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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga insists the chasing pack are closing in on the top four players in the men's game.
The leading quartet of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have taken a stranglehold on the ATP Tour in recent times and opened up a sizable gap at the top of the rankings.
As the world No9, Tsonga is among a group of players desperate to challenge the established order and he claims Juan Martin Del Potro, Gilles Simon and Andy Roddick should not be underestimated.
The 24-year-old said: “We have to be more consistent and that is all because quite often in matches we reach the same level as these top players. Sometimes players ranked just below the top four beat the best and it just proves the gap is not that big in ability, it is only consistency.
“There is not a lot of difference between them and Del Potro, myself, Gilles Simon and others and in time the rankings will prove it.”
Tsonga needed four sets to see off Andrey Golubev on Monday and later today he faces Simone Bolelli, of Italy, in the second round. The Frenchman believes his run to the last 16 of the French Open on an unfavoured surface bodes well for a return to grass.
“It is nice to be back here,” said Tsonga, who missed last year's tournament due to knee surgery. “I played in Halle and I lost to Tommy Haas, the winner of the tournament. I played well, so I was pleased.”
