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CHINA OPEN


October 2, 2012


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga


BEIJING, CHINA

J. TSONGA/D. Istomin
4‑6, 6‑1, 7‑6


THE MODERATOR:  Questions in Chinese, please.

Q.  Can you make comments on your performance today?  Also, will you bother to share with us your thoughts about the performance of your next opponent in next round?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Today I played a good match.  It was not easy at the beginning because I always need some time, you know, to feel good the ball.
It was not easy, because I played a good player who was Denis Istomin in the first round, so it was not easy to get used to the conditions.
I'm really happy to go through today and continue.
THE MODERATOR:  Questions in English, please.

Q.  The organizers of the Australian Open have announced today that there will be record prize money of $31.1 million.  Can I get your thoughts on that?  Because I know there has been a long‑running issue or talk perhaps of a threat of a boycott.  What do you think of that announcement?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  I think it's a good thing for tennis, not only for players but for tennis.  It means, you know, tennis is going well.  I hope, you know, tennis will continue to do well.

Q.  A couple days ago you said that this match with Denis Istomin was going to be a battle and you were right.  Can you talk a little bit more about him and how he played?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  You know, he's a player who fight a lot I think to grow up on tour.  Of course it's a lot more easy for a French player, you know, to go at this level than again like this.
So he's a fighter, and he improve a lot this last couple of years, couple of months.  I know he's going to be tough the next time I will play against him, because the first time I won 2 and 1 and the second 4 and 1, the third in four sets at the Australian, and today it was really close.  I know next time it's going to be tough, too.

Q.  The first set you kind of seemed a little bit off your game.  You picked it up definitely in the second and third set.  What happened in that first set?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  I mean, I was a bit unlucky at the beginning.  He returned two times really well, and I miss one forehand, easy forehand.  So I was not really inside.
But like I said before, point after point, you know, I played better and better during the match. What I know about me, at one level of the match, you know, I will for sure play my best level, you know.

Q.  I know this was kind of at the end of the match, and you were probably focused on other things, but did you happen to catch the sleeping girl on the Jumbotron after the crowd woke her up?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, I saw her.

Q.  Can you believe she was sleeping that late in the match when it was getting that close?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  I mean, I can understand.  Sometimes when I watch some review of me, sometimes I sleep too.  (Laughter.)
Q.First of all, congratulations on your win, but it was a tough win.  You lost your first set against your opponent who has a lower ranking than you.  Then you won by only one point in the tiebreak.  What does this mean to you?  What does the win mean to you?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  You know, it's good things because I continue to play here at the China Open.  Also, it's some point for me to maybe have a chance to play the last eight at the end of the year.  So for me it's really important to win and continue to win.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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