Friday 3rd October 2008
Tsonga downed by injuries
French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga admits his unfortunate run of injury setbacks is starting to get him down.
The world number 16 from France was forced to pull out of this week's ATP tournament in Tokyo with a groin strain suffered in Thursday's last-16 clash with Viktor Troicki.
He has had injury problems throughout his fledgling career and missed a lot of this season with knee trouble that forced him out of the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics.
When he has been fit this season, he has excelled - he reached the final of the Australian Open at the start of the year and last week won an event in Bangkok to clinch his first ATP title.
But this latest setback could derail his end-of-season ambitions and he is starting to become frustrated.
"I already had a little trouble against (Bobby) Reynolds but from the start of this match (against Troicki), I felt it go. And the pain didn't stop," he said.
"It's annoying. I fix objectives for myself and I can't reach them, not because I am playing badly but because my body can't hold up.
"It is hard to live with."
Tsonga will fly to Paris to undergo further tests on the groin injury but he will miss next week's tournament in Moscow.
It remains to be seen whether he recovers in time to compete in events in Moscow, Lyon and Paris.
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