Tsonga primed for Australian Open after Hopman win

05 January 2014 03:46

Powerful Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will head into the Australian Open full of confidence as he chases his maiden Grand Slam win after leading his country to their first Hopman Cup triumph.

Tsonga, who has slipped to 10th in the rankings after an injury-plagued 2013, teamed up with Alize Cornet to win the title, beating the Polish pair of Agnieszka Radwanska and Grzegorz Panfil in Saturday's final in Perth.

For the Frenchman, the mixed teams event was a perfect way to complete his preparations for the year's first major in Melbourne, where he reached the final in 2008 -- his best ever performance at a Grand Slam.

Having overcome the knee problems that dogged him last year, forcing him to retire in the second round at Wimbledon and miss the US Open, the 28-year-old, unbeaten in Perth, said he was confident his best tennis is still ahead of him.

Speaking after the final, Tsonga, once ranked number five in the world, said he was well-placed for a serious tilt at the Australian Open.

"I have had a good preparation and the Hopman Cup is part of it," he said. "Even while I have been playing matches here I have continued to work.

"I was bit tired for my singles (in the final) but now I have seven days to recover and to be ready for the Australian Open."

Tsonga, seen as one of the main challengers to the dominance of the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, is now coached by countrymen Nicolas Escude and Thierry Ascione.

Among the highlights of his week in Perth were straight-sets wins over world number 14 John Isner and Radek Stepanek but he said he would have to cut out mental lapses that meant he dropped sets against Spaniard Daniel Munoz-De La Nava and Panfil.

"When you play in Grand Slams, you cannot do that," he said.

Tsonga flew to Melbourne on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on January 13.

Cornet, 23, said the hamstring tightness she experienced during her final group match and again in the title decider would not affect her preparations for Melbourne.

Although the 27th-ranked player won just one of her singles matches, against Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues, she was buoyed her overall form.

"It was a good preparation because I had four good matches," she said. "I lost two tight matches against top 10 players, which is frustrating but a good sign for the future."

Cornet finishes her preparations for the Australian Open at this week's Sydney International.

Source: AFP