Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and the re-creation of French Tennis history

They call him Jo-Willy,

In the end, he proved to be too wily…

Taking out a prodigy with conquests aplenty

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga always was a maverick and an entertainer. But after his victory over Roger Federer in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, the Frenchman suddenly finds himself as the man on whom an entire nation’s hopes of redemption rest.

So now there we are, almost on the cusp of glory at either ends of the 2013 French Open semi-finals. The de facto final, as one of my friends put it, at one end and this one – an unexpected surprise – at the other. Finally, there’s a chance for French tennis to experience history being re-created again. After three decades of painstaking wait and patience.

However, in spite of harboured hopes, there is a sense of conflicting emotions and overriding feelings. For years now, the French crowd has given its overwhelming support to a Spaniard. In the lone year where the Spaniard lost mid-way, it was a Swiss who captured their hearts all the way. The ever-partisan nature of the French crowd now stands at a crossroads with either the Serb or the Spaniard drawn to make it to the finals, potentially against their hero.

The ‘No-Dal’ contest has duly taken on a gladiator-like aura, with the entire tennisdom mapping and predicting the match trajectory. There can be only one victor. It’s sacrilegious to think about Rafa losing. On the other hand, it’s equally inconceivable that Nole, the World No. 1, would bow down. Who, then, do the French want to win? Their beloved Spaniard who’s more or less become the nation’s surrogate son as far as French Open is considered? But he could definitely shatter their hopes, making their wait even more arduous. Or would they root for Nole, against whom Tsonga has enjoyed successes in the past?

Even Gael Monfils, who made it to the semi-finals in 2008, wasn’t as deluged by the expectations of the home-crowd as Tsonga finds himself in 2013. The Frenchman hasn’t lost a set in the French Open coming into the semis, with an impeccable showing of tennis skills. His opponent has been equally strong and lost just four games in the quarter-finals against Robredo. David Ferrer’s aptitude on clay will be reflective of his hunger and desire to make it to his first-ever Grand Slam final. And as much as the crowd will be rooting for Tsonga, Ferrer’s presence poses yet another dilemma for them.

A Spaniard who’s never made it beyond the semi-finals at the French Open, Ferrer stands in the way of the nation’s tryst with history. A Spaniard who’s always somehow managed to play second fiddle to the top-ranked players in spite of boasting of a game that’s second to none. A Spaniard on whom the French crowd would have hedged its bets, had it been someone else facing him. But it is a Frenchman who’s come this far, defying the odds with a ruthlessly punishing victory over a French Open champion. They wouldn’t want the tables turned on him now, not when victory seems within grasp. Perhaps that’s why regardless of the outcome of the match, an upset is set to happen.

It’s a harsh prospect. Harsher even than the match between Nole and Nadal. That’s a rivalry, a continuation in a series of all-time legendary competitions. This, in contrast, is an opportunity. A blink and a miss, one could miss it; possibly forever. The French want it – need it – to go in Tsonga’s favour, in their favour. The wait has been excruciating for them. Thirty years is a long time. They never expected the crown to elude them for so long. Countless tennis players have come and gone. Some made their mark, yet failed to redeem the French Open while some simply faded away, leaving crushed hopes and broken hearts.

But that is the past. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga is the present, living in the moment, today. The axis of French tennis, he is also the pivot that could re-shape it, giving it a new leash of promise and belief. He’s the man of the hour, whose moment seems to have finally come; at a place where it all began thirty years ago. Perhaps it is in May 2013 that French tennis gets its due rewards.

Allez Tsonga!