, hour after hour on the court. You know, I don't have the pretension to beat Novak without my arm (smiling).

Q. Is it a concern for you with the US Open in mind?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I think, you know, I did some MRI - not MRI - echography, ultrasound. My arm is okay; it's just tired.
I think for U.S. it's going to be fine anyway. But I hope I will recover this next two days to play in a good shape in Cincinnati.

Q. You'll play Cincinnati?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah. For the moment, you know, I don't know. But I will do some treatment and I will see on-site.

Q. One thing that surprised me was the crowd reaction. A lot of people in the crowd booed, which is unusual when someone retires with an injury. What would you say to the people that maybe didn't understand that had that reaction?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No, I think it's a good thing because the crowd just said they like the show. That's it (smiling).
So, yeah, they was disappointed because they want to see more, you know. That's it. So for me it was a good thing.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. What's the problem and how did it happen?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I have pain in my arm. In fact, it's my biceps. It's been for two or three days. I played doubles and singles also. That was a lot. My arm became tired.

Q. Is it worrying like for next week?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Well, I would prefer having nothing and having been able to finish that match. But I immediately went to have an ultrasound and I have no tear or anything serious, it's just general tiredness. It's a bad contraction of my muscle. But I need rest before I play Cincinnati.
It is a little bit worrying because there's a possibility I will not have recuperated before the beginning of the tournament in Cincinnati. But there's nothing very serious that would have me completely stop playing.

Q. Is there a treatment?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes. Ice and antiinflammatories and taking care of my arm.

Q. In spite of this injury, you played a pretty good first set.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: I was feeling well and I was playing well. I wasn't far from winning that first set. I have some experience playing against him, and I knew if I was not 100%, I would have no chance against him.
So I'm not far from that level, but I still need to work more.

Q. Didn't you think of withdrawing from the doubles yesterday?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Well, my arm was hurting. But when I am engaged in something, I take it to the end. The singles are, of course, important for me. But once I signed up for the doubles, I am committed to play till the end.

Q. Is there a particular moment when the pain started, maybe on a serve?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: No. That pain has been there for three days already. I spent more and more hours on the courts. The more I played, the more it hurt. Therefore, it was a very wise decision to stop that match because I knew I had absolutely no hope of winning it.

Q. You also played Djokovic in a semifinal recently, and he played very well. Today again. Do you believe he is completely out of reach, that he's surreal?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: He plays incredible tennis, but he's not an alien. In fact, what he does is doing everything better than the others. He doesn't hit harder, he doesn't hit the ball earlier. But he's always there. This is tiring when you play against him.
He does not have the best return on the tour. But on every return, he returns well, and he's always there. So what does it is his consistency, and he has no weaknesses.

Q. If it had been a Grand Slam match, would you have withdrawn as well?
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, because I would have been down 6-3, 3-Love without being able to hit a single ball, and I would have had no chances either.

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