Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is pain-free and ready to take on the best in the world this weekend in Abu Dhabi, and the Frenchman says he is certain he can bring his A-game in 2014, with the help of his new team.
Tsonga, who suffered a knee injury at Wimbledon last year which forced him to miss the US Open, had ended his coaching relationship with Australian Roger Rasheed last August and has hired French duo Nicolas Escude and Thierry Ascione as his new joint coaches.
And the world No10 believe his new entourage can assist him in achieving his ultimate goal – winning a Grand Slam.
“I’m feeling good. I haven't had any pain in my knees for four weeks now,” Tsonga told reporters in Dubai on Monday, ahead of his first match of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Thursday.
“I changed my staff, so I have a new team with me. For a couple of weeks now we’ve worked on my body and my tennis. Everything is going well. I’m sure I will be a better player than last year, so I’m very excited about the new season.
“I made this (coaching) choice just because I really believe that it will be positive for me. With my new team I really believe I can do it (win a Grand Slam).”
Tsonga opens his Abu Dhabi campaign against world No4 Andy Murray, who will be making his first appearance since a Davis Cup showing last September having been sidelined with a back injury that prompted him to undergo minor surgery.
“I’m very excited to play Andy on the first day," the Frenchman said. "It’s going to be a special match for him because it’s going to be the first one since he got injured. I just expect to see how my level is and if I’m fit or not.”
Tsonga, a former world No5, has slipped to No10 in the world following a season that started well with an Australian Open quarter-final and a first Roland Garros semi-final, but was later plagued by injury.
The charismatic 28-year-old exploded onto the scene when he made the Australian Open final back in 2008, but is yet to reach that stage at a major since then.
“For me it’s important to look back and see I’ve already got to a final and to be confident and really believe that I can do it again and maybe do even better than what I did in 2008,” said Tsonga.
“I prepared really well these last couple of weeks. I’m very confident.”
Tsonga has managed to beat each of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Murray in Grand Slams but it’s those four players who have dominated the majors in recent years.
The Frenchman however says he's glad to be playing in this era, claiming he’s been reveling in the thrill of the chase.
“I think it’s better because for me it’s a bigger challenge,” said Tsonga. “Roger, now I don’t know what he dreams about. I dream to win my first major, he’s got already 17.
"Or even Rafa or Novak they won everything. Maybe Novak needs Roland Garros or something like this but they’ve won everything. So for me, it’s even more exciting than for them because I haven’t won a major and that’s my goal.
“It’s never easy. When we play tennis, it’s not about second. It’s not like if you run a 100m. So you never know really how far you are. But the only thing I know is that I did it in the past, I was really close and I did a lot of effort these last couple of weeks on my practice. I still believe I can do that.
“Impossible is nothing – like my brand (adidas) says," Tsonga added. "I know I still have the passion. It’s what makes me dream about majors.”
Looking back to his special run at Roland Garros last summer, where Tsonga carried the hopes of his home crowd all the way to the semis, the Frenchman says it gave him a chance to prove he is just a good a claycourter as he is on any other surface.
“It was special, especially that at the beginning of my career the French people said that I’m not a clay court player," he said. "So for me it was a good chance just to say ‘I can play and you can count on me on clay courts too’.It gave me a lot of confidence and I think I will play better and better on this surface.”
