Yesterday, 12th seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looked brilliant in his play at Wimbledon with a straight sets victory over No. 7 David Ferrer. His reward? The chance to advance to the quarterfinals against one of the greatest men’s tennis players of all time in Roger Federer.
Many have already penciled in Federer and Nadal into the finals at Wimbledon, and there’s no blaming them. The difference between those two and the rest of the world of men’s tennis is a great chasm, yet even the best have their off-days, and that’s exactly what Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is hoping for. Luckily for him, he’s in great shape heading into his match on Wednesday.
So does he stand a chance against Federer, or will it be the easy walk that many would predict? The French player is at his best on grass and he’s truly coming into his own this year. He beat Nadal earlier this year to reach the finals of the AEGON Championships, and he has experience advancing at a major before with his 2008 French Open Finals appearance. He also advanced to the finals of The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, losing to Robin Soderling in the end.
Federer certainly has the better talent, history and overall game, but Tsonga should not be overlooked. Federer will most likely win, but it should be a hard fought contest.