Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s progress through the rounds of this year’s Australian Open has not been without incident, but then the Frenchman will never been the sort of man to go about his business incognito. For one thing, he stands 187cm, weighs upwards of 90kg, and is built like the proverbial brick outhouse, so there is rather to a lot of him not to notice. For another, he plays the sort of tennis that it is difficult to take your eyes off and, frankly, when there is player of such exuberance and explosiveness on the court, why would you want to?
Tsonga came into the tournament with a bad back, and though he may still not be feeling in tip-top condition, he was in good enough shape to ease past Israeli Dudi Sela 6‑4 6‑2 1‑6 6‑1 and into the fourth round on Saturday. Sporting a baseball cap worn slightly to one side and pausing frequently to shrug, wave his arms and generally impose his personality on proceedings, Tsonga did what Tsonga does best: He came, he saw, and he whacked the ball so hard that the fluff that flew from it is probably still making its way back down from the clouds as you read this. “He played with a lot of power,” said Sela afterwards, in something of an understatement. The Israeli listed Tsonga as one of the favourites for the title and, after last year’s showing here, it is difficult to argue with that assessment.
“He's playing a few games good, and a few games not so good,” said Sela. “In the tournament, I think Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, they are, for me, the favorites, and after maybe it's Tsonga. Juan Martin Del Potro is also in good shape.” Tsonga, when asked why he should be considered a favourite, did not balk at the suggestion, and seemed disinclined to play down his chances of becoming France’s first Grand Slam champion since Yannick Noah won Roland Garros in 1983. “I don't know. I'm seed No. 5, so I think this is my place maybe,” he said. “I think for us it's good if one Frenchman can win a Grand Slam. Of course, I want to win a Grand Slam. But if Richard Gasquet or Gael Monfils or Gilles Simon win a Grand Slam, I will be happy for them and it will be good for the French tennis.”
Tsonga now plays James Blake in the fourth round after the American beat Igor Andreev in four sets. Since Blake is not known for his conservatism either, it should be an interesting encounter, one for which officials and ballkids might need to be equipped with protective clothing for fear of being struck by an errant thunderbolt from either man’s racquet. Tsonga described his back as “perfect”, which could spell trouble for Blake and anyone else in his path. While he refused to be drawn on whether he was playing as well as he did this time last year, he has certainly not wilted under the pressure of returning to Melbourne.
“It’s all the time different,” said Tsonga, when asked to compare this year to last. “You know, when you play a new tournament, it's new conditions, so is different. Every match is different. That's why I'll play again and again this tournament because every match is different. That's it.”
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