Five years ago at the Australian Open, a young, unseeded Frenchman by the name of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga burst onto the scene.
After knocking off Andy Murray in the first round, he stormed through the draw with an increasing ‘giant-killer’ status as he took down Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny.
Then in the semi-final he played the perfect game of tennis to become the only man in history to humiliate Rafael Nadal. The tennis he played in that ’08 semi against Nadal was impeccable; a combination of superb power hitting, freakish athleticism and incredible soft touch.
The fairytale run unfortunately came to an end in the final as Tsonga was stopped in four by Novak Djockovic.
Despite the loss, Tsonga had not only established himself as a one of the most dangerous players on tour, he had become very popular due to his on court antics and his Muhammad Ali-like looks.
Since then, ‘Jo-Willy’ has remained a fan favourite but has failed to achieve the same kind of success in reaching a Grand Slam final.
This year at Wimbledon, though, Tsonga looks to return to the Grand Slam final setting. And not just that, he looks to go one better and capture a maiden Grand Slam victory.
There is a very real opportunity for Tsonga to win and not because of his 79.17 win percentage. Put simply, Wimbledon is his best Grand Slam. The reason is because of Roger Rasheed.
In October of last year the Port Adelaide supporter joined forces with Tsonga, who hadn’t had a coach for 18 months
Rasheed has taken Tsonga to the quarters of the Australian and the semis of the French this year. Going by that pattern, a final at Wimbledon is on the cards.
Tsonga piled the praise on Rasheed, the former coach of Gael Monfils and Lleyton Hewitt, earlier this year at the Australian Open saying the man is capable of ‘moving mountains’.
And whilst that may be a bit of an exaggeration, Rasheed has definitely made marked improvements to Tsonga’s game.
This year, the Frenchman’s backhand has been much better. In their quarter at the French Open, Tsonga hit more backhand winners than Federer.
Tsonga is a fitter player under Rasheed. Coupled with his natural athleticism, it makes for a dangerous combination.
But the most telling development that can be seen in Tsonga’s game is his mental approach.
Often seen as the best tennis player in the world ‘on his day’, Tsonga’s tendency to be hot and cold has cost him Grand Slam matches in the past.
A prime example of this was in the third round of the 2011 Australian Open, where Tsonga was two sets to one up against unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov and collapsed in the final two sets, going down 6-1 6-1. His unpredictable, loose play is often his downfall.
What Rasheed has done for Tsonga is not eliminate this looseness and unpredictability but rather give it structure.
Rasheed sees Tsonga’s natural play as a positive and works around it, adding ‘security’ to the flair. Channeling his ‘streakiness’ makes him a very real threat.
If Tsonga is to win Wimbledon he, like most others, will have to overcome three of the ‘big four’.
Assuming there are no other ‘big four’ upsets, like Nadal’s first round exit, Tsonga will face Murray in the quarters, Federer in the semis and Djockovic in the final.
Since the establishment of this superior quad five or so years ago, in the one Grand Slam campaign, a smattering of tennis players have claimed the scalp of a ‘big four’ player.
In the one Grand Slam campaign, only a couple of men have beat two of the ‘big four’. In the one Grand Slam campaign, no man has beaten three.
It’s a daunting task that stands in front of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has never beaten Djockovic or Murray on grass, but if he can remained focused and build towards the final, he has a very good chance of clinching a maiden Grand Slam title.
With the help of Rasheed, Tsonga can break the stranglehold and become the first player outside the ‘big four’ to win a Grand Slam since Juan Martin Del Potro at the 2009 US Open.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Former Wimbledon champion, double grand slam winner and Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 30.…
Rafael Nadal has hailed the brilliance of Alex de Minaur, calling him "a great player" after the Australian forced the Spanish legend to say…
The clay season promises to be one of high level and tight margins. With the Monte Carlo open just around the corner, it will…
In incredible scenes, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz's quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells was halted abruptly due to a "bee invasion." Less…
Marathon man Jordan Thompson has finally clinched his first ATP Tour title, with the Australian upsetting Norwegian Casper Ruud to lift the trophy in…
Alex de Minaur has earned the perfect 25th birthday present, booking a place in the final of the Rotterdam Open with an emphatic revenge…
