It was not the best start on Clay but Jo performed well despite the loss! , see the pictures here: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Gallery

Here are some highlights from the match:

Some close ups:

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A tight,tight encounter. We didn’t see Jo play his best tennis but we did see occasional flashes of brilliance.  The fellow countryman Gilles Simon won 6-2 4-6 7-6 over Tsonga. JW had three match points and made three unforced errors in the final set tie break.
Stay tuned for images.

Jo’s next tounament is the Master Series tournament in Hamburg.

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You’ve been injured a lot in the past. How did you go through this new injury break which must have reminded you of other ones?
- Actually, quite well. I was able to take some time off from tennis and it wasn’t a bad thing. It gave me back the desire to play.

Had you lost the desire? Does too much tennis kill tennis?
- Exactly. It was getting too much and I was growing tired of it. Now I’m ’starving’ again and I can’t wait to be back on the court. All the buzz around me off the court wore me out, of course, but tennis itself also was tiring me out at a time.

One thing you said in Miami sounded like a warning sign: ‘If that’s what a tennis career means and it’s going to last ten more years like that, wow!’
- I was starting to realize that all this was wearing me out. You have to understand what I was going through since the final in Melbourne too, it was inhuman.

Was it that bad?
- I had no time for myself anymore. Nothing. During the tournaments, the ATP was trying to make the most out of the 4-5 hours we owe to them every week. I was giving interviews, afterwards I went practicing, then the recuperation phase, then again signing sessions, then I had to visit the sponsors… It was a rotten life!

More than three months have passed since the AO final. We can now judge better what happened to you with the benefit of hindsight. What have you learned from it?
- That it’s a strong feeling to get all this love. On the street, in Congo, everywhere. But it’s hell at the same time. It’s extremely destabilizing when it happens to one over night.

Were you afraid to get out of your game?
- If things had gone on that way, I would have gotten lost for sure. I didn’t know anymore if I was playing well or not, if I was training well or not. So I needed to stop. That’s what I did.

Do you think the injury occured to say ‘Stop!’ somehow?
- Absolutely. I knew I was exhausted when I arrived in Miami. I told Eric: ‘Listen, I don’t feel like playing anymore.’ It had already happened to me in the past, but never so badly. And what happened? I played shitty matches because the positive energy I need for my game wasn’t there anymore. I was totally negative, I was moaning, I was tight. I shouldn’t have played there, but that’s not easy when everybody wants you to play. So I’ve learned to say ‘No’. Even if people don’t understand, even if people are disappointed. The most important thing for me is myself!

Are you feeling yourself again now?
- Yes, and it feels so good. Just the fact to have some peace and quiet at home. It might sound silly, but I was missing it so much… To be able to say: ‘What am I going to do tonight? Oh, nothing, I’ll just stay at home and watch TV.’ I went back to Le Mans, I even went fishing. I didn’t catch anything, but I was there. And the 3 cows around don’t ask for autographs at least.

Do you feel like you have changed ?
Yes but not like if am big-headed now. It’s just that I was eager to protect myself and I shut down/ cut off from the people. I was getting aloof and I didn’t like that.

The price of fame is also to see the media getting into your private life. Recently, a newspaper talked about a snakewood with a Belgian model..
They can try to get in, they won’t find anything. This Belgian journalist acted like a fool with this story. This girl, I have never seen her in my life. That was phony.

There also have been a polemic with Les Petits As…
This story really disappointed me. They hit things close to my heart: the children, fulfilling promises.. I gave up the legal proceedings but what is a sure thing, I will never go there as long as this man will work there.

Lets talk about the knee injury. When you were told about an operation, it might have sent shivers down your spine.
Oh yes! I am going to play Rome but the possibility of an operation still exists. I will have to see how my knee reacts after my first match, after my second… It’s like for my back: if one day, it doesn’t work anymore, I know I can be operated.

Some people think this injury didn’t appear at the worst period; they are convinced you won’t succeed on clay cos it doesn’t suit your game.
Yes, yes. I ‘ve heard it. I don’t know how people can think this as I haven’t played on clay for a while. But well, I take it like a challenge and I think I can surprise more than one people. Even for myself, I do want to know how I will handle it, if I am going to go to the net… What people say doesn’t piss me off, it doesn’t make me laugh either. It motivates me. I’ve always worked like this. Often, my motivation doesn’t come from myself but from my eagerness to contradict people. Even with a bit of bad faith, if it’s needed. We are all a bit like this, aren’t we?

But do you think you can be good on clay?
There are no reasons for me not to. I am as tough as many good players, I have more power than the average I can hit the ball up the shoulder and on clay, I will have more time to go to the net.

What do you think about the polemic around Richard Gasquet in Davis Cup ?
I think people have gone too far with Richard. Well, I agree he should have been more discreet with his mobile and more enthousiastic on the bench but I think the situation didn’t suit him and there have been problems of communication in the team. I still haven’t understand why he did play the fifth match.. I really have no idea.

He asked not to play the 4th match against Roddick..
So then, it means he was not disposed to play. From what I know, there is someone who decides in the story and it’s not Richard.

By the way, at least it was not you the one sending text messages to Richard during the matches?
But yes, it was. I was writing things like “I feel Paulo’s gonna do it! He’s gonna win!” The day after, when I read all this story about the text messages, I was like “Damn it, It’s my fault! Oh! La! La!” (pretending he was hiding himself under the table)

Translation courtesy of Julie & Truc ! of MTF

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Jo’s torn ligament damage is seemingly over for the moment!. The minor tear to the Lateral Meniscus in the right knee occurred during doubles play at Miami. He had the option to undergo surgery but this would guarantee missing the French Open and this tournament is very close to Jo’s heart . Tsonga had the knee tissue drained and has rested for over 10 days as according to the Expert advice giving by leading Doctors in the field.

Jo really is hoping that the injury doesn’t reoccur as this is almost certainly going to imply he needs surgery, that would be considered a major set back with the grass court season just around the corner. With that niggling doubt almost evaporated,Jo wants to get on and get back on the road to becoming the best tennis player he can be. JW has stated he will need to play tournaments before Roland Garros to get back match fitness and form (and hopefully some ranking points). The tournaments he has indicated he is playing is the Masters Series Rome,Hamburg and then the Casablanca tournament.

This is great news for all the Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fans. It means if the injury doesn’t reoccur JW should be able to regain some good match fitness and match form ahead next Grand Slam which is in Jo’s Home Country of France. Now the injury is gone , Jo will be looking to make up for any ATP points he could of gained at Monte Carlo! He’s currently ranked at 13 in the world and is still hungry to break the dominance of the top 3 and to break into the Worlds Top 10 surely something someone of Jo’s talent deserves.

That’s it for now, but support Tsonga in his first round match up on Monday in the Master Series Tournament Rome . He’ll be facing fellow countrymen Gilles Simon and is seeded number 10 for the tournament. See the draw here.

More to come.

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So it hasn’t been all bad news for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He’s had a very good start to the year and deservedly wins the ATP’s newcomer of the year award. Here is a video of his acceptance of the ATP award:

Thanks to everyone who voted, Jo will have appreciated that. Also,I’m sure you have all been eagerly watching the Monte-Carlo Masters Series tournament. It’s a shame that Jo-Wilfried couldn’t play in it but his main aim at the moment is to play Roland Garros. We’ve yet to hear any news on the knee just yet but we are crossing our fingers! We’ll keep you updated as soon as there is any news.

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