Yannick Noah unveils opinion about Jo-Wilfied Tsonga, Gael Monfils
Yannick Noah, former captain of France’s Davis Cup team, was welcomed by Antoine Benneteau on the Exchange podcast to share insights about his life and, how not, about the tricolour flag representants on the ATP tour.
“I was not talented enough,” said Noah about his own career. “The notion of talent is badly perceived. The talent for us is the technique. A kid who has a kind of fluidity with the hand. We make a big mistake when we start recruiting young people in relation to this notion. I had another talent: I was mad. I really wanted to be a very good tennis player. Among the friends of my generation, those with whom we made sets of backhands or forehands along the line, I did not win one. On the other hand, at the service, I was good. Why? Because you can train alone. Physically, I was training alone too. In fact, I was good at work. When we look after 20, 30, 40 or 50 years of French tennis, what is often the case is that the players are technically good, but mentally not strong enough. It's not because they do not have it naturally. Some may have it, but it has to be worked on too. But we do not do it.”
When Benneteau noted that the French tennis seems to turn back to Noah when in difficulty, the former Davis Cup captain hesitated, “Yeah, in difficulty or not. There are moments of timing when the stars are aligned, universes get together, and we can advance together. I like to transmit, I’ve come to the age when I like to share, I’m a grandpa.”
After reflecting sometimes on his relationship with the Davis Cup players he has mentored, Gael Monfils’ name burst from Noah’s thoughts, “The most complicated by far was Gael Monfils. With the other ones it was not complicated, we did the job. As the captain, my role was to motivate them, to manage to make them better. When we lost, it was not their fault, and when we won, it was not thanks to me, we were together in this. But with Gael, it was a huge deception. In three years, he played one match, which he didn’t want to play.”
The 1983 Roland Garros champion reflected on the drought of recent French players with Grand Slam titles, "It all depends on the goal. Players who no longer want, that means that their goal was not very high. I'm the last guy who won a Grand Slam. It’s not possible. It’s too long. And before me, it was Marcel Bernard (1946). I’m used to saying that for me it was almost an accident. So there is still a huge problem. How is it that with our structures and means, we can not do it? The answer is that we need to reform the way we work, our approach to the sport. And this concerns everyone.”
When reminded that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga—now 34-years-old—had expressed at the age of 22 his determination of winning a Grand Slam, Noah explained, “For starters, when you're 30th in the world, you never say that. You have 29 guys in front of you, four or five of which are well above you. Because in reality, everyone wants to win Grand Slams! The real motivation is: Roland is coming, what have you been doing for a month? What is your project? Are you attacking your sixth hour of training? So it's good to say that you want to win. It's a title on the networks, but what is it really doing? Who will go and find out how we work the head, who will find the right people for you? Do you think that Federer only trains while playing tennis? Do not find that when he returns to the field, he is a little more in place in his head? Do you think it came naturally? Rafa [Nadal] who has nothing to do, you think he does not work anything other than hitting balls? Well we, no, we'll do that later ... "
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2K9ygb5
No comments