Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Will the multi-talented Frenchman ever win a Grand Slam title?

A roaring first serve, plus a thunderous forehand should make your opponents tremble any day. Add to that being blessed with a dependable net approach game and athletic agility, and you would end up being the owner of at least a couple of Grand Slams by the end of your career. However, there is a certain Frenchman in the ATP circuit who is still struggling to win a Grand Slam title even after turning pro 8 years ago, in spite of possessing all the said qualities.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the man whom I am talking about, hogged the limelight when he bludgeoned the incomparable Rafael Nadal into submission at Rod Laver arena five years back in the semifinals. He had the Spanish Armada beaten “black and blue” in straight sets, with the score line reading 6-2 6-3 6-2. The thicket of first serves which came off his racquet on that eventful night proved too much for the then World No.2. We often tend to criticize this French guy for his inability to land first serves at a consistent rate, but it was just not the case back then.

His problem was certainly not his lack of talent, but had more to do with his lethargic attitude, which prevented him from applying himself during key matches. On very few occasions, we have seen Jo exhibiting his full potential as a server and on all such instances, he has made life difficult for his adversaries who stood on the other side of the court. The same has to be said about his forehand as well, which is easily one of his deadliest weapons in the game. This monstrous shot of his can make the best tennis players look completely ridiculous, so much so that two years ago in the quarter finals of Wimbledon, he decimated Roger Federer brutally in the last three sets only with the help of this shot.

The Swiss master was totally cornered all throughout the last three sets, and his one-handed backhand could hardly withstand the impact of the ground strokes struck from the racquet of Tsonga. Federer, who was aiming to become a seven-time champion at the Wimbledon in 2011, was made to bite the dust eventually, having failed to break the French player’s serve even once. This victory over Federer and the one over Rafa in Australian open 2008 were two of his best ever performances in Grand Slam singles matches. And it is needless to mention that on both counts, his serve and forehand were looking totally unflappable, which assisted him in overcoming the greats like the Swiss and the Spaniard.

Then why does he not play the same way every time he steps onto the tennis court? This is an unanswered question in tennis. Whenever I have seen him making his way onto the court, I have always felt sad for his opponents. Quite often I have thought he could just maul them or run them over if he would bring his “A” game, but most of the time he has disappointed me. His consistency has been a big issue for him till now, and his selection of shots also needs a re-look. Although gifted with a great forehand, his backhand has been way too wayward for him to set up points. He makes errors thick and fast to start with, and therefore hands over an early advantage to the men at the opposite end. He needs to develop a solid backhand to complement his strength, which is his forehand. That would do a world of good for the Frenchman.

The other thing to be set right for him, apart from his first serves and forehand, is his net approach game. Differing from many of the professionals in the current era, he has never been reluctant to go to the nets, and that should be called a good sign. He is not calculative though, as he parades to the net, which is the reason why he ends up becoming a victim of his opponent’s passing shots. Since he is very adventurous and has a penchant for attack, he makes this mistake, putting himself in an uncomfortable position so often. So, what should otherwise be an easier take turns out to be a difficult half volley or stretch volley. This is the reason he is not able to play well for seven straight matches, which is the pre-requisite for anyone to win a Grand Slam title.

Those were a few flaws in his game and, even as an individual he does so many unwanted things, which, again, affects his game. Tennis fans everywhere blame Novak Djokovic for being arrogant, citing his chest pumping and certain signals that he makes to the crowd. If the Serb is called arrogant, then what can one say about Tsonga? Everyone is aware that Jo plays a double-handed backhand and that is what he has learnt. But at times, on certain points, due to his overconfidence, he attempts playing a one-handed backhand, which is not his cup of tea. I mean why one would switch over to playing something which he has not practised. This overconfidence, which is a by-product of his arrogance, has made him lose some important points, which eventually proved quite costly.

Every time when he wins a match, even if it is during the initial rounds, he celebrates the occasion by jumping up and down as if he has won the entire tournament. Instead, it would be good for him if he showed a bit of maturity by shrugging of premature celebrations and keeps the jubilations for the bigger occasions. We do not want to see another Nalbandian in the making. Of course, the Argentine is slightly ahead of the Frenchman in terms of talent, but then the latter is really worth a Grand Slam, if not more.

Till last year, most tennis pundits were of the opinion that Murray was never going to win a major, but he silenced them all by defeating Djoker in the US Open final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The same way, we thought of Goran Ivanisevic, who was continuously deprived of a victory in the finals at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Haven’t we? But then, he did make it happen in the year 2001, when he pulled off an upset over Australian Pat Rafter. I hope Jo shows the same sort of resolve and determination and wins at least one Grand Slam title in his career. He is surely not going to do that in Roland Garros, which is reserved for Nadal (and if he surprisingly fails, then Djoker) for the next three years. But, he can surely do it if he applies himself on the hard courts of Melbourne and New York. He should reinvent himself, and if he plays his best tennis, he can give any professional a run for his money.

This year he may need to face Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the Australian open if he gets there. He has done it before in Wimbledon 2011 and there is no reason why he cannot do it again in his favourite surface. I am labelling him as a dark horse for the Australian Open this year. Should he go past Federer (which in itself is no mean feat), he should do whatever it takes to wrap up the Slam, as this is the best chance for him to do it.