Jo-Wilfried Tsonga believes that he will be ready in time for the French Open after withdrawing from the Rome Masters due to an abductor tear.
The world No.7 has a lot of points to defend at Roland Garros after reaching the semifinals at the tournament last year. In the build up to this year’s championship, Tsonga has also been troubled by illness. During last week’s Madrid Masters, he picked up a stomach bug.
“I was sick last week. A virus had been circulating in Madrid and many had it, including my coach Thierry Ascione.” Tsonga told L’equipe.
“When I went at home (after his defeat against Raonic in Madrid), I spent two days unwell with stomach aches.”
The illness has contributed towards the injury, according to Tsonga. The injury happened whilst he was in Rome preparing for the tournament. During a hitting session with Tomas Berdych, the Frenchman recalled the moment when he injured his abductor.
“I wanted to test my to the drive with Tomas Berdych. The hitting was good, but as soon as my first return, I felt a tear in my abductor.” he said.
Fortunately for the 31-year-old, it is only a minor rip of about one centimeter in length according to an ultrasound he underwent shortly after suffering the injury. Tsonga will undergo another ultrasound in the coming days to ensure that the tear hasn’t got any bigger. If it hasn’t, Tsonga expects to be ready in time for the second grand slam of the season.
“If the tear really is less than a centimeter, it should leave me a good week of training,” Tsonga positively said.
“If I can train a week, it should allow me to defend my chances (at Roland Garros).”
Yet to win a title this season, Tsonga currently has a win-loss of 15-8 on the tour this season. So far this year he has reached two semi-finals on the tour at the Auckland Open and the Monte Carlo Masters.
