|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WIMBLEDONJuly 6, 2012Jo-Wilfried TsongaLONDON, ENGLAND A. MURRAY/J. Tsonga THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Talk about the difficulty of dealing with the fact that most people here were rooting for the other guy and the importance of the match and the aura of all that. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: You know, I was in my match, I was focused. I didn't, you know, take care of it. You know, I was in my match, so for me it was not really important today. Q. When you heard roof was coming off, was that a positive for you or a negative? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I don't know. I don't know. We have to do a rematch for that with the roof. I don't know. Q. Can you share with us what you were saying to Andy at the net at the very end? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, I just tell him‑‑ Oh, because I didn't know how was the ball. I knew the ball was wide, but in or out I don't know. He ask me, How is it? I said, I really don't know. That's why we laughed. Q. You said you didn't know? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I said, I don't know, but I think it's wide. But maybe on the line or not, I don't know. Q. Did you feel maybe you left it too late to start playing your very best tennis? He was up two sets by the time you started flowing. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I think at the beginning was tough because he played well. I mean, he didn't give me one chance, you know, one chance to go to the net. He didn't miss one serve. He was really, really good. After that his level was a bit down in the third set and I took my chance. But after that he broke me in the fourth. I think he deserve it, and that's it. Q. How do you assess the final matchup between Andy and Roger? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I mean, it's going to be tough for Andy because he need to recover from the last match and this match against me. He looked pretty tired at the end, so I don't know how he will be physically. But I hope for him he will recover and have a chance against Roger. Q. You know what it's like to play in your home slam and feel that pressure. Can you understand a little bit of what Andy's going through now with the pressure of playing here at home at Wimbledon? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I mean, for me there is no more pressure. He's in final. He did the job, I think. Now everything is bonus, is positive for him. Now I'm sure he will play only for him and not for all these people. Q. What was it like diving and battling all over the place just to try to get to the finals? How much fun was it? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: You know, for me it's always fun to be on the court and give my best and fight and try to get every ball. You know, I'm not the most talented on the tour, but I like to go to the war. Yeah, I enjoy every time on court. Of course, sometimes it's a bit difficult when you play a player who you supposed to win easier than today. But, you know, I try to enjoy it anyway. Q. You had that struggle in the first two sets. You left the court briefly and came back. You looked like a new guy out there. Can you share what happened at the break? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: You know, sometimes my back is blocked and I have to unblock it. How you say that? Unblock it? And, yeah, there is a table outside. I go there and I do what I have to do, and then I come back and I feel a bit better. Q. Stretching or something? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah. Q. The other day you said that tennis teaches us lessons. What do you think this match taught you? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I mean, I don't know. Maybe it's too early to say what's happened today. But anyway, for me it was a good moment. Even in the lost, you know, I'm still proud of what I did. You know, even if I did some mistake and I was not good every time, you know, I fight. At the end of this match I will say, Okay, I lost it, but I did my best. Maybe next time, you know, I will have a chance and maybe I will go through. So, you know, for me anyway it's positive because it's the semis. You know, it give me the energy to continue to fight, to improve my game and try to win something like this. Q. Have you ever been hit like that on a court before? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Never. But I will have a revenge one time. Q. You had great feeling with Andy at the end. Will you be rooting for him on Sunday? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: You know, I have a pretty good ‑ how you say that ‑ relationship with Andy, but also with Roger. So it's two guys, you know, I respect a lot. I mean, I respect anyway everybody, even the guy who don't like me. But, yeah, you know, I will try to ‑ how do you say that ‑ to root for nobody. (Laughter.) Q. You're one of the few players to have beaten Roger here. What are the secrets? Are you surprised at the level he's at this year? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No. I think you have to play your best tennis all the way through, because he's an unbelievable player on grass. He's really relaxed and the ball go really fast. So I don't have advice for Andy anyway, because I think he just have to play his best tennis. That's it. Q. Will you be watching the final on Sunday? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I have to say yes, but honestly, no. (Laughter.) You know, now for me it's finish. I will be on holiday. I will take some day. I didn't see my family. I have a little niece. She's two years old and I saw her only two times. I have to see her. So I will take some time to enjoy the other part of my life. Q. Do you think you played at your very best level today? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I mean, it's always difficult to play your best tennis when the guy in front of you play his best tennis. You know, the two first set was really difficult because he played well. He was returning everything. Yeah, he was everywhere, so for me it was really difficult for me to play my game. On my baseline was tough because he play really long, you know, and it was difficult for me to enter in the court and go to the net. So the two first sets were difficult for me, but then after that he was a bit tired and he give me, you know, opportunities to go to the net and to hit the ball a bit harder, to have more time. So I think the two last sets I think I play my best tennis. Q. Are you coming back here for the Olympics? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, of course. Q. Suppose you play Andy in a medal game next time, how will you approach it? The crowd was fair to you, but how will you approach it? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I try to maybe enter better than today, you know, in my match, and that's it. Q. Is there any chance you could put your little niece on your knees and saying, That could have been me? Have you thought about that, just watching tennis with her? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, but she don't care about tennis. She care about other things. So yeah, why not? Why not? But I think she look at me already today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|