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BNP PARIBAS MASTERSNovember 1, 2012Jo-Wilfried TsongaPARIS, FRANCE J. TSONGA/N. Almagro THE MODERATOR: Questions in French. Q. Good evening. Now you're in the Masters. That's official. Were you afraid this week or you thought there was no threat? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, I was not afraid. Not really. I'm really into this tournament, so I didn't think about it. I mainly focused on playing well here; it's important for me. The Masters is one thing, but you can come out of Masters without winning any points. My goal is to be seeded at the Australian Open, so I hope it's going to start by playing well here and trying to get a new title. I shouldn't deprive myself from this. It's late; I'm tired. Q. You went up to the net a lot and you played serve and volley. Was it because of your opponent, or is it a sort of more general tactic you had? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: During the past weeks I've been playing serve and volley a lot. I feel good in that type of game. Yeah, sometimes it's tough returning on serves that bounce high, so I was trying to use serve and volley to counterattack this. I believe I should play serve and volley like other players. Q. Do you believe this surface is fast enough for you, or would you like it to be even quicker? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No. I believe the surface is top quality. I have nothing to criticize. It's perfect. Of course the ball bounces low, but sometimes, depending on how I serve, the ball bounces high. So I think it's a good intermediate surface. Q. Could you explain how you are cooperating with Roger? Do you talk a lot about technical issues? How do you work together? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: For the time being we are sort of trying to find our references. I'm not going to talk too much about it because it is something that just concerns me and him. I'm not going to give hints to the other opponents. Q. But what I was asking is is it just technical or do you talk about other things? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Well, I think I can improve in many different sectors. There is not one part that I'm going to neglect. I have to improve what I know how to do well already and improve my weaknesses. I have to work on that, too. Q. How do you assess this match tonight? You had no break points, 7‑6, 7‑6. Are you happy? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: What I liked about this match is that I felt I was really eager to do well, and I was fighting a lot‑ like a tiger ‑ even if I'm not playing perfect. I don't believe I played very well tonight. The good thing is that I'm fighting and I'm eager to play well. Sometimes you start struggling, and then after you play better and better. I hope next match will be even better than this one. Q. Jo, can you talk about the Bercy effect? You lost very few tiebreakers here in this stadium. You maybe feel the crowd behind you? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, I think as French players we have an advantage playing here in the end of the season. Most players are tired; many of them are already on holidays; this year there is the Masters the week after, which is a handicap for this tournament. As French players, we are playing at home; it's a tournament we had been dreaming of when we were younger, so maybe we have motivation that's twice as big as the other players, or as the players who are going to play the Masters. Q. In the end of the season and here, we feel that maybe it's the eagerness to win and the mental side of things that counts most. JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes. It's often true. It's not only in the end of the season. It's true also in every tournament, as far as I'm concerned anyway. I believe there are periods when I feel more eager than others and I'm a bit fitter. Maybe other times I'm a bit tired. That makes a difference. I believe that when you're really hungry for victory it's a great part of tennis, of your game. I just don't know how to express myself. It means if you don't want to do well, you are not going to play well. The one who wants to win most is going to win. He's going to be the one who will be the best in important moments. So as I explained, some players here are already on holidays or are tired. As French players here, we really want to do well here because we are French and because we've been dreaming of this tournament. Q. What is the priority of winning here for you? And the Masters, is it also a priority? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I think for me the best thing would be to win the Masters, but just being qualified for the Masters is not in itself enough. I've been qualified three times in a row I think already, so what would be really fulfilling would be to win a Grand Slam or to win a tournament like Bercy or Masters 1000. Being qualified for the London Masters is a reward, but that's it. Q. To talk about your cooperation with Roger, how did it start? This season you had been saying you were fine alone. Maybe you saw Murray who was improving just a little extra bit that allowed him to win those titles and that inspired you? JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no. When I was alone, of course I was feeling good. Because it was my choice; I chose to stay alone for a while. But I knew deep inside that at a certain stage I would need a coach. So I knew that a long time ago. It's not just a decision I made suddenly one morning saying, Now I'm going to have a coach. It was my second year without a coach, and I was starting to think I needed something extra to go one step further. I was able to make progress alone, but now I know I have no try something else. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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