13/11/11 - 18:36

After his 6-1, 7-6(3) victory over 2008 winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roger Federer was as delighted as one would expect of a man who had finally filled one of the few gaping holes on his resume by securing the BNP Paribas Masters title.

 “I'm just really ecstatic to have played so well this week from start to finish.  Basically from the first ball struck against (second-round opponent Adrian) Mannarino all the way until the very end here,” said Federer of a tournament which saw him equal the record of Amos Mansdorf in 1988, Stefan Edberg in 1990 and Thomas Enqvist in 1996 of winning the title without dropping a set on the way. “I couldn't be more happy. I have had many attempts trying to win Paris Bercy, and for some reason I wasn't able to win it earlier.But this one obviously feels greatandit's a specialvictoryfor sure.”

“He had break points from the first game on, and I realized how much energy he had and how big he was serving and the aggressive playing style he had today. That made me nervousand I thought ‘this is the Jo‑Wilfried Tsonga I hoped not to face’,” said Federer of his opponent, underlining the importance of the flying start which gave him a 4-1 lead. “I was happy that I clutch served at (2-0) 30‑40 and got out of it,and (then) actually turning (the following) game around which he started with two aces. These two games maybe decided the outcome of the match.  It gave me great confidence and a great direction for the match.”

Tsonga cut a very magnanimous figure in defeat, refusing to blame his sub-par performance on the strength-sapping semi-final he had played out less than 24 hours previously against John Isner, which went the distance and required two tie-breaks. “Today I felt good, but Roger was just better than me. I knew that I needed to play a very great match if I wanted to win today, and I was not able to do that.The wholeweek I didn't play that well – I was not playing my best tennis. Maybe we could say I played a little bit better than the other days today, but against Rogerof course, it doesn't work.  It's not enough.”

“If I had played better at the start it would have changed things,” Tsonga explained. “The key of the match was there. Every time weplay each other it's similar. If I am able to fight back at the start, then I play well.  But if I lose the first set like I did today, then it becomes more difficult for me.”