Tsonga's comment

[lindseywagners]

“It’s almost another sport altogether,” the Frenchman mused on Grand Slam tennis. “I’m probably going a bit too far in saying that, but we had (Grigor) Dimitrov yesterday. Is he going to fight Djokovic in the Grand Slam? It’s a different thing altogether to fight Djokovic in Madrid, or elsewhere, because you’ve got less mastery, less control of what’s going on, as opposed to here (at a major).”

What is he saying in that last sentence exactly? I don't get the part about "because you've got less mastery..." In other words, according to Tsonga, what is the difference between facing a top guy at a Grand Slam and facing a top guy at a non-Slam tournament?

Thanks!

full article here: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/06/tsong/47767/#.Ua1PvGRx6FU

 

[tented]

“It’s almost another sport altogether,” the Frenchman mused on Grand Slam tennis. “I’m probably going a bit too far in saying that, but we had (Grigor) Dimitrov yesterday. Is he going to fight Djokovic in the Grand Slam? It’s a different thing altogether to fight Djokovic in Madrid, or elsewhere, because you’ve got less mastery, less control of what’s going on, as opposed to here (at a major).”

What is he saying in that last sentence exactly? I don't get the part about "because you've got less mastery..." In other words, according to Tsonga, what is the difference between facing a top guy at a Grand Slam and facing a top guy at a non-Slam tournament?

Thanks!

full article here: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/06/tsong/47767/#.Ua1PvGRx6FU

My first thought is this could be a poor translation of something Tsonga originally said in French. The article doesn't mention that, but they don't always explain where they're getting quotes from.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

yup. Didi might be helpful in finding out what either Tsonga meant or what he actually said and got poorly translated.

---

alright, found the french transcript. of course, this might have been in english originally, but i doubt it. either way, it's definitely longer.

Q. As-tu l'impression que c'est le tournoi du Grand Chelem où tu es le plus en maîtrise, en contrôle ?
R. Oui, en général, c'est le tournoi où je suis souvent le moins inquiet quand je rentre sur le terrain, parce que c'est de la terre battue, parce que c'est long, parce que ce n'est pas des masters 1 000, tout simplement, que c'est un format complètement différent. Quelque part, pour moi, je vais aller un peu loin mais c'est presque un autre sport. On a pu voir Dimitrov hier. On en a fait des caisses en se disant : « Est-il capable d’aller chercher Djokovic ? » Aller le chercher en Grand Chelem, c'est une autre histoire que d'aller le chercher à Madrid où la balle vole. Pareil avec moi et Jérémy. À Toronto, je venais des Jeux olympiques. J'ai fait la fête jusqu'à 5 heures du mat. J'ai pris l'avion. J'ai joué à Toronto avec 12 heures de vol dans les jambes. Pour un Grand Chelem, on arrive mieux préparé, c'est beaucoup plus long, c'est complètement différent. Les conditions n'ont rien à voir. Le fait que ce soit 3 sets gagnants, cela met forcément une hiérarchie.

---

update: see Broken's comment for a translation

 

[tented]

^ Thanks, JS! That's very helpful, and confirms my suspicion.

Your translation, however rough, nevertheless reveals the difference between what he originally said in French, and how it ended up being translated in a misleading way into English. I'm not saying it was done on purpose; it just happened.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Q: Do you have the impression that this is the major in which you are in control the most?

A: Yes, in general, it's the tournament in which I am the least nervous when I walk into the court, because it's clay, because it's long (referring most likely to the 5-set format and long rallies on clay), because it's not a Masters 1000 event. Quite simply, it's a whole different format. For me, and I might be reaching here, it's a whole different sport. We saw Dimitrov yesterday. We wondered whether he can challenge (and beat) Djokovic. Challenging him at a Grand Slam is a completely different story than challenging him in Madrid or some place else. The same goes for me and Jeremy (Chardy). In Toronto, I was coming off the Olympics. I had partied till 5 am in the morning. I caught my plane to Toronto and played my match after a 12 hour flight. In a Grand Slam, we are better prepared. The tournament is much longer; it's completely different. The conditions have nothing to do with it. The fact that it's a best of 5 format forces a certain hierarchy.


So yeah, the original article is very poorly translated. Hence the confusion.

 

[tented]

Q: Do you have the impression that this is the major in which you are in control the most?

A: Yes, in general, it's the tournament in which I am the least nervous when I walk onto the court, because it's clay, because it's long (referring most likely to the 5-set format and long rallies on clay), because it's not a Masters 1000 event. Quite simply, it's a whole different format. For me, and I might be reaching here, it's a whole different sport. We saw Dimitrov yesterday. We wondered whether he can challenge (and beat) Djokovic. Challenging him at a Grand Slam is a completely different story than challenging him in Madrid or some place else. The same goes for me and Jeremy (Chardy). In Toronto, I was coming off the Olympics. I had partied till 5 am in the morning. I caught my plane to Toronto and played my match after a 12 hour flight. In a Grand Slam, we are better prepared. The tournament is much longer; it's completely different. The conditions have nothing to do with it. The fact that it's a best of 5 format forces a certain hierarchy.


So yeah, the original article is very poorly translated. Hence the confusion.

In other words, "you've got less mastery."

 

[brokenshoelace]

Q: Do you have the impression that this is the major in which you are in control the most?

A: Yes, in general, it's the tournament in which I am the least nervous when I walk onto the court, because it's clay, because it's long (referring most likely to the 5-set format and long rallies on clay), because it's not a Masters 1000 event. Quite simply, it's a whole different format. For me, and I might be reaching here, it's a whole different sport. We saw Dimitrov yesterday. We wondered whether he can challenge (and beat) Djokovic. Challenging him at a Grand Slam is a completely different story than challenging him in Madrid or some place else. The same goes for me and Jeremy (Chardy). In Toronto, I was coming off the Olympics. I had partied till 5 am in the morning. I caught my plane to Toronto and played my match after a 12 hour flight. In a Grand Slam, we are better prepared. The tournament is much longer; it's completely different. The conditions have nothing to do with it. The fact that it's a best of 5 format forces a certain hierarchy.


So yeah, the original article is very poorly translated. Hence the confusion.

In other words, "you've got less mastery."

LOL

 

[Denis]

Basically Tsonga says he only cares about the Slams and not the Masters events.

And yet he plays 250 events and wins them (most likely by seeing it as a training session too).Now for some real results at the Slams Jo. Go get the Fedster.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Basically Tsonga says he only cares about the Slams and not the Masters events.

I didn't interpret it that way at all. He's just saying it's more difficult to beat the top players at slams since they're better prepared mentally and physically, and because the five set format makes an upset more unlikely, which sounds reasonable enough.

 

[Denis]

Basically Tsonga says he only cares about the Slams and not the Masters events.

I didn't interpret it that way at all. He's just saying it's more difficult to beat the top players at slams since they're better prepared mentally and physically, and because the five set format makes an upset more unlikely, which sounds reasonable enough.

Actually, yes. But he also says he is more prepared for GS events and that he partied big time before going to Toronto.

 

[lindseywagners]

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

johnsteinbeck- thank you for finding the French translation
Broken_Shoelace- thank you for translating

Overall I think his message is kind of confusing, or it's just not a very well-thought point. If he had more time, I bet his "hypothesis" would need to be tweaked a bit because it doesn't seem very sound to me. Right now it doesn't seem like he's saying much of anything, as Denisovich pointed out the contradiction.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

glad we could help. a bit surprised that you disagree so much, though.

i think while not capturing all aspects, of course, Tsonga makes a very valid point. bear in mind, the phrasing might not be essay-esque, but bear in mind that this is a transcript of an interview, not a dissertation. the main points are that 1) everyone tries to prepare perfectly for Slams, while there isn't always time to do so with Masters (who would argue against that?) and 2) the best of five format makes upsets more unlikely.

Denis - i thought you were kidding at first. i wouldn't take away that he doesn't prepare for M1000s (he's won one before, after all). it's just that there's no comparison to how you compare for a GS. which isn't news, it's expected, really. after all, for most top players, the Masters are part of the preparation process for Grand Slams.

and i wouldn't hold the Olympic party against him, really. how often do you get to play and party like that - having won a silver medal, the olympic village and all. it's a once (or twice) in a life-time thing. he can come über-prepared to Montreal this year, but it'd have been a shame if he didn't have the chance to celebrate the medal a little.

 

[lindseywagners]

glad we could help. a bit surprised that you disagree so much, though.

i think while not capturing all aspects, of course, Tsonga makes a very valid point. bear in mind, the phrasing might not be essay-esque, but bear in mind that this is a transcript of an interview, not a dissertation. the main points are that 1) everyone tries to prepare perfectly for Slams, while there isn't always time to do so with Masters (who would argue against that?) and 2) the best of five format makes upsets more unlikely.

Denis - i thought you were kidding at first. i wouldn't take away that he doesn't prepare for M1000s (he's won one before, after all). it's just that there's no comparison to how you compare for a GS. which isn't news, it's expected, really. after all, for most top players, the Masters are part of the preparation process for Grand Slams.

and i wouldn't hold the Olympic party against him, really. how often do you get to play and party like that - having won a silver medal, the olympic village and all. it's a once (or twice) in a life-time thing. he can come über-prepared to Montreal this year, but it'd have been a shame if he didn't have the chance to celebrate the medal a little.

I understand the message but it's confusing because I think he says too much and I put too much faith in each of his words. Though as you said, it's a presser, not a paper.