Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga revealed that he and Roger Federer had a warm conversation following his win against the latter at the Roland Garros quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“I thanked him, because I said, ‘Okay, thank you to let me win this time because in the past it was not always this way. So, you know, thank you,’” he said.
“We have a good relationship. He’s smart. And of course he just laughed and told me, ‘Good luck for the rest of the tournament.’” he added.
Tsonga admitted that he had preferred training alone in the past but his decision to get Australian coach Roger Rasheed was a great one considering the results that he has been getting the past few years.
“I’m more mature, but this is quite logical. I think lately I have been making the right choices. I made the choice of being alone. I decided to practise alone because it was a challenge for me to see how much I love tennis. And making sure I was not trying just to respond to other people’s expectations; that I really wanted it myself. I realised that I just loved tennis, that it was something extraordinary, that I would really want to do that.
“After a while, I realised it was tough staying alone because, of course, there is the game itself. But there are many other things you have to manage as a tennis player. You have to be on time for practising every day. You have to eat correctly. You have to sleep well. You need the life of a champion.
“It’s always useful to have people around you who can help you doing that. I think Roger Rasheed is helping me to be more serious. Also, he can convey his passion for tennis. He loves the game. Also he’s enthusiastic about everything, about tactics, about what is happening on the court, and also physically he’s really pushing me. He wants me to do my best every day.”
