Tsonga Forms An All-French Coaching Team

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 29th October 2013

Tsonga Forms An All-French Coaching Team

epa03914022 France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates after beating Germany's Daniel Brands in their second round match at the Erste Bank Open ATP tennis tournament in Vienna, Austria, 17 October 2013. EPA/HERBERT PFARRHOFER |

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has assembled an all-French coaching team which he will be sharing with compatriot Nicolas Mahut.

The Frenchman, who is fighting to book a spot in the World Tour Finals during this last week of the regular ATP season in Paris, revealed his dream team comprising ex-players Nicolas Escudé and Thierry Ascione.

Tsonga said he’s not worried about dividing the expertise with Mahut, ranked 54th to his own No. 9. “I’m extremely happy to start a new adventure with both of them. They will be with me quite often, either one or the other. It’s an advantage that there are two of them, because I have different points of view of what I’m doing.”

Tsonga split earlier this year with Roger Rasheed. “It’s been a while that I was trying to find a new way of working, and it is with them that I feel it’s going to be the best,” said Tsonga, who also spent months on his own before Rasheed came along. “I get along very well and Thierry and Nicolas, too. When I started on the tour, Thierry was one of my first opponents in the futures tournaments. I met Nicolas pretty soon after that.”

Tsonga admits the results of the effort have yet to be proven, “When you start working with a coach it is always a bet. It’s gambling a bit.”

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Nicolas Escudé, Nicolas Mahut, Roger Rasheed, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Thierry Ascione