The excitement surrounding Emma Raducanu's triumph in the US Open 2021 is certainly well justified, considering the spectacular achievement that she managed to record. Emma is the first unseeded qualifier in women's tennis to win a grand slam tournament, which is certainly praiseworthy, to say the least. However, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came quite close to achieving a similar supreme distinction as early as 2008, following his stunning performances in the Australian Open. Tsonga reached the final of the 2008 Australian Open, having defeated four seeded players along the way. The Frenchman was named as the ATP newcomer of the year for 2007, but nobody could have imagined this level of heroics as early as the next year. Tsonga registered a straight-sets win over Rafael Nadal who was ranked second in the world rankings, in the semi-finals, to inch just one win away from joining the elite list of unseeded players to win a grand slam. While the Frenchman was eventually defeated by No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the final in four sets, he managed to make the Serbian drop his only set during the tournament.
Tsonga has won a total of 18 singles career titles so far, having reached the semi-final of the French Open in 2013 and 2015 as well as the same landmark in the 2011 and 2012 seasons of the Wimbledon. Some of the memorable performances include his triumph against Roger Federer in the 2013 edition of the French Open, which saw Tsonga become the first French player to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament since Gael Monfils in 2008. The Frenchman further became the second player after Nadal to have defeated Federer in both Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Tsonga had earlier defeated the Swiss tennis star in the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, delivering a stunning performance in the quarterfinals.
The Frenchman left everyone present in the crowd at the Centre Court stunned following some excellent gameplay having been two sets down at one point. Tsonga pulled off a stunning turnaround, relegating Federer to his first loss in a Grand Slam. The Frenchman further made his nation proud in the 2012 London Olympics, winning a silver medal in the men's doubles event of the prestigious tournament. Tsonga delivered a fine display alongside Michael Llodra, pulling off comfortable wins against Argentinians David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank, before following it up with a triumph against Leander Paes and Vishnu Vardhan.
The French duo managed to maintain the winning streak with a triumph against the Brazilian duo of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares in the quarterfinals, followed by a win against Spaniards López and David Ferrer. While they suffered a defeat against Americans Mike and Bob Bryan in the final, a well-deserved silver medal was certainly ensured.
Tsonga's serve is a key weapon, with a mixture of both slice and speed enabling him to outwit the opponent. The Frenchman's fitness is top-notch, as evident from his movement around the court. Tsonga has always attempted to push hard and deliver his best on the court as evident from his statements.
“When you play, you don’t think at all that you are the best. You’re just playing and try to give your best on the court and it’s never enough for a competitor. And I’m part of that. Now, I’ve realised that what I did was something great, but not more than this. For me, it was incredible," said the Frenchman in an interaction with the Guardian.
Australian Open: F (2008)
French Open: SF (2013, 2015)
Wimbledon: SF (2011, 2012)
US Open: QF (2011, 2015, 2016)
