If there were few more joyous sights in 2008 than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during his exciting run to the Australian Open final, there were also not many sadder than seeing him stepping around gingerly at Roland Garros four months later following meniscus surgery on his right knee.
From the supremely-athletic, life-loving Frenchman who captivated the Rod Laver Arena faithful before losing a thrilling final to Novak Djokovic, a subdued Tsonga had yet again been felled by injury and was taking each step with the utmost caution.
Health issues, as much as his prodigious talent, have marked his career. The low point was the result of a back problem at age 19 in late 2004. “When I had a herniated disc, that was the worst,” he told the French sporting daily L’Equipe. “Everything I did hurt, even the smallest movement. I cried the day I asked the doctor if I’d be able to play again and he said, ‘it will be tough.’”
Tsonga was out for five months before returning, only to face more obstacles – shoulder, abdominal and continuing back troubles in 2005 and 2006.
After just five main tour matches before 2007, he broke out that year, finishing with a 14-10 record and a ranking that rose from No. 212 to No. 43.
The first chance many fans had to appreciate his remarkably explosive game-style came in the first round of Australian Open 2007 when he lost 6-7(18) 7-6(2) 6-2 6-3 to Andy Roddick. The scoreline, or at least the first two sets of it, indicates how competitive the match was, but not its intensity and drama.
Tsonga was a big-hitting whirlwind from the baseline, and his serve was awesome. Regarding the latter, Roddick said about the 20-18 first-set tiebreak, “I had four set points when I didn’t even touch a serve.”
Exactly 12 months later in 2008, Tsonga won his opening Melbourne Park match, upsetting Andy Murray by crushing forehands, blanketing the net with fearless volleying and serving huge.
He maintained that form, culminating with a startling 6-2 6-3 6-2 demolition of world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. Along with his brilliant shot-making, fans were charmed by his exuberant personality. “I have the feeling I’m made for the big matches in the big stadiums,” the 23-year-old said at the time.
His post-Australian Open results were mediocre – 9-6 in eight events before the knee operation, which again plunged him into the drudgery of rehabilitation. “When you’re hurt a lot like me,” he said when he finally returned to action at the 2008 US Open, “you end up being a bit of fatalist. Even thought it’s a burden, you get up every morning and do three hours of repeating the same movement 100 times to strengthen the knee. Then, in the afternoon, you do something nobody likes – pedalling the stationary bicycle. Those ‘fun’ sessions started five days after my operation (May 27) and went right until the end of July.”
Playing the Beijing Olympics in August was his goal, but the knee didn’t co-operate. “I was shattered, stopped everything for 10 days and didn’t see anyone,” he said. “Then, watching the opening ceremonies on television, I sat there in awe and felt a tingling all over. I really envied the friends I saw on the screen.”
The son of a white French mother and a black Congolese father, Tsonga did well to win two matches at the US Open, but bigger rewards weren’t far away. Following a breakthrough for his first pro title in Bangkok (beating Djokovic) in September, he won the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris in November, defeating four top-11 players in a row – Djokovic (3), Roddick (7), James Blake (11) and David Nalbandian (8).
After a year that was both triumphant and trying, the 187cm/90kg Frenchman, whose charisma and looks that have brought comparisons to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, finished with a No. 6 ranking.
In 2007, he only got into the Australian Open thanks to an exchange of wildcards between the Australian and French federations. “I didn’t feel at home in the locker room,” the mild-mannered Tsonga recalled during last year’s tournament about his first Australian Open experience. “I was saying ‘excuse me’ (in accented English) every 30 seconds. But that’s over, I belong now.”
Five reasons why Tsonga can win Australian Open 2009:
* At its very best, his aggressive tennis is virtually unstoppable
* A potent serve provides a solid base for his game
* His volleying skill is a dimension few players possess today
* Last year’s run to the final gives him confidence he can do well again
* Having a naturally outgoing personality helps get the crowd on his side
Five reasons why he might not:
* He won’t surprise anyone and be below the radar as he was in 2008
* His mobility is always suspect if an opponent can get him on the run
* Compared to his serving, his return of serve game is weak
* Staying injury-free has been a primary challenge for him
* Consistency over seven matches with his high-risk tennis is difficult
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