Jo-Wilfred Tsonga may not have raised the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup to the patrons at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night, but he will go away with the number 18 ranking and many supporters on his side.
If the first set was anything to go by, all odds must have been on Tsonga. Down a set point, the fifteen thousand tennis fans could feel something special looming, and they didn’t have to wait long. A confident lob in the heat of the moment looked to be drifting long before it dipped sharply to clip the baseline. Rod Laver Arena seemed like it was the size of the MCG when Tsonga won that emphatic point to give him first set honours.
Tsonga’s father, originally from the Congo, had flown over with his wife to watch their son contest the final and he showed real emotion when the first set went to his son — a display of punches that would make Muhammad Ali proud.
In the other corner, Novak’s father wasn’t quite throwing air swings but asking instead for French supporters behind their box to leave. When Djokovic managed to level the match at one set each, he invited Serbian fans to join their box and celebrate the success Novak was having. Which begs the question: is he a bad loser or just an overly supportive father?
On his way to the final, and against the odds, Tsonga managed to overhaul world number 2 Rafael Nadal in a blistering performance that left the clay court specialist shell-shocked. Interestingly, Tsonga began this Open with the hope of challenging the likes of Andy Murray. He finishes it knowing he can. But will he fall like Baghdatis or will he rise like Federer? Whatever happens this man showed us that dreams can certainly come true.
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January 29th 2008 @ 12:51pm
Rory said | January 29th 2008 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
Yes, Tsonga was something to behold. The standard he reached against Nadal is probably as good as the game of tennis has ever been played. Power comes so easily to him that at times during baseline rallies he looks like he is casually warming up. That means thare’s an incredible amount of “headroom” in speed, balance, strength and skill for him to draw on, unlike Nadal and Djokovic who seem to always be playing with the dial turned up all the way. If he’s mentally tough and stays injury free, he’s the real deal.
Wouldn’t say Baghdatis has fallen, though. He’s a class player and currently borderline top 10. We’ll hear a lot more from him yet.