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

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!