Tsonga explains how fatherhood made him improve in tennis
In an interview to We Love Tennis.fr, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga explained how becoming father last year changed his mentality. The Frenchman got married to a girl called Nina and they are happily living their love. "I take tennis in a different way than the past. I put a lot of pressure on myself and tennis influenced my mental status: when I played well, it went well. And on the contrary, if I played bad, I would feel worse on my body. Everything had an influence on my conditions and it made me tired a lot. Now I did a step back. Becoming the father of a son allowed me to put my personal life in the first place, which helps my tennis because I take it easier. I have less up and down in terms of motivation and mental status", said Tsonga.
Reflecting on his time away from tennis due to a knee injury, the 33-year-old added: "Besides the fact that it was difficult because we are more keen to be on the court than off, this moment was important for me and useful as well. It forced me to reassess my goals if I wanted to keep playing, how I wanted to continue and how to face this last chapter of my career. Answers were pretty clear. I still have the fighting spirit. I am still ready to make sacrifices and most of all do it in the best possible way. I would have liked to have this mentality a few years ago, but I am happy I took it now."
Tsonga was finally asked if he sees himself as a coach once his career ends: "It's true that I always liked teaching. With my career and experience, I had on Tour, I can inspire because I went through everything. I have pretty global experience in my sports having had very tough moments and big joy during the big matches. I would like to inspire younger players."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2u1VNkP
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