Tsonga keen to set the record straight against Djokovic

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  • Tested: Tsonga has already faced two five-setters and played five straight days in this tournament.

    Three years ago, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was doing his famous victory dance after he came back from two sets down to beat Roger Federer in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

    He then went on to lose the semi-finals to Novak Djokovic in four tight sets, the same opponent he faces in the fourth round today.

    Tsonga hopes to draw inspiration from that epic five-setter against Federer as he looks to end a 10-match losing streak to Djokovic.

    “Of course for me the goal will be to make my dance at the end anyway but before that there are many steps. First I will use that match (against Federer) to recall in which mindset I was and try to do the same,” said the French world No17.

    The Le Mans native has made the semi-finals here in two of the past three years and was made to fight hard for a spot in the last 16, battling through two five-setters and playing for five consecutive days as rain and bad light kept pushing his matches overnight.

    He could only muster six games against Djokovic a few weeks ago at Roland Garros and has lost his last two meetings to the Serb on grass – most recently the quarter-finals at the London Olympics.

    “I don’t really know how many chances I have (against Djokovic). The only thing I know is I’m in good form, I’m playing well, and I want to give my best on the court,” said Tsonga, who is one of just two Frenchmen remaining in the draw out of 14 who started the event.

    Djokovic had a brief injury scare when he fell on his left shoulder in his last match but the top seed insists it is not a real concern.

    The Serb has had a strong first week, getting tested by Radek Stepanek but cruising past Gilles Simon and Andrey Golubev and has been quite clinical at the net – something he may have picked up from his coach of seven months, Boris Becker.

    Djokovic ventured to the net 93 times in his first three matches and was successful on 70 of those points, giving him a 75 per cent success rate up front.

    He assures he will never be a serve-and-volleyer though and that his strength will always come from his baseline supremacy.

    “I will not start serving and volleying because this is not the way I’ve been brought up or I’ve learned to play,” said Djokovic.

    “I’m a different player than what Boris was in terms of play. But in terms of mental approach and a couple of other things, I find that we have a lot of things in common.”

    Looking ahead to his match against Tsonga, whom he leads 12-5 head-to-head, Djokovic was asked what he fears most about the Frenchman’s game.

    “I don’t fear anything. I expect him to serve well. I think that’s his advantage. If he feels good on the certain day, he can beat anybody really,” said the world No2.

    Also in action today is the reigning champion Andy Murray, who will be facing 6’8” South African Kevin Anderson for the first time since he lost to him in Montreal three years ago.

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