French Open 2013: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s rendezvous with destiny

The French are a passionate lot, as concerned about style as they are about substance. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is mixing it up nicely to arouse their passion, fuelled by hope and promise. The 28-year-old is busy titillating an entire nation, waking it from its languid stupor, by brandishing the spectre of a golden weekend. The manner of Tsonga’s victory over Roger Federer has given rise to a sudden surge of hope that has an entire nation gasping at the pregnant pleasure of promise.

Tsonga is an animated artist painting himself on the court with the gay abandon of a gypsy in full flow. The Frenchman’s game is built on leg speed and energy as much as it is on the tactical nous needed to thrive on the biggest stages of tennis. It took all that and more for Tsonga to hand a crushing straight sets defeat to Federer. After all, the maestro has only suffered five such defeats since his ascent to the peak in 2004.

The world No. 8 is two steps away from satiating the thirsty souls of his country, parched for decades and deprived of a home grown champion. It is 25 years since Henri Leconte excited the French by reaching the finals of their own tennis party in 1988. The last time they had a French champion at Roland Garros was in 1983. That was when Yannick Noah swept to the title with a straight sets victory over Mats Wilander.

Noah had dismissed chances of French glory at the beginning of the 112th French Open, but has quickly corrected course on the evidence of Tsonga’s performances this fortnight. “What I have seen so far is that he has had a great tournament, very solid, very applied,” said Noah. “Very impressive and what strikes me especially is the attitude he has. You can see that he is determined to go all the way. He deserved his win over Federer. He was simply the better player on the day and it’s true we are starting to dream that he can go all the way.”

When queried about his relationship with Noah, Tsonga responded gamely – “When he sings, I dance,” he said in an obvious reference to the pop star credentials of Noah. But the two share remarkable similarities too. Both men were conceived by a mixed couple – a teaching mother and a sporting father. Jo-Wilfried is the son of handball player Didier Tsonga, while Yannick is the son of soccer star Zachary Noah. Incidentally, each of them took out the world No. 3 in their most successful campaign in Paris.

Tsonga has often been compared to the flamboyant Mohammed Ali. But can Tsonga keep himself nimble and agile, under the growing weight of history? Since the heady days of the Four Musketeers, who won six straight Davis Cups and 20 Grand Slam titles between them, the French have been scraping for tennis honours. Success has been an elusive guest, flirting occasionally without ever tying a knot. Encouraged by the moderate success of the French quartet of Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon and Tsonga, the media there took to calling them the Nouveaux Mousquetaires (Neo-Musketeers).

At their peak, all four of them were in the top 20 on the ATP World Tour, sparking hopes of a French renaissance. Spring may not have turned into summer, but Tsonga has managed to reach three semifinals and a final at the Grand Slams. In his first and only foray to the final, Tsonga surrendered to Novak Djokovic in four sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2) at the 2008 Australian Open. From time to time, Tsonga has made a case for himself, notching up as many as 27 victories over players ranked inside the top 10.

Tsonga has also beaten Djokovic in five matches, Federer in four, Rafael Nadal in three and Andy Murray once to underline the constant threat posed by his energetic brand of tennis. But never in his career has he dealt with as daunting a prospect as he is faced with this weekend. Playing in front of his home fans, Tsonga has the unenviable task of carrying the weight of expectations and the burden of history on his broad shoulders.

It remains to be seen how that affects the Frenchman’s freedom and power, when he takes on David Ferrer for a place in the French Open finals. Incidentally, neither Ferrer nor Tsonga has lost a set in reaching the last four. Besides, Ferrer was just as impressive in his quarter-final outing, losing just four games against Tommy Robredo. The Spaniard has his own bundle to carry, having to deal with the fact that he has never reached the finals of a major despite sustained success for an extended period of time elsewhere.

Put all these pieces together and the chips are stacking neatly into a beautiful maze of possibilities. It might just be a blessing in disguise for Tsonga and Ferrer that all the focus this Friday is on the semifinal between Djokovic and Nadal. Understandably, there is bound to be a lot of tension for these men even before they enter the arena to battle for that spot in the final. France is eagerly waiting to see their son get past the formidable challenge posed by the ever present Ferrer. If indeed Tsonga manages to conquer Ferrer, the country shall erupt in the expectant joy of a glorious Sunday.

Everyone is eager to join the party and the country’s sports minister echoed the sentiments of the people. Valérie Fourneyron described Tsonga as a player with “a maturity in technique, an appetite for victory and a determination to write a new page in the book of French tennis history,“ before adding, “and for that, he deserves our respect.” Federer too was at his gracious best, despite the stinging loss to Tsonga. “Jo must keep his aggressive style,” he advised. “He must keep believing that he can do it and let the audience bring him up and hope that everything falls into place.”

Despite being on the tour for almost a decade, Tsonga and Ferrer have played each other only three times. The only time Tsonga defeated Ferrer was in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2011. He lost twice to the Spaniard – in their first match on the red clay of Rome in 2010 and their recent encounter at the Paris Masters in 2012 on a hard court. They have been dealt blow after blow by the big four in many of these events, but here they are facing each other in what may yet turn out to be the most important match of their lives.

The enigmatic Frenchman can almost begin to hear the music now, but he must strain to shut out the noises. The vibrant colours of the passing parade might be filling his eyes, but he needs to filter them lest they blur his vision. The smell of lustrous metal may be filling his nostrils, but he has to train his senses to feel the dirt first. History beckons the carefree Frenchman. Can Tsonga keep his feet in tune with the orchestra for what could possibly be the finest weekend of his sporting career?