Jo-Wilfried’s Tsonga win was impressive for many reasons. He was nowhere near the favorite and was not expected to get past his third round meeting with Novak Djokovic. The tennis review looks at five of the factors that made the Frenchman’s trophy-winning week so impressive.
He beat Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, and on a hard court, too
The last time anyone beat Djokivic, reigning Wimbledon champion, and world no.1, and arguably the best hardcourter on the tour, so convincingly on his best surface was Federer in Cincinnati ’12 when he dropped 6 games.
The last time Djokovic was beaten 2 and 2 or worse was against Nadal at Monte Carlo in 2012. Nadal, though, has dished out heavy defeats to his biggest rivals on clay throughout his career, but he has never been at the receiving end of such a thrashing. For Djokovic, with hard courts being his best surface, to be beaten in the manner he was by Tsonga is astounding and speaks volumes about the Frenchman’s form.
His second serve proved the saying you are only as good as your second serve. Tsonga’s was great, and so was he.
Tsonga’s first service stats were never that amazing- ranging from 49- 64 percent in his six matches, but he won 76-94 percent of points behind that delivery so when it went in, his chances of winning the point were high.
His second serve, however, was his strength- he made only 50 percent of his first serves in the final, going for his first deliveries against Federer, but won 64 percent of his second serves. Well, you can afford to go for it on the first serve if you have stats on the second like that.
It was smart serving from the French. Tsonga went for less risks and focused more on placement against the game’s best returners, Murray and Djokovic, but went for more against the others such as Federer and Dimitov who could not do so much damage on his second serve. And by serving so well on the second serve, he reduced their odds of breaking him even further.
He beat Federer in the final
Federer was not playing well but Tsonga did not let it drag him down. Tsonga played the best tennis on the big points. Hitting deep and exploiting his opponent’s off day. Tsonga was the first to say it- the title was made all the more significant by who he beat in the final to earn the right to hold the trophy. That player was Federer, world no.3, two time former champ and two time runner up in Canada, playing on what he described was a faster surface that suited his game, and playing in his 120th career final.
He showed mental strength whem struggling against Murray
One problem with Tsonga is his mentality. His game can desert him when the going gets tough and the big forehand down the line to open the court and the flashy forays to the net can be replaced with baffling shot selection or unforced errors on easy shots. But this week, when up against Murray, Tsonga’s mental toughness stayed with him, and so did his game.
At 4-4 in the second set, with Tsonga leading by a set and holding break points, playing the same impressive brand of tennis he had showcased against Djokovic, Murray worked his way back into their match and then broke Tsonga himself to take the second set 6-4.
Tsonga looked despondent, and few would have been surprised if Murray had built a big lead for himself in the third. Tsonga, however, decided to surprise us- he pulled himself back together, made his service games count, and proved the stronger of the two when the third set got down to the business end. With the going getting tough, Tsonga proved to be the tougher as got the deciding break to take the match 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
He had not won more than 3 consecutive matches since Wimbledon ’13
At the French Open ’13, on his run which included an upset of Federer in the Quarters, Tsonga won five consecutive matches. But then, when his knee injury occurred at Wimbledon, he struggled for the rest of the season and well into 2014. While he did reach the Marseille final this year, that was indoors and at home, conditions that have always favored him. And though he played well at the French and at Wimbledon, he was not challenging as he did at his peak. So, to come into Toronto, play at his peak ability and beat four top ten players on the way to the title was nothing less than an astonishing, and most welcome, turnaround to his season.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
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