Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said that the lukewarm reception he received during his semifinal match at the French Open 2013 against David Ferrer affected him.
“It affected me because I saw that the people weren’t supporting me a lot because when I came on the court the stadium was half empty,” Tsonga said in an interview with Sport360.
“Because there was a long match before me [Rafael Nadal’s five-set victory over Novak Djokovic] and they all went out to do other things. It was half empty in my own country. But I didn’t lose because of this. I lost that match because I think David played well,” he clarified.
The 28-year old added that he can still win a Grand Slam title of his own. Currently ranked number 10, Tsonga reached his lone Grand Slam final at the 2008 Australian Open where he lost to Djokovic.
“If I think I’m not able to achieve it I will stop,” he said. “I’m not that kind of guy who will play just for playing and be on the tour. I don’t care. I have family, I make a lot of sacrifices to play tennis, even if it’s my passion, so I’m doing it just because I really believe that I can do something great.”
“I’m not doing it for recognition from people. I’m doing it for me. Because when I was young I had a dream to win a Grand Slam and whatever people think, I just try to do everything in a good way and I hope it will happen.”
