Tsonga: 'Me and Rafael Nadal are in the same situation'
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looks forward to potentially meet Rafael Nadal in the Brisbane International second round. The Frenchman first needs to beat the local hero Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening match on Tuesday to be able to face the Spaniard. 'It's a big challenge, but like I said, the biggest challenge for me is going to be first to win the first match and then to be able to play a second match', said Tsonga. 'If it's against Rafa, it's cool. He's a very good player. It's very challenging for me, of course. He's coming back from injury also, so we are kind of in the same situation. And of course, I wish I could have results like him, especially at Roland Garros. But, yeah, it's for me always a big challenge to play against those guys. I played all my career against them. Was not always easy. Of course, I wish I can go through and play good tournament here. It would be good for me and good for my ranking, good for everything.'
On his comeback at the Brisbane International, Tsonga added: 'I have good memories here because I won a title in doubles. In singles also I played pretty good. But, yeah, it's always been something special for me to come here, because when I arrived and I see the Pat Rafter Arena, I mean it's great because he was a player I really liked before, when I was a kid. And, yeah, for me it's a nice venue. Of course, there is the heat, but there is roof on the court, so it's good for me.'
Tsonga also praised Pat Rafter: 'I always liked his attitude on court. But, you know, it's always really difficult to copy somebody, because what is in my mind is not in his mind. But he was one of my inspiration when I was a kid. As Andre Agassi and all the players, like Sampras and those guys.'
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2ViYvyZ
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