Tsonga: I feel free here

 

Originally published on: 14/06/13 00:00

After a pair of three-set matches in the opening rounds, Tsonga cruised through his quarter-final contest, seeing off the young American Denis Kudla 6-3 6-2.

After the match the Frenchman, who fell in the semi-final at his home Slam in Paris last week, says he feels far less pressure now that Roland Garros is behind him.

“Yeah. It’s still the same,” said Tsonga with a smile when asked if he still feels like the trip from Paris to London is like going on a vacation. “You know, for me, anyway, this week it’s good to win [a] tournament like this because it’s Queen’s, and for me it means something. The most important thing for me here is to play on grass and of course I want to win.

“But first, you know, I don’t want to be injured because I have a Grand Slam where I can do something well,” he added. “So, you know, I still feel like – I feel free here, really.”

Tsonga will face world No.2 Murray in a repeat of the 2011 final when the Scot prevailed and the Frenchman said there is little between them on a grass court.

“On grass, every time, the game can turn, you know, really quickly,” said Tsonga, who has lost to Murray in their three previous meetings on grass. “I think the margin is not that big. I’m sure I can do something.

“The last one I played against him here it was really close, because I was not favourite to win it. I will try to do the same thing and try to be more consistent on [the] big points. That’s it.”

Defending champion Marin Cilic will face four-time winner Lleyton Hewitt in the other semi-finals after they saw off Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro respectively. 

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