Eastbourne AEGON International. June 14 2011 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

J. TSONGA/D. Istomin

           

6‑2, 7‑5

        

        

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA

        

            Q.  When did you arrive down here yesterday?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yesterday night.  Not night, but around 7:00.

            Q.  Are you getting enough grass court play?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah.  Yeah, I feel good.  I played well today, so it's good.

            Q.  What was the argument with the umpire?  What was that about?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  With the umpire?

            Q.  Yeah.  You had a conversation, long conversation with the umpire.

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, because he called some ball good was out, especially the one on the break point.

            Q.  The tennis player's life is so much traveling from one tournament to another, but this is a very quick turnover to play a final one day and the first round the next.

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, that's true.  But it's fine, because between the tournament I have only to do one hour and a half of car.

            Q.  That's pretty good for the A22, hour and a half.

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, I was not ‑‑ it was not me.  I was in the back.

            So you don't have to take the plane and don't have to go in altitude.  So it's okay.  It's all right.

            Q.  What's the difference in courts between the two?  Is this the faster, slower than Queen's, or what?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  I think it's a bit different.  It's maybe the floor is harder.

            Q.  Here?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah.

            Q.  On reflection, what are your memories especially of yesterday of the final, the high points?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  The only thing I remember, it's the two break points at 5‑All.

            Q.  The one that hit the net and just came...

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  This one and the dropshot he did.

            Q.  I don't think anyone has dived as much on a grass court since Boris Becker.  Is that ‑‑ I mean, is that something new?  I don't remember you diving like that on grass.

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  I remember when I played the first time the Queen's I dived a lot.

            Q.  As a junior?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  And after that I was not enough, you know, healthy to do that.  And since a couple of months I don't have any problem with my back, and, you know, I feel free and that's why I think I can dive.  Yeah.

            Q.  Is it something you practice, or it just happens in a match?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  No, it happen only in the match.

            Q.  If you reach the final here, you won't have much rest ahead of Wimbledon, will you?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, that's true.  Yeah, I will see how I feel.  And if I reach the final, I reach the final and then I have to play.  This is my job, and I will ‑‑ yeah, I will, how you say, assume.

            Q.  Did you ever consider not playing here?

            JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA:  No, because I was engaged, you know.  And, you know, I have ‑‑ when you are engaged and you are healthy and you don't feel any pain ‑‑ of course I'm a bit tired but I don't feel any pain, you know, so I have to play.  I have to play because I'm engaged.  That's it.