Black Tennis Pros

Life is going to change fast for Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who came into the Australian Open as a promising but little-known 22 year old and leaves as one of the hottest stars on the ATP circuit after reaching his first Grand Slam final. Tsonga, who will break into the Top 20 for the first time on Monday, had never before reached a final at ATP level.

Tsonga will come under immediate consideration for a singles berth in France's Davis Cup first-round tie against Romania on February 8-10. New sponsors will be beating down his door and he'll be one of the marquee players headlining center-court programs at almost every tournament he plays.

Appearing in only his fifth Grand Slam championship, the 22-year-old knocked out No. 9 seed Andy Murray in the first round, No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet in the fourth round and No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in the semifinals before losing a four-set slugfest against Novak Djokovic in the final.

One year ago Tsonga was ranked World No. 212, having lost to Andy Roddick in the Australian Open first round. On Monday he will rise to No. 18 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings to become the second highest-ranked Frenchman behind Gasquet.

A New Star is Born: Fairytale Run to Final

After an illustrious junior career that included winning the 2003 US Open junior title – in a year he finished the No. 2 junior in the world – his progress up the South African Airways ATP Rankings and onto the ATP circuit was hampered by a variety injuries.

Tsonga made his ATP-level debut in tandem with Gasquet at Roland Garros in May 2002, but it wasn’t until September 2004 in Beijing that he took his singles bow and recorded his maiden victory over Hyung-Taik Lee before falling to former World No. 1 Carlos Moya in the second round.

At ATP Masters Series Paris two months later, he hit a 144mph serve – the third fastest on the circuit that year – and highlighted his speed around the court by upsetting Mario Ancic 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 before falling to Guillermo Canas.

A herniated disc injury kept him out of action between November 2004 and March 2005, followed by two injuries to his right shoulder. Between October 2005 and February 2006, Tsonga was again sidelined by back and abdominal problems.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Last year Tsonga won four of five Challenger tournaments he contested between April and June. On the same weekend that he won the fourth of the Challenger titles in Surbiton (d. Karlovic in the final), Tsonga also played qualifying at Queen's Club, where he won three matches to make the main draw. En route to the third round Tsonga took out four-time tournament winner and former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt. Match Report

For his performances Tsonga was awarded a Wimbledon wild card and the Le Mans-born player didn’t disappoint as he reached the fourth round (l. to Gasquet). A third round showing at the US Open (l. to Nadal) was followed by a quarterfinal exit in Metz (l. to Murray) and a semifinal performance in Lyon (l. to Grosjean) during the indoor season.

In his first tournament of the 2008 ATP season, Tsonga beat Hewitt again en route to the Adelaide semifinals (l. to Nieminen). The following week he partnered Gasquet to the Sydney doubles crown (d. Bryan-Bryan), which represented his second piece of ATP silverware after Lyon a few months earlier (w/Grosjean).

Tsonga was attempting to become the first Frenchman to win the Australian championships since Jean Borotra in 1928. Yannick Noah, at Roland Garros in 1983, is the only Frenchman to have won a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era

Q. What are your thoughts after the match? What are you thinking?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Lot of things. I'm very proud of myself. I'm happy for Novak, because he played unbelievable today. I don't know if I have to be sad or happy of this final, but I feel great.

Q. What was your feeling coming in? Were you nervous at the start of today's match?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, no. I was okay. Like every day. Very relaxed. I don't know what say. I think Novak played very good today, and it was tough.

When you have a match, you have one player and one opponent, and you don't know who's gonna win. At the end, all the time you have a winner. So today was Novak.

Q. Now that you've been in the final, how hungry are you to be back in a final again?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: It's just unbelievable because the crowd was unbelievable. A lot of noise and everything. I had frisson (goosebumps). It was crazy (smiling).

Q. You seemed quite happy about the amount of time he was playing between points. You mentioned it to the umpire. Do you think it's fair the gap between points?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, sometimes, you know, when you have to return, you are like this (ready). When your opponent take a lot of time, you go for be ready, and after not, and you are like this (back and forth). When he serves, you are not ready because you are like this (back and forth).

It's very difficult. Between points you have like 25 seconds for play. When it's 40 seconds, the umpire have to say something, you know.

Q. How does it feel to be in the top 20?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Pretty good (smiling).

Q. Does this give you the confidence now to maybe break into the top 10?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course, of course. Not everybody can beat player who I beat. So I know Richard or Youzhny or Rafael, they are very good player. And beat them, it's very difficult, and I did it, so...

Of course, I'm confident now.

Q. How good was it having your mom and dad fly over for the match?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: For me it was very important, because one of the dream of my father, it was to come here, and I did it, so it's good.

Q. It was a dream for him to come here to see you play?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.

Q. How long has he been speaking about that?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Since a long time. I don't know. I cannot say the time. Maybe since I play tennis

It's been a dream ride for Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but he had to wake up at some point, and tonight's final was it. Tsonga was defeated by world no. 3 Serbian Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).

With his father Didier and mother Evenlyne looking endearingly on, Tsonga came out strong in the first set, won it, and looked as if he was ready to take this tournament on to the finish line. In sets two, three and four, Tsonga had bursts of that blazing speed and produced some of those amazing shots, but you could see that he was fatigued and a bit rattled by that incessant ball bouncing of Djokovic's. He complained to the umpire several times, but to no avail.

The electricity that preceded this final had a lot more voltage, and with good reason. Both of these young men have fought long and hard to reach this point and they have taken a lot of wear and tear. Djokovic took an injury timeout and received treatment. Regardless, they continued to put as much into this final as they had left to give, and it was worth seeing.

In accepting his trophy Tsonga apologized for his English and said "I am sorry for my English, I think I play better than my English." Tsonga also thanked Djokovic and said "for me it was a good moment." He ended speaking to the fans, and to a rousing applause, "and the last one is you, thank you very much. See you next year."

The Australian Open comes to an end and the dream run of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at this grand slam is over. At the same time, it is only the beginning of the 2008 tennis season, which means that we will be seeing a lot more of the magnificent Tsonga.

I will be online at 3:30 a.m. throughout the Tsonga vs Djokovic final. If you're going to stay up and watch the match live, grab your coffee and meet me online. Just click on the comments and join in. Don't get the good info second hand!

UPDATE: The match between Tsonga and Djokovic was wonderful, but it was greatly heightened by the company of Blogpassion, FyreStarrter, and FeFe. These friends joined me for the final and we had a great time. I know that it was late, buy you all hung in there, thank you very much friends!!

At 3:30 a.m. eastern time Sunday on ESPN2 (rebroadcast at noon), we should see one of the best tennis grand slam finals that has ever been broadcast. Both players, world no. 38 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and world no. 3 Novak Djokovic of Serbia earned the right to stand on the surface of Rod Laver arena in this 2008 Australian Open Final. What an incredible match this will be.

Here is the transcript of Tsonga's pre-final interview*:

Q. Have you gotten Nadal out of your mind by this time and moved on mentally?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I think at the final, yeah. It's finished now.

Q. Did you watch last evening?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.

Q. Did you watch the whole match or just a little bit?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts on Djokovic being there tomorrow against you?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I don't know. He won yesterday. He played well. It's never easy to beat Federer. We will play tomorrow at the final, and it's going to be a big moment of sports.

Q. What are the main differences between facing Nadal and facing Djokovic?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: It's the same, no? It's the same, because Nadal is 2 in the world and Djokovic 3, so both of them won a lot of tournaments and they have more experience than me.

I know it's going to be difficult, but I'm here and ready for that.

Q. Do you feel any differently now than you did before the first round playing Andy Murray? Are your nerves any different? Is your concentration any different? Is your composure any different?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No. I try to keep the same way. I try to approach this match like the other one.

Q. Have you had much of a chance to see any of Melbourne or do any sightseeing? What's your opinion of Melbourne?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: My opinion of Melbourne? It's a nice city. I feel great here. I have a lot of good things in my head here. I'm happy to be here.

Q. Have your parents arrived yet?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: They arrive Sunday at the morning, tomorrow morning.

Q. Can we go back to that week at Surbiton just before Queens which your coach says was such a big changing week for you when you had to play the challenger tournament and get across and play qualifying as well. What do you remember about that week?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: About this week?

Q. No, at Surbiton.

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: When I played the challengers?

Q. Yeah.

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: It was not very different. It's all ‑‑ it's you. You're here, and when I played challenger it was not. So there is no difference play a final in challenger or here for me. I try to be the same.

Q. But that same week was the big week of Roland Garros and you were in a different country at a small little tournament. What did you feel like? Were you determined to maybe next year at the same time be at Roland Garros rather than Surbiton?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, it was special for me, because of course Roland Garros is big event for me and for all French guys.

I was sad to ‑‑ of this situation. But now I'm here and maybe I will be seeded this year, so it was a good choice for me.

Q. It's Australia Day today. Do you plan to do anything typically Australian: Have a beer, go to a barbeque?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, no.

Q. Since your semifinal win how have you stayed relaxed and stayed calm?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Just stay in my room at the hotel, practice, and that's it.

Q. You try not to think about all the media and the different things that people want from you now that you've reached the final?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, I don't think about it. It's normal. You have to write on me, and I know my life so I don't have to read it in the paper.

Q. What movies do you watch or music do you listen to to relax in your hotel?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Everything.

Q. What in particular?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Everything. I won't say something in particular.

Q. You seemed to enjoy the atmosphere the other night in the semifinal. Does a big crowd help your game a lot?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah. It help me because I like that and I'm good ‑‑ I feel good in this atmosphere.

Yeah, it does for me.

Q. Do you find it surprising how much the crowd got behind you the other night in the match?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Not really, because all match before the people was clapping for me. So, no, I was not surprised.

Q. And it helps you improve your game, to take it to another level, playing in front of such a...

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, I think.

Q. Do you feel that your life has changed in this last fortnight, the expectation on you and what you have achieved?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, of course, a little bit. It's not a chance for everyone to be in final at the Australian Open, so of course it change a little bit.

But me, I try to stay the same person.

Q. Do you have any sense of how France is reacting? I understand that in Belgrade they're going crazy. Are you getting any feedback that the French public are really into what's happening here?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course, of course. I'm just proud of that.

Q. Why have you played so well this tournament?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Why?

Q. Yeah, why? Clearly this is your best tournament. What's been the secret?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: I don't know. Because maybe I don't want to play bad.

Q. What happened last year?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Last year was different. It was a different year. It was my first year on the tour. This year's my second and I have more experience and, yeah, so I play better.

Q. Your nickname is Ali, and people liken you in looks to him. Have you ever watched any videos of his fights or have you watched any movies about him? Is it an ambition of yours maybe to meet him?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course, I watch some DVDs. My father was at the fight at Kinshasa because he's from Brazzaville. He took some photos, so I have some souvenir.

Q. So he's been an inspiration to you since you were a child?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, no. Maybe more now than when I was child.

Q. Can you believe you've made the final of a Grand Slam so quickly in just your second year on the tour?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: No, I not believe it, but I'm here and I have to do it.

Q. What do you have to do to win tomorrow night?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Just play ‑‑ just do my best, and that's it. I will see what's happened on the court, but I will do my best. If I win, that's unbelievable. And if I lose, I did my best, so no problem.

Q. Sorry to get back on Muhammad Ali. But say in your words why Ali is an inspiration to you now.

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Maybe his personality on the court. Maybe I think I have the same tennis as his box.

As if he had done it a hundred times before, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga walked into Rod Laver arena and pummeled Spaniard Rafael Nadal into submission to win the 2008
Australian Open semifinal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

After sprinting to the back of his side of the tennis court subsequent to the coin toss, nothing else looked familiar to Nadal. As opposed to running his opponent's tongue out with the left-handed spin he usually puts on the ball, Nadal was the one chasing blazing shots from the other side of the court.

France's latest delicacy commanded last night's semifinal match with the prowess and calm of a seasoned veteran. The difference is that this is the first time Tsonga has ever played this deep into a grand slam event. The 22-year old world no. 38, which he obviously won't be after this event, came into Australia totally under the radar and took out experienced opponents round after round after round. And today, he awaits the winner of the Roger Federer Novak Djokovic semifinal match to set up the final.

"It's unbelievable, three sets, it's just amazing," Tsonga said.

"I don't know what to say. Today I played unbelievable, and nothing can stop me and I am just happy.

"It's like a dream. Every day, this like a dream. I can't believe it's true, just amazing."

South Africa's Jeff Coetzee and his compatriot doubles partner Wesley Moodie were knocked out of the doubles semifinal by the French team of Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra. The score was 6-3, 7-6(11/9).