Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Quotes

Before I started playing more on the WTA tour, I actually won most of my Challengers on the clay, especially at the very beginning.

On clay, you know that you have much longer rallies, and you must run for maybe two or three hours.

We have been playing every summer on clay since I was five years old, so it is an easy surface for us in Belgium.

I played Chang here under the lights here. I think that was '91. Another good match. I've played a lot more good matches under the lights than I played bad. You tend to remember some of the bad ones unfortunately.

I've been around tennis, and I have a feeling for the sport. I still play tennis, and I can still do a lot of harm to a lot of people.

I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches.

That result at the French was a big break for me. I had been playing quite well up until that point but nobody really expected me to do well on clay - it was my worst surface. I had had some success on the clay but I was a set and a break up in the semi-final against Jausovec and maybe the enormity of the occasion got to me.

It is never too late to get into tennis! While I started playing at the age of 8 when my parents gave me a tennis racquet for Christmas, tennis is a lifelong sport that can be enjoyed by people of almost any age. It's also something you never forget once you learn.

We were pretty darn good - fit and ready to play - but today's level is different. Those ground strokes are ever so much faster, coming back at you at a pretty good speed. Footwork-wise, you've got to be ready to hit that next shot. It's a tough time.

It's good when you're out there on a tennis court. There's nowhere to hide. It's all you, tactically, physically, mentally.

I'm glad that I can play the tennis that I always wish to play.

Nadal is just more at home on clay. It looks like he feels safer on clay courts. He can get to a few more balls, he can play a bit further behind the baseline when he defends, and he's also able to get the ball to bounce higher. It's unbelievable.

It's tough to control the ball on the clay.

Everybody knows I'm not a clay-court specialist. I'm not feeling so well on this surface.

I have played some good matches against Rafa on clay.

In Madrid, the conditions are always better for me. It suits my game: fast clay, high altitude, the balls fly really well.

On clay courts I have some weapons to play a good match.

I think for Britain it's tough to play on clay. They prefer grass courts, hard courts, fast courts.

Especially at Indian Wells, Miami, the hard courts are what I grew up on, so I'm probably most used to it.

The second I was on the tennis court, I had the structure I wanted. I was in complete control of what I was doing.

When you're a kid and practice on clay, you're always, 'Oh, I wish I could win Roland Garros.'

Maybe I have to work a bit harder on clay. It's a challenge and I've always liked challenges. Whether I will ever win the French and master playing on clay, who knows? But I'll give it a shot.

Your game is only as good as your second serve

Most people that do play nowadays hit really hard. It was good to get someone that hit really hard early on.

If you're a good experienced player, you wknow what it takes to do. If you're in trouble, you know how to change. One hundred percent of my game is instinct. I never stop and think I'm going to hit a ball crosscourt or down the line. I just do it.