Abu Dhabi: There are few more affable tennis players than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the perpetually smiling Frenchman, who performed the Mubadala World Tennis Championship draw in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Tsonga was bedevilled by injuries during 2016, but feels hugely positive about his fifth appearance at the season-opening tournament at Zayed Sports City and the year ahead.
The 31-year-old will face Abu Dhabi debutant David Goffin in the first match of the annual exhibition, which takes place between December 29-31 and which includes Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal in a six-man line-up.
The world number 90 will meet Murray, who has received a bye as the top seed, on the second day of the event if he beats Belgium’s Goffin.
After making the draw, he held court on this and various other subjects, such as his impending fatherhood and Murray becoming the new world number one.
Excerpts:
What are your thoughts on the Mubadala draw?
I am really happy with the draw. It’s going to be a good fight. They are all very good players. I will play David Goffin first. He’s a great player; he did well this year. He’s a player that is really athletic and fast. It’s going to be interesting to see how my game style goes with his game style.
Would you endorse the Mubadala event acquiring Masters status rather than remaining an exhibition?
For me, it’s not an exhibition. An exhibition is something where you try to do things to make fun and that’s it. When we play here at Mubadala, we all play seriously because we want to see how we are compared to the others because everything is looking to the Australian Open.
How do you assess your 2016?
2016 was really difficult for me with so many injuries. At the end of the season, I came back strong, without problems. I hope I can continue like this and start from Mubadala as good as possible. I know if I play well here, I have a chance to do well. The guy who wins here is really often top three at the end of the year.
Does it get more difficult dealing with injuries the older you get?
Not really. Of course, year after year it’s always more difficult to recover. But I have the experience now. When I was younger, I was sometimes a little bit stressed and now I know it’s going to take time and I need to be passionate. I hope everything is in the past now and I will not be injured in the next few years.
You announced earlier this month that you will become a father in 2017. How will you juggle tennis with fatherhood?
For me, it is something unbelievable. I’ve always wished I could have a baby, so it’s just unbelievable what’s happening. I’m looking forward to it. For me, I think it will be easy to do both, to be a dad and be battling on court for victory. I think it’s no problem.
When will you give your son a tennis racket?
I will encourage him to be happy and healthy and that’s it for the moment and I will follow him in his passion.
What do you make of Novak Djokovic’s recent dip in form, given that he appeared invincible earlier in the year?
You know, time changes things. It’s not easy to be consistent through a whole career. I think Novak did really well already because he finished number one a few years in a row and today he is only second [laughs]. I think it is already a big season. I’m sure he’s disappointed. It’s already something unbelievable to be at his level and it is something we all look to achieve.
Is the era of the big four over?
To be honest, I don’t know. Time changes things. You still have the big four who still play tennis. You have the other guys who are coming up and the young guys coming up, too. They are talented. 2017, from my side, will be the most interesting year of tennis.
Is Andy Murray a deserved world number one?
I think he is the best player in the world at the moment. He played unbelievable the last six months and I think he completely deserves it. He shows that when you want something, you can achieve it.
Has it affected you seeing someone else as world No. 1?
Not at all. He’s always been one of the best guys; number three, number two, he’s always been there. For me, nothing changed
Things would change if I became the number three, two or one.
If you could travel back in time to the beginning of your career, what would you tell yourself?
That’s a really good question but I think just follow your way, instinct and intuition. Because you play and sometimes you have so many things around you and sometimes you think that people are allowed to give you advice but at the end of the day, it’s all about you and how you feel and how you believe in what you think.
