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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN


February 28, 2012


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga


DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

J. TSONGA/M. Baghdatis
7‑6, 6‑4


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Tough challenge for you, wasn't it, coming from Marseilles and playing someone like him in the first round.
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, it was a tough challenge, but, you know, I like it.  I play tennis for challenge.  Today it was one challenge, and I think I was good today.
Because it was not easy.  Not a lot of energy.  Without this energy it's difficult to play.  But I was there mentally and I did it, so I'm really happy.  I hope I will have time to recover tonight and this evening and tomorrow I will feel better.

Q.  How much sleep did you have last night?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  I don't know.  I slept from 3:00 a.m. to 9:30, something like this.

Q.  And how much practice had you had outdoors before the match?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Oh, just before.  Yeah, 30 minutes.

Q.  30 minutes?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, 30 minutes.  Yeah, before lunch.

Q.  And the change in temperature from where you were and here, how did you handle that?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, it change a bit, but I'm lucky today.  I played a bit in the dark, and I think it was better for me.

Q.  In the first set when you were broken, you handled it brilliantly and were very calm.  Is that how you felt?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, you know, when you know you don't have a lot of the energy, you know, you try to stay quiet, don't spend a lot of energy out of the game, you know.
So I just tried to stay quiet and be confident, and that's it.

Q.  Quite a few players have mentioned this is one of the quickest courts on tour.  How did you find it?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, I find it really, really quick.  I mean, if you served well, you know, it's difficult to return.  And then in the game, you know, the ball, how you say, it slips‑‑ slippery?  How you say?

Q.  It shoots.
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Shoots?

Q.  Shoots through.
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, the ball shoots through.

Q.  So very good for you?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Not really.  Not really, you know.  I like the Australian because the rebounce [sic] is sometimes high.
No, I mean, it's not‑‑ it's good for me, but, I mean, when it's too fast like this on hard, you know, it's difficult because I have to move really fast.
For me, it's maybe a bit more difficult than for the other guy.

Q.  You play Lukas Rosol in the next round.  What do you know about him?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  You know, I know he's young on the tour, so he want to win, of course.  I know he hit the ball really hard.  He try to get his chance on every point.
So it's going to be a bit like today.  I have to stay‑‑ I have to be patient, stay quiet, and if I have enough energy I can win.

Q.  What is your coaching situation?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  There is two people inside me, so one for coaching and one for play.  (Laughter.)

Q.  But you have been very successful without a coach, haven't you?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah.  But anyway, I have some people who help me a lot outside of the court.  I mean, they're not with me every time, but, you know, I know I can count on Guy Forget, my captain in Davis Cup who give me a lot of advice.  Because he was good before, and I think he know a lot about tennis.
Last year I had some advice from Andre Agassi.  I mean, and there is a lot of other player.  I will not say the name, but there is people around me who give me advice.

Q.  After beating such a tough opponent like Baghdatis, how confident does that leave you for the rest of the tournament?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  You know, sometimes you beat Federer and at the other round you lost.  (Smiling.)  So, you know, if I beat Baghdatis, you know, I have to stay focused, really focused, because sometimes you play a good match and the day after you are really bad.
So I have to stay focused.  If I stay focused, maybe I will be consistent tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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