Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said that while he has played well at times this year, he needs to improve his ranking in order to have a better chance of success at the Grand Slams. Currently ranked No. 19, Tsonga is playing Winston-Salem this week.
“For me it was important for me to come here,” Tsonga told Winston-Salem Journal. “I didn’t play that much at the beginning of the season. It’s important for me to get points. I’ve only played eight tournaments since the beginning of the year, so for me it’s a tournament that’s important for the rest of the season.”
After reaching the semifinals at the French Open, the 30-year-old lost in the third round of Wimbledon to Ivo Karlovic. He then fell to Andy Murray in Davis Cup and in the Montreal quarterfinals. Last week in Cincinnati, Tsonga lost to Fernando Verdasco in the first round.
The Frenchman wants to contend for a Grand Slam title and aims to be seeded higher to avoid the top players early on. At the majors, Tsonga has reached the final at the 2008 Australian Open and the semifinals at the 2011 Wimbledon and this year's French Open.
“I don’t really take this week like preparation,” the Frenchman said. “I just want to get points. So I really need to play well. New York’s going to be another week. When you’re you have to play five guys in the Top 10 to win a Grand Slam. It’s really difficult. I know it’s most important for me to get back in the Top 16 and then the Top 8, and maybe this will give me more of a chance to be really good in Grand Slams.”